Not long ago, when I was traveling around Europe with a group of Chinese tourists, I came to recognize a certain tentative tone of voice that the guide adopted when explaining exotic foreign habits. In Europe, he warned, in his most tactful voice, “Breakfast will rarely be more than bread, cold ham, milk, and coffee.” The bus fell silent at the news.
It turns out we use the same tone of voice for some of our own travels. As I was putting together an upcoming trip, I came across the following: “Please note that in Spain, the dinner hour is considerably later than what it is in the US. We do our best to secure early reservations for our groups, but most often the evening meal will be at 9:00 p.m.” If there were a bus, it would have fallen silent.
That’s a long way of saying I’m off for the next two weeks. See you back here soon.
