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[Dennis]

This thread happened while I was banned and I see that Euro-GAF put up a shamefully weak defense.

This would not have happened on my watch.

 

[The Lamp]

It's not going to happen in Italy. I was there for 2 weeks and every meal I asked for tap water in Italian and every time they looked at me like I had just asked to have sex with their wife or something.

Well good to know. I guess in Italy I'll just drink water before meals.

I think it's also one annoying aspect of the OP, complaining that "things don't work the way I want". Or not following the "When in Rome Madrid ..." rule. I'll eat at "regular" times in France, earlier in the UK and later in Spain, and appreciate the opportunity to experiment other cultures. If cultural differences bother someone, why would he even travel abroad ?

What is this nonsense lol I can criticize something I find unappealing regardless of it being part of the culture or not. I am doing things the way they do it here, and when I go back I will not be hesitant to say certain things about it are great and certain things suck. I am experimenting and seeing what I like and what I don't. I don't ascribe to being a prisoner of cultural relativity. As an example, just because footbinding was the culture in China does not mean I have to be a fan of it, and just because restaurants randomly closing at different hours and days of the week in France is part of the culture doesn't mean I have to praise that, either. So just because something is the culture doesn't mean I have to enjoy it. Europeans certainly have no qualms about complaining about OUR culture at every possible moment, and fine, I don't mind it, especially if they've tried it and can form their own informed opinion.

What you're suggesting is so incredibly ridiculous I can't even. You're wondering how I could possibly enjoy traveling abroad while not praising every difference I come across?? I've lived in Europe for 5 weeks now and overall loved it; I've done nothing except live on the schedule locals would, and I've accepted living out those differences. But man, that doesn't mean I have to think everything in Europe is better.

 

[Rad-]

Ordering tap water in a restaurant is a bit weird to me. If it's a cheaper fast food place then maybe but otherwise hell no. Drinking something like wine or beer is like half the meal.

 

[frankie_baby]

Ordering tap water in a restaurant is a bit weird to me. If it's a cheaper fast food place then maybe but otherwise hell no. Drinking something like wine or beer is like half the meal.

Every time I eat out we ask for a bottle of wine and a jug of tap water

 

[milanbaros]

Ordering tap water in a restaurant is a bit weird to me. If it's a cheaper fast food place then maybe but otherwise hell no. Drinking something like wine or beer is like half the meal.

It is very common in Britain to have tap water and wine with your meal. Not either/or.

 

[Fusebox]

This is why tipping culture is important. Tips pay for the water and the refills.

Haha, that's a new one.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

This thread happened while I was banned and I see that Euro-GAF put up a shamefully weak defense.

This would not have happened on my watch.

I think most people saw it as a troll thread after about page 2 and gave up on it, to be honest.

 

[FStop7]

I recently visited Europe, too.

I've spent 5 weeks all over Europe now and I gotta say most of your average daily diets are awful, at least from the places I see as a traveler. The irony is that they eat like shit and stay skinny (dat walking culture though).

Eat like shit? Not my experience, at all.

Agree on the walking culture. Loved that. And people know how to walk, too: it's like this silent ballet of maneuvering around each other without breaking stride.

It's not fair that Americans are the fat ones (our food is spiked with HFCS so of course we're all fat no matter what we do).

Umm, that's not really why but okay.

French people eat so much fucking bread and sweets and chocolate it's absurd. Every hostel and hotel breakfast I've had served included rolls with chocolate chips. Every breakfast cafe sells CAKE AND PIE for breakfast. Fucking crepes man, they're just carbs folded upon Nutella and store bought fruit jam. You guys just munch on sweets until lunch time, when it's time for more bread, and maybe around dinner time you'll eat something green that is not an onion with some wine.

A hotel breakfast isn't representative of how people who live there are eating on a daily basis.

I rented an apartment through Airbnb - it saved me thousands of Euros vs. hotels, plus the benefit of having a kitchen. I went to the daily markets for stuff like produce and the local Carrefour or Intermarche for regular supermarket-type stuff.

When I went to restaurants I used Yelp and Tripadvisor to find places that were popular with locals. The most indulgent place I went to was a Lyonnaise restaurant in Antibes. It was absolutely phenomenal. But again... that's not representative of how people eat on a daily basis.

The worst is many restaurants are not open between 3-6 pm.

I can't think of many non-chain restaurants (other than diners) that are open from 3-6 in the states, either.

As far as being a traveller goes, it's actually way easier for me to eat healthy in America.

Considering the number of daily outdoor markets with tons of fresh everything there are across Europe, I don't know how you can say this.

That, and the fact that water is not a free natural resource in your socialist haven (seriously, why do you care so much about free access to basic human needs but you nickle and dime people to use the toilet and charge more for water than beer) means that I am encourage to order beer, tea or soda almost every time I go out instead of water (which is usually more expensive because it's fancy tiny bottled stuff).

I... what? Did you ask for water? I never had to pay a dime to use the bathroom, anywhere.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

It's not going to happen in Italy. I was there for 2 weeks and every meal I asked for tap water in Italian and every time they looked at me like I had just asked to have sex with their wife or something.

That is so weird. How hard can it be to just bring goddamn tap water to the customer?

 

[YourMaster]

That is so weird. How hard can it be to just bring goddamn tap water to the customer?

It's not about the trouble of bringing it, it is about the 'loss of business'. Just like they wouldn't like it if you bring your own bottle of wine or can of soda to a restaurant,... it is implied when you are there you order from the menu.

 

[Arjen]

In my experience, tap water is fine as long as you order it alongside a coffee or wine.
Restaurants here make their money on drinks not on food, If you just want free tap water your costing them money.

 

[John Kowalski]

That is so weird. How hard can it be to just bring goddamn tap water to the customer?

I was asked for tap water a couple times and i always looked at them weird. It's just not customary to drink tap water. I'd drink it all the time because i didn't have any other liquid to drink while working but like... water's not expensive, and it's definitely many many many times better than tap water.

Like if someone asked for used utensils. I wasn't even angry that they weren't paying, i just felt really sad about it. Like come on man have some standards.

 

[poppabk]

That is so weird. How hard can it be to just bring goddamn tap water to the customer?

It's a cultural norm that you get a drink with your meal. It's the European equivalent of tipping, you are guilted in to doing something because otherwise you look 'cheap'.

 

[Switch Back 9]

I'll stick to my clean, natural (and free) Canadian spring water thank you very much. I don't need some polluted Italian nonsense from ancient lead lined aqueducts or French sewage water from your filthy river all the homeless people piss in.

Spoiler

I kid, I kid

 

[masud]

Ordering tap water in a restaurant is a bit weird to me. If it's a cheaper fast food place then maybe but otherwise hell no. Drinking something like wine or beer is like half the meal.

Nobody in the US orders water. They just give it to you without asking.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

It's not about the trouble of bringing it, it is about the 'loss of business'. Just like they wouldn't like it if you bring your own bottle of wine or can of soda to a restaurant,... it is implied when you are there you order from the menu.

Uhhh I do order from the menu. The food.

So glad water is free and even expected in every restaurant in North America. Y'all crazy.

In my experience, tap water is fine as long as you order it alongside a coffee or wine.
Restaurants here make their money on drinks not on food, If you just want free tap water your costing them money.

Funny because one of the reasons I almost never order drinks in restaurants anymore is because of how goddamn expensive they are. $2-4 for a coke or a juice? Fuck off, I'll stick with water thank you very much.
As for costing them money, well, restaurants in NA (and plenty of EU countries, and even in Israel) seem to be quite capable of staying in business while still offering free water. What is this sorcery?

I was asked for tap water a couple times and i always looked at them weird. It's just not customary to drink tap water. I'd drink it all the time because i didn't have any other liquid to drink while working but like... water's not expensive, and it's definitely many many many times better than tap water.

Like if someone asked for used utensils. I wasn't even angry that they weren't paying, i just felt really sad about it. Like come on man have some standards.

....?? Where do you live? I don't think tap water when travelling to Mexico, of course. But there's nothing bad-tasting or unsanitary or "low standards" about drinking cold tap water to refresh yourself when having a meal if you live in a country that filters it properly. I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds horribly snobbish.

It's a cultural norm that you get a drink with your meal. It's the European equivalent of tipping, you are guilted in to doing something because otherwise you look 'cheap'.

That might be true. I remember being actually pressured into ordering a drink at a Belgian restaurant. The lady was quite offended that we said "no thanks" (didn't even ask for water, we had stopped bothering by then) when taking drinks and huffed, "you have to have a drink with your meal!", and I was so speechless that I actually reluctantly ordered a coke. I still don't know why I just didn't walk straight out of there. We were tired from walking all day and all the other places we had walked by appeared completely full and we didn't want to look anymore, that must have been it. That restaurant was doing badly too, it was almost empty except for us and the neighbouring restaurants were filled up. Maybe that should have been a hint... xD At least the food was good.

I'll stick to my clean, natural (and free) Canadian spring water thank you very much. I don't need some polluted Italian nonsense from ancient lead lined aqueducts or French sewage water from your filthy river all the homeless people piss in.

Spoiler

I kid, I kid

I laughed. xD

 

[Switch Back 9]

Uhhh I do order from the menu. The food.

So glad water is free and even expected in every restaurant in North America. Y'all crazy.


Funny because one of the reasons I almost never order drinks in restaurants anymore is because of how goddamn expensive they are. $2-4 for a coke or a juice? Fuck off, I'll stick with water thank you very much.
As for costing them money, well, restaurants in NA (and plenty of EU countries, and even in Israel) seem to be quite capable of staying in business while still offering free water. What is this sorcery?


....?? Where do you live? I don't think tap water when travelling to Mexico, of course. But there's nothing bad-tasting or unsanitary or "low standards" about drinking cold tap water to refresh yourself when having a meal if you live in a country that filters it properly. I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds horribly snobbish.

It really does. I go to Europe every year and this never ceases to irritate me. I'm ordering food, I'm ordering drinks, give me a fucking jug of ice water with my meal you cheap cunts. I don't understand Euro GAF defending this like it's some outrageous request from those uncultured slobs in North America.

And you know what? Your cities stink. All of them. They smell like piss and the ingrained stench of constant human habitation. You guys wouldn't know what fresh air and water was if it punched you in the face, no wonder you have to charge for it. Have your fancy "culture" and "cuisine" and "history", I'm going to walk down the street and breathe in the clean and crisp New World air and then go for a swim in one our many, many clean lakes or rivers.

 

[Dr.Acula]

"Gas or no gas?"
"Tap?"
*look of disgust and contempt*

 

[Arjen]

Funny because one of the reasons I almost never order drinks in restaurants anymore is because of how goddamn expensive they are. $2-4 for a coke or a juice? Fuck off, I'll stick with water thank you very much.
As for costing them money, well, restaurants in NA (and plenty of EU countries, and even in Israel) seem to be quite capable of staying in business while still offering free water. What is this sorcery?

Cultural difference like someone else said. Most people order a glass of wine or a beer with their meal. Keep in mind going to a restaurant is considered a nice night out, you don't do it that much, so if you do, you'll make a night out of it, stay a couple of hours and have a couple of drinks.
It's a thing I noticed in the US, going out for dinner felt really rushed.

 

[way more]

Depends on how much walking we're talking about. I'd also be interested in seeing the average caloric intake of your average American male vs French male, for example.

So many people blaming HFCS in this thread, which really doesn't matter. Even if we used refined sugar in our soda, it'd still be the same amount of calories. The real culprit in this country is eating more calories than we need to consume. But yes, soda intake doesn't help at all.

HFCS are one issue but it's also the GMO's they inject into our food and the rBGH they add to milk.

 

[The Hermit]

I read the title and though " there are almost no fat people there"

eh

 

[FStop7]

I read the title and though " there are almost no fat people there"

eh

My shirt size is "L" in American stores. I bought an L-sized shirt in Europe and didn't try it on until I'd returned home. It fits like a corset.

 

[Switch Back 9]

Cultural difference like someone else said. Most people order a glass of wine or a beer with their meal. Keep in mind going to a restaurant is considered a nice night out, you don't do it that much, so if you do, you'll make a night out of it, stay a couple of hours and have a couple of drinks.
It's a thing I noticed in the US, going out for dinner felt really rushed.

I like having a nice glass of ice water AS WELL as having several glasses of wine or beer. They're not mutually exclusive. You think nobody over here orders wine or beer with their meal? We all just want free water and giant jugs of coke obviously.

 

[Arjen]

I like having a nice glass of ice water AS WELL as having several glasses of wine or beer. They're not mutually exclusive. You think nobody over here orders wine or beer with their meal? We all just want free water and giant jugs of coke obviously.

Like I said if you order wine you'll get free water no problem.

 

[Switch Back 9]

Like I said if you order wine you'll get free water no problem.

In all honesty, a little less than half of the restaurants I've been to in European countries over the years have had no problem providing me with a glass or jug of water, my posts are mostly directed at EuroGaf going on a tear like this is some over the top request from uncultured swine from NA.

My other big issue is lack of ice. You guys like everything room temperature and that is NOT refreshing.

Edit: I fucking LOVE how nonchalant and chill you guys are about smoking though. North America has a giant obnoxious stick up our ass when it comes to that.

 

[Rookje]

It really does. I go to Europe every year and this never ceases to irritate me. I'm ordering food, I'm ordering drinks, give me a fucking jug of ice water with my meal you cheap cunts. I don't understand Euro GAF defending this like it's some outrageous request from those uncultured slobs in North America.

And you know what? Your cities stink. All of them. They smell like piss and the ingrained stench of constant human habitation. You guys wouldn't know what fresh air and water was if it punched you in the face, no wonder you have to charge for it. Have your fancy "culture" and "cuisine" and "history", I'm going to walk down the street and breathe in the clean and crisp New World air and then go for a swim in one our many, many clean lakes or rivers.

 

[Fusebox]

Funny because one of the reasons I almost never order drinks in restaurants anymore is because of how goddamn expensive they are. $2-4 for a coke or a juice? Fuck off, I'll stick with water thank you very much.

If that's your logic, do you not order the food either?

 

[The Lamp]

Cultural difference like someone else said. Most people order a glass of wine or a beer with their meal. Keep in mind going to a restaurant is considered a nice night out, you don't do it that much, so if you do, you'll make a night out of it, stay a couple of hours and have a couple of drinks.
It's a thing I noticed in the US, going out for dinner felt really rushed.

I ordered wine and they wouldn't give me water to go with it. I paid 48 euros for my whole meal yesterday and they refused to serve me some non-bottled water.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

If that's your logic, do you not order the food either?

Wat. Obviously I go to a restaurant to eat. Whether it's because I'm travelling and can't cook, or just want a dish prepared by a specialist, or some other reason. Are you really going to make that silly equivalence?

 

[milanbaros]

I ordered wine and they wouldn't give me water to go with it. I paid 48 euros for my whole meal yesterday and they refused to serve me some non-bottled water.

That sounds like a tourist trap restaurant. Where were you?

 

[Nordicus]

hnnnnnnnghsogoodohyeah

Yeah boi, get one of those soda stream machines, don't have to buy carbonated water bottles from store, just switch the canister every 60 litres

 

[Arjen]

I ordered wine and they wouldn't give me water to go with it. I paid 48 euros for my whole meal yesterday and they refused to serve me some non-bottled water.

Then you went to a shitty restaurant. That is inexcusable.

 

[way more]

In Germany you could order sausages of infinite variety but when you asked for mustard they all had the same prepackaged, brand name shit.

 

[Arjen]

In Germany you could order sausages of infinite variety but when you asked for mustard they all had the same prepackaged, brand name shit.

That's because you should put curry on sausages you heathen.

 

[Alx]

What you're suggesting is so incredibly ridiculous I can't even. You're wondering how I could possibly enjoy traveling abroad while not praising every difference I come across?? I've lived in Europe for 5 weeks now and overall loved it; I've done nothing except live on the schedule locals would, and I've accepted living out those differences. But man, that doesn't mean I have to think everything in Europe is better.

The difference is between disliking something and being judgemental about it. Next time try avoiding terms like "awful", "shit", "absurd" etc when describing those experiences (especially when they're clearly biased by tourist business), implying it's something that should change.
Complaining about opening hours of restaurants is like complaining about the British driving on the left side of the road. It may not be convenient when you're not used to it, but consider it as no more than a "fun fact" since it's not going to change just because foreigners don't like it.

 

[holygeesus]

I'm not sure about Europe, but here in the UK licensed pubs, bars and restaurants etc have to, by law, provide free drinking water. This may have been mentioned already, but I'm not wading (boom boom!) through multiple Euro-bashing pages of the thread, to find out.

 

[daviyoung]

In Germany you could order sausages of infinite variety but when you asked for mustard they all had the same prepackaged, brand name shit.

I asked for ketchup at a vendor in Frankfurt and was met with a confused expression. Ot's ok Ameribro, we'll go to the McDonalds together.

 

[The Lamp]

Then you went to a shitty restaurant. That is inexcusable.

As someone else in this thread said, this is common in Italy. The food was really good and it had very high ratings on tripadvisor, so no.

The difference is between disliking something and being judgemental about it. Next time try avoiding terms like "awful", "shit", "absurd" etc when describing those experiences (especially when they're clearly biased by tourist business), implying it's something that should change.
Complaining about opening hours of restaurants is like complaining about the British driving on the left side of the road. It may not be convenient when you're not used to it, but consider it as no more than a "fun fact" since it's not going to change just because foreigners don't like it.

Get over it. I don't even think you've read most of the discussions that have carried on in this thread. It was hyperbole in a lighthearted manner. By disliking something you are inherently making a judgment about something. I can be judgmental about it if I want because I don't like it. They don't need to change anything if they don't want to.

 

[John Dunbar]

this is why we put mcdonald's in every country in europe, so decent god fearing americans won't have to starve when for some inexplicable reason they find themselves among barbarians.

 

[Endorphineforeverybody]

Don't know if serious about the water. First yes drinks are important for the restaurant because they usually make the profit with the drinks. Second you can't even drink the tap water in the south of Italy or I wouldn't drink it. How "good" the tap water is depends on the state. I go with North yes, South of Europe no.

If you can't afford drinks in a restaurant, cook for yourself.

 

[Switch Back 9]

Get over it. I don't even think you've read most of the discussions that have carried on in this thread. It was hyperbole in a lighthearted manner. By disliking something you are inherently making a judgment about something. I can be judgmental about it if I want because I don't like it. They don't need to change anything if they don't want to.

I like to give America shit a lot of the time (rightfully so) but this is one time I stand proud with my brothers and sisters to the South.

Spoiler

now if you guys could cut it out with all the crazy racism and religious shit that would be swell

 

[spekkeh]

Heh forgot about that. Yeah the reason they look funny at you asking for tap water in Italy might be because you are an American asking to get the shits at their restaurant.

 

[The Lamp]

Heh forgot about that. Yeah the reason they look funny at you asking for tap water in Italy might be because you are an American asking to get the shits at their restaurant.

I guess maybe the tap water isn't drinkable in Italy. Good to know.

That sounds like a tourist trap restaurant. Where were you?

May have been a tourist trap restaurant (I wasn't about to walk an hour out of the city for food, fuck that), but it wasn't a bad restaurant.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...iews-Ristorante_Marco_Polo-Mestre_Veneto.html

Incoming scrutiny about my eating choices.

 

[DeathyBoy]

Biergartens? Germans don't eat there? Everyone there was speaking German...the waiters hardly spoke English. And yeah that was in Bavaria.

In Berlin I didn't really eat German food. I ate at a small hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant and some doner places to save money.

So this reminds me of a time when I went to Germany and ate at a youth hostel and it was revolving so I was all 'OMG GERMAN FOOD SUCKS' and then went to a McDonalds and the food was cold and I was all 'GOD-DAMN IT GERMANY' and then I went to a restaurent and the food was nice and I was all 'GERMANY RULES.'

 

[Switch Back 9]

Meanwhile, in India they couldn't WAIT to give us water and we had to do that awkward "umm thanks!" every time and then never touch it.

 

[True Savior]

Tourists dont get free stuff. If you want tap water go to a public bathroom.

 

[Nordicus]

this is why we put mcdonald's in every country in europe, so decent god fearing americans won't have to starve when for some inexplicable reason they find themselves among barbarians.

If Hesburger expands then there will be no sanctuary!

 

[Switch Back 9]

Tourists dont get free stuff. If you want tap water go to a public bathroom.

Bathrooms? I thought everyone just pissed in the street over there?

 

[The Lamp]

Tourists dont get free stuff. If you want tap water go to a public bathroom.

Where I will have to pay to piss too? although actually that's more of a Northern Europe sort of oppression.

 

[TanookiTom]

The whole problem with this thread is that the OP and many others in here apparently expected Europe to be just like the U.S. apparently. Cultural differences, anyone?

I do agree that free tap water and free public toilets are nice and especially the later should be standard, but it's just a different mentality Although I know that this is luckly slowly changing in Germany, don't know about other European countries.

Totally disagree regarding the food culture though. The problem in the U.S. are the extreme sizes of the portions and all the sugary drinks.
Plus the Mediterranean Cuisine is actually known to be very healthy. Olive oil, lot's of fish etc.

And while German cuisine definitely isn't the healthiest, we are awesome at breakfasting and you will be able to find healthy breakfasts with Joghurt/Müsli/Fruit and some veggies etc. almost anywhere if you try...