Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Captain's log...

I have discovered a strange native custom.

When the Swiss are done eating, instead of saying that they are done eating, or, asking to be excused, they place both the fork and knife at a 45 degree angle between directly to the right and towards yourself (Like a clock at about 4:23). No one may leave the table until all cutlery have assumed he position.

I was eating, and as anyone who has eaten with me will tell you, I'm a slow eater. About 5 minutes after the rest of my family had finished eating, I was starting to wonder why no one had gotten up. At 7 minutes I was starting to worry, and it was only 10 minutes later as I finished my salmon and everyone looked at me expectantly did I realize that I was the reason that no one had gotten up. I quickly observed the plates of my fellow diners and noticed that they all had positioned their cutlery in the same manner. I quickly mimicked this, and on que, everyone stood simultaneously the moment my fork touched the plate.

The more you know.

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