When In Europe, Do You.....
 

Learn different things about yourself that you may not notice when at home?

Are you more introverted or extroverted?

Do you dress differently?

Are you a somewhat different person?

No.

:-|

Well, I will say that years ago I decided "when in Rome. . ." and I started eating European style -- holding the fork upside down in the left hand, cutting with a knife in the right hand and then lifting the food to my mouth with the left. It just makes so much sense than all that hand switching we all learned as we grew up. I used to switch back and forth depending on whether I was in Europe or the states, but some time ago I gave up and now always eat "European" style.

Dress differently? Well my tropical wild colors do stay in Florida.

same answer as Carrybean

Holding the fork upside down is not the European (mainland) style, but the British style. But certainly everyone everywhere shovels the food in with the fork held in the left hand.

What grip do you all use when holding a knife: the pencil grip, where the shaft of the knife is lodged in the fork between thumb and forefinger OR the 'royal' grip, where the shaft of the knife is in the palm of the hand?

Harzer

"Holding the fork upside down is not the European (mainland) style, but the British style."

I was mainly referring to cutting meat or other items. Are you suggesting that the fork is held upright to cut the items rather hand tongs down when cutting meat in Continental Europe?

"But certainly everyone everywhere shovels the food in with the fork held in the left hand."

Not here in the US, you know. Most of us tend to cut the meat, then put down the knife, then switch the fork to the right hand to lift the food to the mouth. Then switch hands again to cut the next piece. Kind of silly really.

And I guess I use the "royal" grip for the knife.

Neopolitan- I found my self switching to the British way of eating also while I was in London!! It really is much easier :)!
V

I had been talking about Europe and Britain and so 'everyone everywhere' referred to only those places.

Yes, I was unclear: when cutting meat the food is stabilised with the fork in it prongs down. But other than in Britain the food is conveyed to the mouth with the prongs up.

After years of wrestling with the British system I was taught at home, which included eating peas from the back of the fork, and having seen the alternative technique in continental Europe, I have long since adopted the latter, to the consternation friends and family.

Harzer

It depends where you are. What I found when I was in Dubai a couple years ago was that I'm naturally shy, and become even more shy-er, but I believe it had a lot to do with being conscious of a very different culture than what I'm accustomed to.

I am naturally introvert, but if I had to, I force myself to be more outgoing, and get over my shyness in order to talk to someone or ask questions.

I did dress differently, but not too differently. I never wore shorts when I was in Dubai, even though it was tempting. I dressed more conservatively, and wasn't afraid to wear a shawl around my head if needed be (being olive-skinned, dark haired and brown eyes, made it easy for me to blend in or not stand out unnecessarily).

But I wasn not a different person. I was still me.

I don't mean to be another party pooper, but my answer's the same as Carrybean...

No. I am exactly the same person I always am. None of those things you mention change about me.

Sorry I misread the question. When in Europe, not when you are on vacation. But I'll find out later on in Sept when I go to Paris.

1) yes, but that goes for anywhere I go that is different from what I am used to. A different environment calls on things that I didn't know I needed or even had.

2) Depends on the situation, and that goes for home and abroad.

3) Well, if I shop in Europe, I buy things that I probably wouldn't in the US, so in that way, yes. I do wear more scarves in Spain, though.

4) I am a very different person in Spain than in the US, but that is because I literally re-grew up there. I laugh at different kinds of jokes and have a set of memories that has little to do with my life in the US. I mean, I even have a different family there. Sort of like a double life. But, when i travel in general, I stay true to myself, which I think is really important.

no to all of them. I am who I am, and old enough to be comfortable with that.

No ~

I am always learning something about myself.
I don't think I can be any more extroverted!
I dress the same.
I am the same person , although I think we all evolve all the time so Time changes me but not the location.
((F))

I dress better when I'm in another country, probably because I'm often in a church and I'd feel guilty going in wearing jeans.

On a trip, I sometimes learn that I can do things I didn't think I could or wanted to do, such as ride a public bus, I will not do that in my normal life. Also, navigate and cope with situations while I am in a country with a different language. I have learned on a few solo trips that I am braver and stronger than I thought. In the past I would let other people make all the travel arrangements, usher me though VIP service at the airports, etc. Now I learned I can and like to do these things myself (and in coach!).

I am the same person, dressed the same, but I do realize things about myself that I am proud of, things I wouldn't necessarily notice all the time at home. Events seem more intense when you are in another country.

Also I think I come home a different person, very independent.

I wear more scarves and smile more, but that just might be because I'm in "vacation mode" or it just might be 'cause I love being in Spain or Italy or France...

I don't go to strip clubs, wrestling matches, tractor-pulls, turkey shoots,
or Okra festivals in Europe.

Degas, you should lift the wrestling ban -- you really need to see some Swiss wrestling, those mountain men can really work it!

Although this is a Europe board, I will say I am much, much, much more polite -- and patient --when I am in Japan. You find yourself bowing and smiling much more than you do anywhere else, IMO. You also never raise your voice, pretty much a no-no in all of Asia, but really never done in Japan.