Ever have awful Table mates?

[K32682]

1 hour ago, wwcruisers said:

I have to say that some of the rudest people we have ever been seated with were French Canadians.

 

Don't take it personally.  They are like that at home too. 

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, NIATPAC29 said:

female has to initiate shacking hands if with male

I try to avoid shaking hands with anyone on cruise ships, too much Noro about and I do not want it. A fist pump is quite okay if some sort of hand contact is required.

[zitsky]

32 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I try to avoid shaking hands with anyone on cruise ships, too much Noro about and I do not want it. A fist pump is quite okay if some sort of hand contact is required.

 

I'll do the wave.

[CPT Trips]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

I'll do the wave.

 

That requires a full stadium to make any impression. A solo wave is merely standing up then immediately sitting back down. 😉

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by CPT Trips

[MicCanberra]

30 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

 

That requires a full stadium to make any impression. A solo wave is merely standing up then immediately sitting back down. 😉

 

 

 

so more like a Micro wave then.

[CPT Trips]

Nano

[zitsky]

10 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

 

That requires a full stadium to make any impression. A solo wave is merely standing up then immediately sitting back down. 😉

 

 

 

 

ROTFL

 

You forgot the waving of the arms.

Edited July 13, 2019 by zitsky

[Doug R.]

My only real close encounter with French-Canadians was at a Lowe's near Cape May NJ (one of their favorite vacation spots). I was loading a big flatbed of paving stones into my SUV. A gentleman who was loading things into his car with Quebec plates spoke to his two teenage sons in French and they came over and helped me finish loading. Much appreciated. There are good people in every ethnic group.

 

[ducklite]

On 7/12/2019 at 12:27 PM, NIATPAC29 said:

female has to initiate shacking hands if with male

Maybe if you are a super conservative religious person, but as a female I have no problem with a man initiating a handshake unless they are a creeper or smell.  That said, I don't feel the need to shake hands with table mates.  I come to the dining room with clean hands, and unfortunately many people--particularly males--don't wash WELL after using the toilet.

[ducklite]

On 7/11/2019 at 5:08 PM, AmazedByCruising said:

 

I wasn't expecting a nice conversation,  we chose a two top ourselves. But not nodding back is rude IMHO. Agree, they must have had a bad day. A very bad day.

Nodding is not a "thing" in a lot of the country--it's very much a regional and a generational thing.  

[chipmaster]

Ever have awful Table mates?

Internet at its best, LOL!

 

"Awful" says it all, I'd say we've dined with couples and families and cruisers we felt terrible sorry for, didn't understand.   Generally if you are that "close" you come to somewhat feel sorry/pity for someone else's awful, but agree given a choice we'd chose to move to a different table, after all it's vacation!

 

[zitsky]

31 minutes ago, ducklite said:

Maybe if you are a super conservative religious person, but as a female I have no problem with a man initiating a handshake unless they are a creeper or smell.  That said, I don't feel the need to shake hands with table mates.  I come to the dining room with clean hands, and unfortunately many people--particularly males--don't wash WELL after using the toilet.

 

This statement is supported by studies about hand washing.  Sigh.

[Cruzaholic41]

On 7/12/2019 at 3:41 AM, Anubi said:

French Canadians are in a category of rudeness all their own.  

 

That is the absolute truth.  There was a time I hated winter because my town was invaded by rude NY/NJ folks but that was nothing compared to the rudeness brought  by French Canadians nowadays. 

[XBGuy]

OK. I am, again, going to offer a contrary opinion.

 

We visited Montreal once for five nights in 2007.  Yes, quite a bit of French is spoken in Montreal.  There are quite a few individuals who speak only French.

 

Not once were we treated to any rudeness or discourtesy.  We spent a fair amount of time shopping in grocery stores.  We did make a point of opening every conversation or question with "Bon Jour" in a grocery store or "Bon Soir" in a restaurant.  That would get us off to a good start.  Other than "Chateauneuf du Pape," that is about the limit of our French language knowledge.  When it became obvious that we spoke only English, the person would either speak English to us, or, if he/she spoke only French, would get an English-speaking colleague to help us out.

 

We did learn that Canadian Bacon is unknown in Canada--at least by that name.  When we asked for that, we received some very quizzical looks.  So, we found a substitute.  I have since learned that what we in the United States call Canadian Bacon is called something else in Canada.  If I ever go back and know I'll have to look for Canadian Bacon, I will learn the correct name.  Mrs. XBGuy is Facebook friends with the person (yes, an immigrant from Canada) who shared that tidbit.  So, we still have that resource.

[zitsky]

Nice story.  What's the name for Canadian bacon up there?

[wwcruisers]

3 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Nice story.  What's the name for Canadian bacon up there?

Isn't it called 'back bacon'? Or am I thinking of something else?

[K32682]

6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Nice story.  What's the name for Canadian bacon up there?

 

Back bacon.  You might also find in some places "peameal bacon" which is back bacon rolled in cornmeal. 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by K32682

[CPT Trips]

Just a heads up...

 

 

 

[slidergirl]

4 hours ago, ducklite said:

Maybe if you are a super conservative religious person, but as a female I have no problem with a man initiating a handshake unless they are a creeper or smell.  That said, I don't feel the need to shake hands with table mates.  I come to the dining room with clean hands, and unfortunately many people--particularly males--don't wash WELL after using the toilet.

As a woman, I don't initiate a handshake as I never know if it will offend someone of a different culture/religion/etc.  I worked at a hotel owned by an Orthodox Jew and were frequented by many Orthodox.  All female employees were taught to not attempt to initiate a shake or even touch an Orthodox man.  One of my favorite guests was an Orthodox man from NYC who visited us every time we had a huge snowstorm (he was a rabid snowboarder).  He once thanked me for my respecting his religious "habits".  He said most people don't even think about it or don't know.  

 

But, if someone holds out a hand, I will shake.  

[ducklite]

Just now, slidergirl said:

As a woman, I don't initiate a handshake as I never know if it will offend someone of a different culture/religion/etc.  I worked at a hotel owned by an Orthodox Jew and were frequented by many Orthodox.  All female employees were taught to not attempt to initiate a shake or even touch an Orthodox man.  One of my favorite guests was an Orthodox man from NYC who visited us every time we had a huge snowstorm (he was a rabid snowboarder).  He once thanked me for my respecting his religious "habits".  He said most people don't even think about it or don't know.  

 

But, if someone holds out a hand, I will shake.  

I will not hold my hand out to a man who is obviously Orthodox or Muslim--and it's pretty easy to know that they are with a glance at their hair, facial hair, and dress.  I have a Muslim co-worker who only fist-bumps, something he initiates to avoid the awkwardness otherwise.  But otherwise, I put my hand out.  As a female working in a very, very male dominated industry, it helps set the tone in a number of ways.

[slidergirl]

1 minute ago, ducklite said:

I will not hold my hand out to a man who is obviously Orthodox or Muslim--and it's pretty easy to know that they are with a glance at their hair, facial hair, and dress.  I have a Muslim co-worker who only fist-bumps, something he initiates to avoid the awkwardness otherwise.  But otherwise, I put my hand out.  As a female working in a very, very male dominated industry, it helps set the tone in a number of ways.

I had a Muslim manager who only fist-bumps at my last hotel.   

As for knowing if someone is obviously Orthodox - not true too much anymore.  Some men will wear a baseball cap to cover their yarmulke in public.  And, they are not always dressed in the white/black clothing.   The owner of the hotel looked like anyone else.  But, my favorite guest was definitely the whole thing - white/black clothing and the black hat.  BUT, when he went out to snowboard, you couldn't tell him from anyone else!  He brought his wife once - she went out riding in a dress over her snow pants (actually, a lot of the Orthodox women did this or wore their long coat when they went skiing).  

I had a family from Israel this past weekend.  The father and son wore yarmulkes, but "regular" clothes.  The mom was wearing a wig (it's a way for a Jewish woman to conform to have their head covered).  The mom would be the only one who spoke to me, and the father would only  speak to a male member of the staff.   When they left, the mom did offer her hand to thank me for fixing an issue they had.  I shook her hand.  The father just smiled.  

[julie3fan]

1 hour ago, CPT Trips said:

Just a heads up...

 

 

 

 

That's an intetesting tidbit.  I'll have to keep my eyes open next time we stop in Quebec.  Thanks!

[MicCanberra]

8 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

This statement is supported by studies about hand washing.  Sigh.

agreed, that is why I say hello and at best offer a fist pump.

[c-boy]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

agreed, that is why I say hello and at best offer a fist pump.

🤣 seen your share of one too many alien movies

[MicCanberra]

56 minutes ago, c-boy said:

🤣 seen your share of one too many alien movies

That and seen too many people use a bathroom (stalls and cubicles) and walking straight out.☠️