The Basics of Dining Out

By Cathryn Rizzuto

The aspect of German culture that I chose to read about was dining out.  According to Hyde Flippo’s text When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do, in a German restaurant you do not get seated by a host or hostess, but rather you seat yourself.  There is also no such thing as “free” bread, if rolls are placed on the table and you eat them, you will be charged.  It is also not uncommon for strangers to sit with you if there is an empty seat.  When I first read the article, I believed bits and pieces of it.  I believed that in some restaurants you would seat yourself, like in a café. but I did not believe the rest.  I thought there was no way people would sit down next to you if they didn’t know you.  Yet again, I was wrong.

                My first experience dinning on my own was with Katie and Ashley.  We went to this little sit down café known as Coffee and Kiss.  We walked in and weren’t sure what to do.  There was no hostess there to greet us, and no waitress to ask directions on what to do so after standing there for a few minutes we decided to sit and see what happens.  Eventually, after what seemed like a while of waiting, we were taken care of.  And just then it seemed like Flippo was right, you had to seat yourself.  That would take some getting used to, having worked in restaurants all my life and hating people who seat themselves I will have to get over it here, I guess.  The second point of Flippo’s text was something of a different story.

                Sitting in the café, we did not have anyone sit with us.  However, the tables were extremely close together and people occupied every chair, it was as if they were sitting with us.  If I was able to speak German I would have been able to hear everything they were saying.  Based on the laughs and looks they were giving me and my friends I have a feeling they spoke English.  I am not sure how I feel about this.  Part of me thinks it is nice being able to meet new people so easily and casually, however, part of me (and I am pretty sure this is the larger part) is not a fan of this.  When I go out, either alone or with people I did so for a reason, whether it be to catch up with someone special or enjoy some solitude.  This practice of sharing tables or sitting very close to someone infringes on that.

                The last aspect Flippo addressed regarding dining out was the idea of paying for a roll when they are placed on the table.  I have only encountered this once in the month I have been in Germany.  It was an Italian restaurant in the center of Frankfurt and our waiter placed a rather large assortment of breads and rolls in front of us.  At this point we had just gone through a two hour walking tour and were starving, so, we all lunged for the bread only to be stopped by Ashley who, having read Flippo’s article before, warned us that they typically charge you if you eat the bread.  Unable to wait, but unwilling to pay we practiced our German and asked the waiter how much for the bread.  Too much amazement and relief we learned that in this instant Flippo was wrong and we enjoyed a taste of home, free bread with dinner.