Service!
I had dinner last night with two expat friends and two Chinese at a small local restaurant. It became all too clear to me, in the course of our dinner, how much Chinese and anglo expectations about service differ.
The restaurant we visited is fun by a family. The boss is quite talkative and the waitresses are playful. The atmosphere is quite similar to that of a small diner in the States; it's the Chinese equivalent of the small greasy spoon where the waitress asks you, "Can I pour you some more coffee sweetie?"
At one point, one of my middle class Chinese dining companions expressed his disgust that we weren't provided with all the superfluous plates and condiments typical at a more expensive restaurant. So, he asked the waitress to bring some in:
"Hey, could we have some small dishes?"
"What for?"
"Well, you know, little ones for vinegar and things."
"You want to have some vinegar?" [The waitress puts her hands on her hips and gives the man a mock-surprise stare. In Chinese, this is sentence also means 'You want to be jealous?']
Of course, my dining companion didn't think it was all too funny...
Later, we were having a conversation about different coffee houses in town.
The unanimous opinon of the Anglo party was that, while one coffee house had excellent coffee and a stellar atmosphere, the service was too stuffy. The waitresses all had their makeup carefully applied, and they spoke to customers in only the most subservient tones. When they left a table to fulfil an order, the would click their heels together ever so slightly. Even when they came to replenish your water, they would say, "Excuse me sir, I've come to refill your glass." The waitresses were children dressed up like mechanical dolls. It was all a little too much.
The other cafe, we agreed, had bad coffee but much more "friendly" service. The waitresses spoke a little more coarsely and didn't pile on the makeup quite so much. They were just frumpy Nanjing people.
Our Chinese friends had a different take. They felt the attitude of the servants in the first place was much better.
The restaurant we visited is fun by a family. The boss is quite talkative and the waitresses are playful. The atmosphere is quite similar to that of a small diner in the States; it's the Chinese equivalent of the small greasy spoon where the waitress asks you, "Can I pour you some more coffee sweetie?"
At one point, one of my middle class Chinese dining companions expressed his disgust that we weren't provided with all the superfluous plates and condiments typical at a more expensive restaurant. So, he asked the waitress to bring some in:
"Hey, could we have some small dishes?"
"What for?"
"Well, you know, little ones for vinegar and things."
"You want to have some vinegar?" [The waitress puts her hands on her hips and gives the man a mock-surprise stare. In Chinese, this is sentence also means 'You want to be jealous?']
Of course, my dining companion didn't think it was all too funny...
Later, we were having a conversation about different coffee houses in town.
The unanimous opinon of the Anglo party was that, while one coffee house had excellent coffee and a stellar atmosphere, the service was too stuffy. The waitresses all had their makeup carefully applied, and they spoke to customers in only the most subservient tones. When they left a table to fulfil an order, the would click their heels together ever so slightly. Even when they came to replenish your water, they would say, "Excuse me sir, I've come to refill your glass." The waitresses were children dressed up like mechanical dolls. It was all a little too much.
The other cafe, we agreed, had bad coffee but much more "friendly" service. The waitresses spoke a little more coarsely and didn't pile on the makeup quite so much. They were just frumpy Nanjing people.
Our Chinese friends had a different take. They felt the attitude of the servants in the first place was much better.