The restaurant owner, his wife (the cook) and assorted children gathered around our table to watch us eat and, presumably, witness our great satisfaction. Picture this: We were three neatly dressed American tourists in a village little visited by anyone back then. When it came, we wanted to sink under the table. The dish was totally unknown to me, but I was game to try it, and we all ordered soup, bread and Greek wine. The cafe offered no menu, because it served only a single item at lunch - tripe soup. Two friends and I were exploring the Peloponnesus in Greece on a slim budget, and we found our way into a humble two-table cafe in an impoverished coastal village. I clearly remember the worst meal I ever ate in Europe, even though almost a quarter of a century has passed. A bit embarrassed, I nevertheless ate a good portion of both, and with gusto as if I'd known all along what I was doing. Both were giant plates of arugula, one with barely a handful of small shrimp (for seasoning) and one without. And so that's what I got - two green salads. The waiter seemed puzzled: "Salad with salad?" he asked in Italian, and I nodded "yes," although I wasn't sure what he meant.
#DINING FAUX PAS FULL#
I couldn't translate the full description of the entree, which was in Italian, but I was sure I recognized the word for shrimp. I carefully examined the menu and ordered a fresh green salad from the appetizer list and what I thought was a grilled shrimp dish from the list of entrees. Not long ago, for example, I sat down at a table at a bustling, family-filled restaurant in Italy, where I've spent a lot of time. But at least once on every trip, I end up committing the sort of buffoonery that makes me look more like Mickey Rooney. I should be able to enter any restaurant with the easy poise of Cary Grant, I tell myself. Or even the experienced.įor three decades now, I've been happily munching my way through most of Europe, sometimes for weeks and months at a time. But it is also something of a challenge, with plenty of pitfalls to trip the inexperienced. In Europe, dining is one of the great pleasures for travelers - even when you are on a tight budget. I mostly remember the countless blunders I've made ordering from menus I couldn't read in places where I'd not yet learned the proper etiquette of dining. My wife can quickly recall years of memorable meals in Europe.
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