Rude to decline wine?
May 10th, 2005, 07:44 PM
#61
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Aries ( I am an Aries too)
You can get tea but they are not big on Iced .. but look on the menus and check, I did see it in some small place in the 7th that might have catered to more Americans.
If I don't have wine, I have Vitelle. which is just bottled water..
Have a great time!
You can get tea but they are not big on Iced .. but look on the menus and check, I did see it in some small place in the 7th that might have catered to more Americans.
If I don't have wine, I have Vitelle. which is just bottled water..
Have a great time!
May 10th, 2005, 09:20 PM
#62
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I do not drink wine, and the only time in my 6 months living in France that I felt at all uncomfortable declining was when we were taking a riverboat cruise in Bordeaux, and it was a fixed menu - so we all got served the same thing. I did not drink my wine, and the couple beside us were like "but they gave us some of their best Bordeaux!" - They looked a bit incredulous that I din't like wine, but I don't think they were overly offended.
So, to sum up, very rarely will declining wine make you look rude.
So, to sum up, very rarely will declining wine make you look rude.
May 11th, 2005, 02:58 AM
#63
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Before visiting the United States I had no idea that such a thing as iced tea existed. Having sampled a couple of mouthfuls I can't see it making much headway in France, or anywhere else really. I wouldn't worry about not ordering wine, but I suspect that you might need to find a different non-alcoholic alternative.
May 11th, 2005, 03:25 AM
#64
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I'm just astonished that there can be any debate on whether it's rude to decline wine...! I've never knowingly turned it down myself and that's my choice but it's hardly compulsory. Why do so many of you worry so much about what other people think?
Get a grip, get a backbone and get on with it. There's nothing more tedious than people who are just desperate to 'do the right thing'. In nearly all posts of this ilk there IS no right or wrong, just personal preference. Most people couldn't give a damn what you wear, eat, drink or think as they are busy doing what we should all do, and that's getting on with their own lives.
Get a grip, get a backbone and get on with it. There's nothing more tedious than people who are just desperate to 'do the right thing'. In nearly all posts of this ilk there IS no right or wrong, just personal preference. Most people couldn't give a damn what you wear, eat, drink or think as they are busy doing what we should all do, and that's getting on with their own lives.
May 11th, 2005, 09:15 AM
#68
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Aries; it's not true that a 15% service charge is added to the bill. They do this in the UK, but not in most other countries; in France, service is included in the price for your meal.
At a recent lunch in Fred's, at Barneys NY, I was surprised to see that nearly everyone there was drinking ice-tea or water. Couldn't see anyone except for us drinking wine. I think Europeans just drink more wine than Americans.
At a recent lunch in Fred's, at Barneys NY, I was surprised to see that nearly everyone there was drinking ice-tea or water. Couldn't see anyone except for us drinking wine. I think Europeans just drink more wine than Americans.
May 11th, 2005, 09:35 AM
#69
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Now here's a twist...
I have read several places that Scandinavian etiquette customs dictate that a guest should be offered a drink when they enter a home, and to decline the drink is to refuse their hospitality. This evidently harkens back to the viking days.
Other than saying, "I would love a drink, but could you make it water, please?", how does this relate to the 'rudeness' discussion at hand?
I have read several places that Scandinavian etiquette customs dictate that a guest should be offered a drink when they enter a home, and to decline the drink is to refuse their hospitality. This evidently harkens back to the viking days.
Other than saying, "I would love a drink, but could you make it water, please?", how does this relate to the 'rudeness' discussion at hand?
May 11th, 2005, 09:57 AM
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Kate--if I am not mistaken--and I may very well be!!--I think a sports coat is a "jumper". I cannot tell you how long I would read UK people referring to jumpers and be at a loss for *what* garment that could possibly be!! In the US, a jumper is what little girs wear that is similar to a pinafore.
May 11th, 2005, 09:57 AM
#71
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<<Aries; it's not true that a 15% service charge is added to the bill. >>
Yes, it is true. That reference specifically was saying that about Paris, that was the heading of it and what the article was about. And it's true.
I don't understand why anyone thinks choosing what one wants to drink in a restaurant can be rude or not. This isn't some personal thing, it's a place where you are a customer and are choosing what you want to drink. I don't care who the Economist is writing for, to say it's "rude" not to order wine in a restaurant in Paris is nonsense. That's like saying it's rude not to order dessert or rude not to order an aperitif (which I rarely do).
I wouldn't ever order iced tea to drink with dinner, except maybe summer picnics in the US, the bitter taste isn't suited for drinking with food for me. I don't remember ever seeing that on a dinner menu anywhere but the US, but maybe I've missed it since I wasn't looking.
I usually do have wine and if not, just some non-gaseous water.
Yes, it is true. That reference specifically was saying that about Paris, that was the heading of it and what the article was about. And it's true.
I don't understand why anyone thinks choosing what one wants to drink in a restaurant can be rude or not. This isn't some personal thing, it's a place where you are a customer and are choosing what you want to drink. I don't care who the Economist is writing for, to say it's "rude" not to order wine in a restaurant in Paris is nonsense. That's like saying it's rude not to order dessert or rude not to order an aperitif (which I rarely do).
I wouldn't ever order iced tea to drink with dinner, except maybe summer picnics in the US, the bitter taste isn't suited for drinking with food for me. I don't remember ever seeing that on a dinner menu anywhere but the US, but maybe I've missed it since I wasn't looking.
I usually do have wine and if not, just some non-gaseous water.
May 11th, 2005, 10:00 AM
#72
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excuse me, I realized perhaps you were disagreeing because you didn't think the 15 pct charge was a separate line item on the bill in Paris, and I agree with that -- it is usually included in the price of each item, as is VAT in stores.
May 11th, 2005, 10:02 AM
#73
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Kate--if I am not mistaken--and I may very well be!!--I think a sport coat is a "jumper". I cannot tell you how long I would read UK people referring to jumpers and be at a loss for *what* garment that could possibly be!! In the US, a jumper is what little girls wear that is similar to a pinafore.
May 11th, 2005, 10:24 AM
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Thanks, Marilyn!! Well, Kate, in that case, a sport coat is *not* a jumper. A sport coat is an unmatched suit-type jacket that a man wears wears w/or w/o a tie. It is more casual than a suit but more dressy than just a shirt and pants.
May 11th, 2005, 12:38 PM
#76
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Outside of great tippers, regulars and those who create horrible scenes, I doubt that waiters even think of the people that sit at their tables, much less take offense. It's much more important what you think of the waiter because this will be reflected in the size of your tip and if you return.
May 11th, 2005, 12:40 PM
#77
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Christina, here in the deep south (florida, not quite the deepest, but close), we serve what can be described by the unwary as 'crunchy iced tea'... in other words, iced tea that is sweetened with so much sugar that you have to chew it. Definitely NOT a bitter drink...
Lemonade and Iced Tea are definitely southern US drinks. As is Orange Juice in Florida. However, when I've traveled to the UK, I made the mistake of ordering OJ once -- and got this thimble-sized cup of what tasted like watered-down Tang (ugh!)
These are regional favorites, like red wine in France, Ouzo in Greece, and Earl Grey Tea in England... enjoy them where they are supposed to be enjoyed, and don't expect them elsewhere
Lemonade and Iced Tea are definitely southern US drinks. As is Orange Juice in Florida. However, when I've traveled to the UK, I made the mistake of ordering OJ once -- and got this thimble-sized cup of what tasted like watered-down Tang (ugh!)
These are regional favorites, like red wine in France, Ouzo in Greece, and Earl Grey Tea in England... enjoy them where they are supposed to be enjoyed, and don't expect them elsewhere
