I spent the last few days in Milan, Italy. I have traveled through Europe a decent amount so feel mostly comfortable navigating in countries where I do not speak the language. I sat down at a neighborhood cafe in a residential area to get some work done and quickly realized no one spoke English (totally ok). We eventually got around to ordering green tea, using a bit of charades and non-verbal communication. The waiter came back and checked on me every little bit, bringing a fresh tea bag and cookies over time. At one point I went to the restroom and accidentally pulled the alarm instead of flushing the toilet, they quickly helped me fix the situation and somehow didn't make me feel too embarrassed. I eventually ordered some lunch and ended up sitting at the cafe for a few hours. When I received the bill, the waitress winked at me and I saw that she had taken off a couple items I ordered and did not charge me for the cookies or fresh tea bag. I decided to leave a 100% tip because they were so patient with me as we struggled to communicate using mostly non-verbal communication, kind to not charge me for the additional items and offered great service. At least I was able to wish them "grazie" (thank you in Italian) before leaving. When exploring unfamiliar cities, I enjoy finding kind strangers who remind me to always treat those I don't know with the utmost respect and kindness.
Monday, March 20, 2017
#67 - Leave a 100% tip for great service (68/101).
I spent the last few days in Milan, Italy. I have traveled through Europe a decent amount so feel mostly comfortable navigating in countries where I do not speak the language. I sat down at a neighborhood cafe in a residential area to get some work done and quickly realized no one spoke English (totally ok). We eventually got around to ordering green tea, using a bit of charades and non-verbal communication. The waiter came back and checked on me every little bit, bringing a fresh tea bag and cookies over time. At one point I went to the restroom and accidentally pulled the alarm instead of flushing the toilet, they quickly helped me fix the situation and somehow didn't make me feel too embarrassed. I eventually ordered some lunch and ended up sitting at the cafe for a few hours. When I received the bill, the waitress winked at me and I saw that she had taken off a couple items I ordered and did not charge me for the cookies or fresh tea bag. I decided to leave a 100% tip because they were so patient with me as we struggled to communicate using mostly non-verbal communication, kind to not charge me for the additional items and offered great service. At least I was able to wish them "grazie" (thank you in Italian) before leaving. When exploring unfamiliar cities, I enjoy finding kind strangers who remind me to always treat those I don't know with the utmost respect and kindness.
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