Aix-les-Bains

Remember in college when you used to drink beer while you did laundry at the laundromat? It's still fun!

I am in Aix-les-Bains which is where I will pick up the motorcycle at 6:30 tonight. I have plenty of time to do laundry before checking in at the hotel.

At this Cafe, I experienced French friendliness and helpfulness. It happened because I respected their customs. I arrived about 10 minutes before 2:00. I asked them if it was too late for lunch and the man replied, "of course." You see, they only serve lunch between noon and 2:00 p.m. I missed it, my fault.

I said I would like a beer and to sit outside. They served me a beer and then, after a few minutes, the waitress came out to ask if I would like something to eat. I asked what was available and she replied that I could have a bavette. This steak, also called flap steak in English, is a popular meal in France. It's a long, flat and tender cut of meat that comes from the bottom sirloin, near the flank steak. It is a lean cut and tastes like flank steak. It came with a creamy cheesy herb sauce for the meat, homestyle potatoes, and Ratatouille.

So why did they serve me lunch after lunch hours? I think it was because they're nice people, they genuinely want people to enjoy their food, I did not fuss when they said it was too late for lunch, I was content to just have a beer. The business is always right and the customer is often wrong. I was wrong to show up late. They were right to tell me I was too late. Then they decided to go the extra mile. They offered me what was convenient for them.

If I had complained about lunch closing at 2:00 or tried to tell them that it was the wrong thing to do, I would have experienced rudeness. I would have deserved it too. The Americans and English who complain about French rudeness don't get that they were rude first. Vive la difference.Read more