European Impertinence

The most outrageous thing that can happen to you is when you are one hundred percent sure of something and it turns out that you're wrong. One thing I was one hundred percent sure of is that people in the glorious United States of America are better humans than us Europeans. I'm usually careful with such claims but up until one fateful day I had never been disappointed. I was in Brooklyn with a friend and we wanted to check out this vintage clothing store. It was 1 o'clock, pouring, and the store didn't open until 1:30. We decided to go to a nearby café, have a coffee, and wait there for half an hour. We sat down at Pates Traditions Restaurant (located at 6 N Street corner Havemeyer Street) a tiny coffe place run by real French people. I should have known then that it wouldn't be a good day. We ordered tea and hot chocolate and when the charming french girl brought our drinks my friend ordered a crepe and I said: "Nothing for me. Thank you." and gave her my most lovely smile. Her smile vanished that very second and she informed me that usually they don't let people hover at the tables if they don't order anything. She'll make an exception this time because the place isn't packed. 'Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to drink my tea outside your front door?' If she was gonna make a precious exception for me why did she even bother spoiling my mood? My friend got her crepe and I felt very uncomfortable occupying my seat that could very well have been taken by someone else who could have ordered a crepe along with my friend. Seriously? It's not like we were sitting at the table, ordering tap water, refusing to leave. My friend had ordered food. The table was taken anyway; by her. There is no way the French people could have used the seat I rudly sat on without eating in any other way unless they would have assigned a new friend to my friend. We left as soon as possible and I hope the french girl felt really bad about herself when I left her a huge tip.