And, even though I'll bitch about the tourists, I will sometimes (mood and time allowing) stop and help them find their way around.

me too. It makes me feel good, and they always look so surprised when I'm friendly. Perhaps it's because, as a woman of color, they are expecting me to bust a cap in their ass.

This is funny, given the near constant stream of snippy nasty-grams we get from our counterparts in our London office.

oh, but that's not in person. I got plenty of snippy memos or notes, but no one would ever man up when I asked. Once, I genuinely couldn't the handwriting, and asked the guy for clarification,and he told me "oh, no bother"

People who think New Yorkers are bad need to go to Moscow. (I personally loved it there.)

or Germany/Austria. Those folks give new meaning to the word brusque.

I've had a couple of occasions where I've accidentally called the wrong number and hung up immediately and then got a call demanding why did I call and hang up. And then getting cussed out for hanging up because it was a wrong number.

I get callers from all over Florida and it seems like the recent snowbirds are always the ones who start off with accusations and recriminations and have the worst time excepting the limited help I can give them.

My pet peeve at lunch time are people who are in line and are all chatty chatty with each other. Then they get up to the cashier and it's "oh I don't know what I'm going to have. What's your soup for today....what does that have on it? Oh I don't think I like that...I dunno what I should have."

It's usually when there's only 1 person to take their order. You are supposed to decide what you want when you are in line, not wait until it's your turn and then take 10 minutes trying to decide.

so, I'm having dinner with my mother. She insisted on doing dinner for my birthday. I was fine with letting it go, but whatev. I know that she'll be late, should I bother being on time?

If you're late, she'll be on time. That is some sort of law.

Bring entertainment, vortex? A book?

My experiences in the south is that people are a lot friendlier, likely to talk to you and not obviously in huge hurry

I don't consider "more likely to talk to you" and " not in a hurry" to be indications of friendliness.

Vortex, be on time. Bring a book, work, something to occupy your time. Less annoying and you'll retain the moral high ground.

My pet peeve at lunch time are people who are in line and are all chatty chatty with each other. Then they get up to the cashier and it's "oh I don't know what I'm going to have. What's your soup for today....what does that have on it? Oh I don't think I like that...I dunno what I should have."

Jon complains about those people at the bar. The line can get long with only one bartender, and he's hella efficient back there, but there will be a group of 5 or so who will fuck it up for everyone with "Uhm...I don't know. Steve, what are you having. Oh, maybe I'll have one of those. Bill, did you want us to order for you? Well, what do you want? They don't have that. What kind of vodka do you have that's like Grey Goose? Hey, Stephanie, we're getting drinks what do you want. Oh and hey let's all get shots! What kind of shots do you guys want?"

Also I don't like dealing with people who dither on the phone, "I'm not sure how you can help me and I'm not sure I'm calling the right place. You might be able to help me, this is about the 4 number I've called so I don't know what to do. I just don't know if anyone can help me. But I have a question, well it's more of a problem - you see I went to X , well not at first, I was told by Y I should go to X but I'm not even sure I should have done that."

So I try to politely interrupt and get the details. "I really need to start at the beginning." And then they have a legit complaint but

Which is a great place to start but not if you are going to try and give me a blow by blow of everything that you've had to deal with for the last year.

Me prodding "so you want to make a complaint."

NO! Not really, I mean I don't know if I should, I don't want to get anyone in trouble! But you know this is already cost me $3000 and now I need a replacement and my mouth hurts.

The opposite side of those who don't have a legit complaint and are pissed off because they don't like what happened.

Yeah, in Moldova the cashier may be on a cellphone, and will look at you nasty for interrupting. The concept of customer service is not embraced there. A bunch of us left MD and went to Turkey and I remember my friend Jamie being so excited that the flight attendant would mix cherry and apricot juice for her.

My favorite is a story I once heard from a FoaF who had traveled to East Berlin from West back in the day. They went into a restaurant, desperately trying to spend the money they'd had to change, and waited forever until the dude at the bar smoking came over to their table. The FoaF asked, "what do you suggest?" and the server replied, "I suggest you leave." So they did.