Service!

It is funny how now I am home I have noticed some things I took for granted out in The States and I must start with the service industry. The night I got home I went for a delicious curry with my Mum and Dad at our favourite restaurant in the village where I live. The meal was great as always but two main things stood out. First off, they didn't give us any water when we sat down - a custom in most restaurants in America and one I love for rehydration purposes. I know I don't drink enough water. Secondly, they didn't box up our left overs at the end of the meal. I promptly ordered a jug of water to share and sadly watched my food go away at the end of the meal. Boxed left overs should be universal because really we have bought the food nevermind how wasteful it is throwing it away. It's like buying clothes and leaving half the items in the shop!?
Back at work in the restaurant I realised further how efficient service is in The States probably because the job of Bartender and Waiter are classed as a full time, affluent job. Restaurants in England just don't have the facilities US restaurants have to help the smooth running of the service business. For instance, 'Happy Hour' drink at the restaurant I work at are only on the bar till, not the waitress till, so you have to go to the bar to order your drinks as opposed to the machine running it through for you. Annoying. Also waiters/waitresses don't automatically tell customers certain things off the menu such as 'The soup of the day is....'. I have been doing this at the weekend and even though I have got good tips, the customers have looked at me like I am borderline insane. I have to presume it is because not many places do this either. In fact it has become clear that most British restaurants don't concentrate on building up a relationship between the customer and the server like they do in America. It's just a case of 'What do you want?' and 'Here it is'. I had real trouble trying to bond with these three ladies on Saturday and only by the end of the three course meal had I cracked them and got a healthy tip. Maybe it's just the British stiff upper lip syndrome but people are so unfriendly. I know I have been in the borderline false friendly world for months but it's really hard work. The other staff were laughing at me for my American ways but I am still going to bring them to the UK. Time for some hella good service integration over here....or at least friendliness.....a smile.....if all else fails, the least that can be done is a good tip? Guess my motive? Ha.

Blocks Not

It's a well known fact that everyone in California drives. In fact, the State even admits that the transport system completely favours drivers and that all other means of transport are out-dated and inefficient, especially for longer journeys. There are just no budget or useful ways to get around. I do personally love the double-decker trains but they are difficult to get to and don't run as regularly as Virgin - not that Virgin are exactly always on time mind. I've seen Greyhound buses but never seen a bus station and planes are ridiculously expensive if you are booking late. So it looks like driving it is and the petrol (gas) is cheap, especially in comparison to our inflated British prices. Driving, overall, is really easy because everything is in blocks, making it pretty difficult to go wrong. I am fairly sure the British ability to navigate our winding roads must have scored us some points in the mind capacity IQ department but I am just speculating. As for blocks, there is room for discussion as to whether or not they are boring or easy. Easy because you can just switch off and drive (apart from the dodgy San Diegan back streets where every Stop sign is a death trap). Boring because everything looks the same and it is difficult to tell streets apart without really searching for another characterisitic. I have definitely missed the challenge of finding your way around, or not in some cases, in the twists and turns of old, British roads. I guess the roads as well as the teeth are just another way that America takes away some individual identity, especially in the cities. This is a huge generalisation though and it would be unfair to pin this on all of the country especially because back up at Kyle's in the mountains I get my winding roads back. I do get the 'Big Brother' organisational feel in the cities though. Soon everyone will drive and move at the same speed too. Ok, I know I'm exaggerating now....I hope.