Here we go again, forks, tipping, brusqueness

My take on the tipping part of the article was that they appreciate the tipping but don't like the demand for faster and more attentive service. Seems to me they want to pick and choose the American behaviours.

The comment about Americans curring up all their food at the beginning; is that true? I hosted 3 Americans for business for several meals this week and I'm pretty sure none of them did that. One meal was at a steak restaurant.

I'm pretty sure that for all but two points, tipping and the fork thing, you could swap out American for any nationality or any kind of "other".

Many locals find most tourists at least somewhat obnoxious. It's a universal truth.

Well at least the article isn’t a gross over generalization based on a ridiculously small sampling of service providers operating in a ridiculously small geographic and cultural area of Europe. Because if that were true the title would just be click bait to sell advertising and the article would have zero worth. BUT, would be fun to argue over here.

Mr É, naughty, naughty. But you made me laugh again.

Who would have guessed that staff would want to persuade Americans to keep on tipping!

Holding the fork and knife - when my oldest was a freshman in high school we hosted a German exchange student for a couple of weeks. He was my first introduction to the custom of keeping your knife in your left hand and using it throughout the meal, instead of switching the knife and fork. It was like a lightbulb went off. I always eat that way now. It makes so much sense! I won't out myself as an American by being loud, by the way I eat, or by interrupting a bartender or server to order something. Definitely by butchering the language, though, with my well meaning attempts.

Who would have guessed that staff would want to persuade Americans to
keep on tipping!

Anyone who works for a living?

But does illustrate the defect in he article as there are places in Europe where tipping is part of the culture. The idea that they dont tip in "Europe" is nonsense.

9 annoying things American tourists do in Europe, according to hospitality workers.

LOL...Oh such simple answers. This is humor people, don't go getting hysterical.

1. Keep tipping-We can't stop. Americans are guilt ridden. Americans are not fulfilled unless they have not only paid for their meal, but they have been bullied into paying employee wages. Being told not to tip in a country makes us feel like thieves and is an anti-American dining experience.
2. Quiet down-In America we believe in wide personal space. That is why we have to talk louder so all the people at our table can hear me, not just the people next to me. Plus we have a lot of different sporting events. We are use to speaking up. How can the quarterback hear me from the cheap seats if I don't yell or how can the umpire understand my displeasure if I don't speak up.
3. Don't be demanding-In America honey, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you wait your turn there might not be anything left to get. Every man for himself is our motto. Haven't you experienced a Black Friday at a Walmart?
4. Learn the basics of the language-We know English and we are the customer, hence you should speak English to us because that is the universal language in America. We also really wonder why you have this Euro nonsense. Just use American greenbacks and make it easy. Also, while you are at it, what's with this metric stuff and military time? I never know the temperature, what time it is or how much is a gallon of gas.
5. Consider how you're using a knife and fork, especially in fancy restaurants.-Why? You can't eat ribs with a knife and fork. You got to get in there and gnaw to the bone. What is this nonsense of eating a cheeseburger or pizza with a knife and fork? Them is finger foods. Besides, how do you all eat corn or peas with your fork upside down?
6. Go with the flow-No siree. I got an expensive guidebook and I am hitting the sites. You go wandering off the beaten path and that's dangerous. My cousin did that in Chicago and was mugged. I'll stick with the big crowds.
7. Ask what's good on the menu, rather than just what you know-Nah! In the US you get the same answer, "everything is good" and besides how can I trust someone who doesn't speak English very well.
8. Be on time-You obviously don't know social styles in America. Its called fashionably late. Everybody does it.
9. Keep up the nice talk-You betcha. We are the friendliest, gosh darn, down to earth people in the world. But really, that offer to stay with us was just polite conversation. My neighbors might not take too kindly to a foreigner in our neighborhood, but heck, we got us a nice little Holiday Inn Express just outside of town near the Walmart.

Chow for now!

Besides, how do you all eat corn or peas with your fork upside down?

I am curious how a fork facing up impacts a hospitality worker?

Imagine the horror watching a lefty like me handle silverware. It seems odd to me that people spend time observing something so inconsequential but a RS tour guide once watched me closely enough to trigger his questioning my technique. At least I'm considerate enough to make sure my left arm will not bump your right arm.

I am curious how a fork facing up impacts a hospitality worker?

if they sit on it

Imagine the horror watching a lefty like me handle silverware

I'm with you, Silas! I am so hopelessly left-handed that I both cut AND eat with only my left hand... as did my left-handed father, HIS left-handed father, and my left-handed cousins on that side of the family. I can either do it that way or make a mess of my dinner and feel even more embarrassed.

Fortunately, in my 68 years on this earth, no one domestically or abroad has shunned me for my apparently horrifying habit. :O)

Mr E, you crack me up. 🤣

I started eating European style 40 years or more ago when we lived in Poland. The switch was easy, since I’m pretty much ambidextrous. And it comes in handy when eating at table with all my left handed in-laws!

Threadwear--You've created a gem!

I tip for a myriad of reasons but NEVER on a country's degree of impoverishment.

It isn't the first article I've read that has made an observation from servers that Americans are now considered as variable, rather than consistently good tippers across many European countries where tipping is customary to some extent.

Regarding tipping:

When I am in Europe, I try to pay with credit cards as much as possible, because I get a better exchange rate that way than I do at ATMs. I still take out some cash for incidentals.

At restaurants, if you pay with a credit card, in most places there is no option to add the tip, and I often don't have any small bills for tip. So I don't leave a tip. When I was in Scotland this past spring, restaurants in Edinburgh allowed me to add tip to the bill, but not at all elsewhere in the country.

Here in Mexico, if I pay with a credit card, they ask me if I would like to add the tip to the bill before they run the card.

Regarding language

As a solo traveler, I have on occasion been seated in a restaurant with other solo travelers, often Europeans from other countries. The Dutch travelers I've met this way didn't know a word of Italian when dining in a restaurant in Florence. They spoke English unapologetically.

Here in my Mexican community with a large population of expats and immigrants from the US and Canada, servers at restaurants will commonly address me in English, even if I speak Spanish to them. They appreciate the opportunity to practice their English. And often their English is much better than my Spanish, so it is silly for me to struggle to come up with the correct Spanish phrasing when they speak fluent English.

Regarding "Go with the flow":

This is probably the one piece of advice from this article that a lot of us on this forum, in my opinion. should pay serious attention to.

It drives me crazy on this forum when people ask for advice about an itinerary that has almost every hour of every day scheduled. Many on this forum are most guilty of trying to cram so much sightseeing into every day that they forget to relax and have fun. And don't use the excuse that we have limited vacation time. You can enjoy your travels at least as much if you do sightsee less and smell the roses more.