Sale de The

Sale de The

Jun 28, 2011

    

Ever been somewhere where the staff don't like you because you are inadvertantly doing something wrong? This was one of those places!

It was a hot afternoon and we just wanted a cold drink and an ice cream to cool down. We found a pretty little cafe with umbrellas and outside tables and sat down.

Bearing in mind that we learned last time that Italians only drink capuccino in the morning, and bearing in mind that we had forgotten the dictionary, we set about trying to translate the menu...

I found "lemon soda" which sounded pretty innoccuous and Tom decided to be a bit more daring with "caffe freddo" (cold coffee?), and checked with the waiter if it was "iced coffee". "No", he spluttered in a voice that implied "philistine", "No ice". Then Tom pointed to the dessert section and tried to order an ice cream. The man shook his head and said something italian. Tom pointed to another ice cream and again the waiter shook his head. We thought perhaps it was the wrong time of day for ice cream! Undeterred, Tom ordered his caffe freddo anyway, and got........ an iced coffee without ice!

The waiter bought the bill with the drinks and set it under the ashtray, and then stayed. Then he coughed. Then he looked at the bill and said 5,50€. Aha! He wanted paying straight away. So we paid him, and even left a small tip.

Then he took an ice cream to the next table...