LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.05.03 (05) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 03 May 2009 - Volume 05
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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.05.03 (04) [E]

 Hello Mel,

in most Hamburg restaurants that I know -- among them croatian and other
"exotic" restaurants -- waiters of all nations understand these
knife-and-fork-signals quite well. They also understand the
"I-want-my-bill"-gesture, i.e. writing a little with your finger in the air.
The bill comes promptly. This seems to be international.

As to the waiters taking an interest in the progress of your eating, I know
several hamburg waitresses (yes, this is a feminine, if not to say: motherly
way of putting things! :-)) who, after a glance over your shoulder on your
plate, ask "Do you want a little more sauce/fried potatoes/remoulade...?",
which is decoded: "Have you done?", because they often see that you are
quite done :-) It usually produces the grateful license to carry away the
plate.

But nobody would ask "Are you still working...?". They rather would say "Are
you still enjoying on this?" This would be a more truthful question (for
there can be truthful questions too, as well as truthful answers). Oh dears,
do you know?: it is Spargelzeit here in northern Germany! And the Spargel is
brilliant this year. Alas, no New Potatoes from our own farmers are
available yet; this is always the case in the Spargelzeit. That is what
brings the Matjeszeit in June even closer to my heart -- Matjes and New
Potatoes from Holstein farmers, that is the very thing...!

Because "It's the potato, stupid!" ;-) And: Matjes needs no peeling.

Hartlich

Marlou


From: Mel Vassey, DVM <mel.vassey at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2009.05.03 (02) [E]

 On May 3, 2009, at 1:38 PM, Lowlands-L List wrote:

Interestingly, as a kid I was taught that the polite thing to do when
finished eating was to place the knife and fork together on the plate, in
the "6:30" position as it were.


When I studied in Spain 21 years ago, I learned that knife and fork set down
at roughly 4:00 & 8:00 meant you were still "working on it", while knife and
fork set together at 3:00 meant you were finished. I've maintained the habit
since, though I'm fairly certain it's not recognized as signaling anything
by most people here in the US.

•

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