As I See It

I had been sitting at my table for 15 minutes, with neither a menu nor a glass of water. For the fifth time I put up my hand and waved at the waitress who pretended she hadn’t seen me. When our eyes finally met, I gave her a big smile and mouthed the word carte. She gritted her teeth and said: “Monsieur, je n’ai que deux mains.” Translation: “I only have two hands.” Service without a smile To many frequent travelers to Europe, my rather unpleasant dining experience at the Parisian restaurant is all too familiar. From store clerks in Rome to bus drivers in Geneva and airport security in London , customer service personnel in Europe are trained to be rude... _______________________ Read the rest of this essay in No City for Slow Men , available at major bookstores in Hong Kong and at Blacksmith Books . No City for Slow Men

Dear Readers, I am now a "resident blogger" with SCMP.com  focusing on lifestyle, travel, social issues and current affairs. Future postings will be fed to the newspaper's website. That means followers of my op-ed blog  As I See It  and my review blog  The Real Deal  will be able to read my articles either here or at SCMP.com . See also the author's page . A sample post The South China Morning Post , Hong Kong's leading English language daily newspaper, has completely revamped its website with mobile versions for iPhone and iPad. The new site was launched at midnight on 31 August 2012. Subscribe today! The author's page