oaf@mit-vax.UUCP (Oded Feingold) (11/27/85)
> If you didn't speak French (fluently) they wouldn't give you the > time of day. ------------------------------ That regarding Club Med? You shoulda took it up with management toute suite. The same for a restaurant - get hands on the maitre d'hotel and make a waiter's life ugly. They're there to give you a good time. If they're not doing so, they're blowing off their jobs. If you can't find or can't communicate with the maitre d', ask among the diners at nearby tables for someone who'll help. At worst, you'll have an unhappy restaurant experience. We're not talking about violent people who'll mug or murder you, a possibility facing tourists on American streets (but nowhere in Europe.) That brings up an interesting point: WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS OF REASONABLE TOURISTY BEHAVIOR IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES? I'd like comments on this newsgroup so people know what to expect and how to deal with it, since it's not always true that throttling the waiter produces better behavior in his successor. Such comments could be tailored to various countries and situations. Maybe some kind soul could keep an archive of these tips, and retransmit it periodically. Maybe I'm a kind soul, if you send your suggestions. > (How many Between us we speak English, Italian, German and Spanish.) ------------------------------ Depends - I speak enough to get in trouble, though not enough to get back out. That's the result of a very small number of days studying, and I have NEVER had linguistic difficulties anywhere in Europe except England. It should be possible to learn enough in finite (do-able) time to cover yourself fairly well, at least to attract someone's attention and convey an idea of the topic to be discussed [Du stehst auf mein Fuss, Kerl!] After that, sign language, hand-waving, pointing at phrasebooks or menu lines, or finding an interpreter (once you've convinced the person there really is something to discuss) usually does the job. > For short trips a phrase book is excellant because... ------------------------------ I can't resist. You can still get in trouble: I entered a French restaurant after not eating all day. I wanted to tell the maitre d'hotel "J'ai beacoup faime cessoir," but mispronounced "faime" ever so slightly. He put me at a back table where my inordinate desires would not be so noticeable. But I digress. Collins phrasebooks seem among the best - avoid ones with cutesy pictures. -- Oded Feingold MIT AI Lab. 545 Tech Square Cambridge, Mass. 02139 OAF%OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA {harvard, ihnp4!mit-eddie}!mitvax!oaf 617-253-8598