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rebness
Anyone who knows me knows how proud I am to be European. They'll also know that I'm marginally less proud, but still happy, to be British. However, there's one thing that drives me mad about my culture, and which I wish I could overcome... the British fear of complaining.
Oh, sure. We're the nastiest, snarkiest, most sarcastic of races. We'll bitch and whine and moan when the waiter brings our steak and it's still bloody, or has been cremated. We'll mutter about how terrible the government is, our media will always knock people down with glee-- but we never, ever, ever bitch to someone's face. We won't call the waiter back and tell them the food sucks. We won't whine to the bank about poor service. We're Anally, Awfully Polite, By Gosh.
There's a woman who works in my office who lived in America up until about a year ago. She is the best of every American stereotype: strong, loud, outspoken, friendly, confident. In the Mental Health Directorate, we always order our sandwiches from this nice bar down the road which also does boxed salads. Coronation chicken is ambrosia from the Gods.
Except for today, when mine tasted eggy, sour and, with each passing bite, I remembered the duck which poisoned me this year and had me in agony for two days. Couple this with the fact I am still bloody ill, and I was panicking. So I'm sitting there, bitching about how awful my coronation chicken was, how I was going to die, etc. American woman looks at me and says, "Phone them up and complain!"
"I can't!" I cried, "I just can't!"
"Of course you can. You said it was awful. We paid for the service, and it sucked."
"I...no, I can't."
"For God's sake. Let the American handle this." She picks up the phone and dials. I breathe a sigh of relief. American woman will handle it and I don't have to be horrible to the sandwich people. "Yes, yes," she says, "let me put the lady through."
I panic as my 'phone rings. What follows is a stuttered, mumbled explanation followed by me apologising for being so much trouble, but would she mind terribly that her chicken is off?
"Well," sniffed the baker, after offering me another salad as compensation (er, no thanks) "we haven't had any other complaints."
And that's just the thing. Around this city now, dozens of people will be gagging and choking on their salmonella chicken, but will they complain, bless their British souls?
Will they feck. Bah.
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no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 02:54 pm (UTC)How can I be such an angry, shouty person, but unable to complain?
Must take your advice and follow suit. However, that steak in the last place we ate? Fecking raw!
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Date: 2004-12-13 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 09:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 04:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-13 05:06 pm (UTC)*MUST* remember to call out people whilst out with Becky!
i will say one thing, i'm extremely tolerant of some things in restaurants. A couple of key reasons:
1) minor discrepancies such as missing a thing, or wrong side dish, for got my extra sauce, etc. these people are human, first and foremost, also are mostly overworked, underpaid students, single parents, or just struggling. I praise good service whenever i can, and treat them as equals. that way, if there is something amiss, i can feel more at ease bringing it up, and i've been so respectful, that they are happy to go for it.
2) fact that, if one is blatant bitch about discrepancies, chances are much higher that returned dish will be pissed or spat upon once returned to your table by smiling waitperson.
lol
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Date: 2004-12-14 09:50 am (UTC)See, that's the thing. I am usually very, very tolerant of people in the service industry. God knows I experienced ritual humiliation at the hands of customers whilst working in WHSmith.
I don't take mixed-up orders or genuine mistakes out on waiters, ever. In fact, I don't think I've ever complained-- not even in that Mexican restaurant which was, hands down, the worst place I had ever eaten in.
I just wish I had more guts when needing to complain about genuinely shoddy service! Argh.
(Maybe I'll take you to the Mexican place when you come over. Do my dirty work for me.) >:-)
Heehee.
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Date: 2004-12-13 08:23 pm (UTC)At our local restuarant my friend ordered pizza and chips, what she actually got was wig and chips because that much hair covered the pizza it looked like the head waiter had been scalped. We left without a fuss and gave a tip *le sigh*
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Date: 2004-12-14 09:51 am (UTC)Nutter. :p
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Date: 2004-12-13 08:32 pm (UTC)Don't worry about getting sick/er though. Probably won't happen. In the future however I would stop eating after the first one or oh, two bites. ;)
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Date: 2004-12-14 09:53 am (UTC)Have pains today, but that could be where the dog bowled into me.
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Date: 2004-12-14 12:58 am (UTC)Maybe you export all your complainers and we get them or they feel less repressed here about complaining.
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Date: 2004-12-14 09:54 am (UTC)mmhhmm
Date: 2004-12-14 04:58 am (UTC)Re: mmhhmm
Date: 2004-12-14 09:54 am (UTC)Re: mmhhmm
Date: 2004-12-14 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:39 am (UTC)Ooh! KitKat!
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:42 am (UTC)I have American chocolate from
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:49 am (UTC)SHERYL WHY DOES BECKY GET A SNOWMAN AND I DON'T
Speaking of Christmas candy, I used to love these jelly pops that you get from Woolworths and Target, right. They were jelly in the shape of, like, Santa Claus and teddy bears and things, on a stick, with sugary bits to break your teeth on. But this Christmas they're all chocolate-coated, which is just weird! I want a normal jelly pop! :(
Also that icon is cool but slightly suspect depending on the context in which you use it.
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:54 am (UTC)I get a snowman because I ROCK. The end.
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:57 am (UTC)I am sensitive!
Date: 2004-12-14 11:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:48 am (UTC)Oh, the internationalness of me.
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:50 am (UTC)You haven't told me about Spain yet, wench, and if you don't soon or I'll just never want to hear. Also about Mary and Elizabeth (not the mother and aunt of Jesus, the royalty).
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:55 am (UTC)First part of Spain coming up today. If I was really pretentious, I'd call it Espana.
I really liked Espana.
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Date: 2004-12-14 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 11:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 11:52 am (UTC)And when did you get a paid account, anyway? You're supposed to be poor. :p
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!
Date: 2004-12-14 11:58 am (UTC)Oh, you know. I got tired of the hideous purple. And it was only £2.50 for a couple of months. Bargain!
Also, thanks, Dad.
Nur I have fifteen (rubbishy) icons!
Re: KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!
Date: 2004-12-14 12:02 pm (UTC)I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:06 pm (UTC)However-- 3am wake-up calls are indeed a strong incentive. Hmm. *strokes chin.*
At this point, I realise that I need a "Cunning Plan" Blackadder icon. :(
Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:09 pm (UTC)Chocolate brings me happiness.
Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:12 pm (UTC)Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:14 pm (UTC)Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:21 pm (UTC)Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:27 pm (UTC)Oh dear. I just remembered the piece of Baci cake I shared with a friend when we got coffee after work instead of going for a walk. The calories, the calories!
Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:30 pm (UTC)Didn't order lunch today because of the poison chicken. That means... *drum roll* 2,000 step walk! ARRGH.
I have a pedometer, you know.
Re: I can't get no satisfaction
Date: 2004-12-14 12:34 pm (UTC)2,000 step walk where? I bought my Dad one of those for Christmas but SSHH DON'T TELL HIM.