Fine Land Part 2
Cafes:
In Paris, you get snotty waiters if you order anything less sophisticated than barking for "un creme". In Finland, you're spared such humiliation because you collect your tray, shuffle it along to the plates, collect one, shuffle them both along to some cakes in a glass cabinet, order one, are told that you can open the doors of the glass cabinet from your side and help yourself, shuffle along to the cups, tell the machine to pour either coffee, hot water or hot water with space for milk, shuffle etc etc and then pay.
This has its down side; like when you are laden with bags and can't balance any number of them on your arms, let alone a tray and a number of Nordic pastries. However, on the plus side, you can leave as soon as you're finished, and not have to catch the eye, deliberately trip up or offer to sleep with the waiter to get your bill.
The amount you pay however is almost as extortionate as Paris.
In Teattri this week, I ordered a 5.50 euro toastie. Okay. Then on impulse I grabbed a tiny little cake.
Cashier: 11 euro
Me: How much is this? (pointing to wafer thin cake)
Cashier: 5.50 Euro
Me: Ha ha ha (Incredulous and turning to share this joke with everyone around me.)
Cashier: Do you want it?
Me: That's fine (As if submitting to a robber)
Cashier: (To my friend, also buying a toastie) Would you like anything else?
Me: (Leaning back annoyingly to interrupt the transaction) Yes, how about you offer her a mortgage so she too can have a piece of cake.
At least the water was free...
Sliding Doors:
When I visited Finland in summer last year, I came straight from Italy, where men are men and women are definitely women. So it was something of a shock for doors not to be opened for me. Not in a chivalrous, I am waiting for a man to open things for me way, but in a way that says 'hey I know you are walking through this door moments behind me so I'll just hold it back with my arm behind me as I keep walking, so it's part open for the person behind me'.
The first time I laughed as four Finnish men barged past me to get through the door first. The second time the door smacked me in the face.
Nowadays I am well aware that it's every man for themselves and I catch the door as it swings towards me. But I still hold it for other people especially people with prams and older or injured people. This causes havoc. For example, should I see someone trying to both open a door and navigate a pram over steps, I will lean over the pram and hold the door open for them. They think I am trying to get in the door ahead of them and so make room for me. It's a stale mate. Likewise, if I hold the door open for people coming behind me, they think I am stopping and just don't progress because they're expecting to get a door in the face.
The other day I met an Australian who has lived here ten years. On a recent trip Downunder, he let the door slam on an old lady. She told him off for being so rude. She should come visit Finland.
In Paris, you get snotty waiters if you order anything less sophisticated than barking for "un creme". In Finland, you're spared such humiliation because you collect your tray, shuffle it along to the plates, collect one, shuffle them both along to some cakes in a glass cabinet, order one, are told that you can open the doors of the glass cabinet from your side and help yourself, shuffle along to the cups, tell the machine to pour either coffee, hot water or hot water with space for milk, shuffle etc etc and then pay.
This has its down side; like when you are laden with bags and can't balance any number of them on your arms, let alone a tray and a number of Nordic pastries. However, on the plus side, you can leave as soon as you're finished, and not have to catch the eye, deliberately trip up or offer to sleep with the waiter to get your bill.
The amount you pay however is almost as extortionate as Paris.
In Teattri this week, I ordered a 5.50 euro toastie. Okay. Then on impulse I grabbed a tiny little cake.
Cashier: 11 euro
Me: How much is this? (pointing to wafer thin cake)
Cashier: 5.50 Euro
Me: Ha ha ha (Incredulous and turning to share this joke with everyone around me.)
Cashier: Do you want it?
Me: That's fine (As if submitting to a robber)
Cashier: (To my friend, also buying a toastie) Would you like anything else?
Me: (Leaning back annoyingly to interrupt the transaction) Yes, how about you offer her a mortgage so she too can have a piece of cake.
At least the water was free...
Sliding Doors:
When I visited Finland in summer last year, I came straight from Italy, where men are men and women are definitely women. So it was something of a shock for doors not to be opened for me. Not in a chivalrous, I am waiting for a man to open things for me way, but in a way that says 'hey I know you are walking through this door moments behind me so I'll just hold it back with my arm behind me as I keep walking, so it's part open for the person behind me'.
The first time I laughed as four Finnish men barged past me to get through the door first. The second time the door smacked me in the face.
Nowadays I am well aware that it's every man for themselves and I catch the door as it swings towards me. But I still hold it for other people especially people with prams and older or injured people. This causes havoc. For example, should I see someone trying to both open a door and navigate a pram over steps, I will lean over the pram and hold the door open for them. They think I am trying to get in the door ahead of them and so make room for me. It's a stale mate. Likewise, if I hold the door open for people coming behind me, they think I am stopping and just don't progress because they're expecting to get a door in the face.
The other day I met an Australian who has lived here ten years. On a recent trip Downunder, he let the door slam on an old lady. She told him off for being so rude. She should come visit Finland.
posted by Rowena at 10:03 am
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