The dining-out experience in Haiti is something I will never forget the rest of my life. I have such a new appreciation for American customer service. I have always been a decent tipper, but I think living here these past 5 months (yes, tomorrow will mark 5 months!) have given me a whole new perspective on what a good server is worth.
Here's what a typical night out looks like:
They have printed menus, but that doesn't mean they have these things available. So as you ask for things, the waiter will say he has to check. Then he "dashes" away to the kitchen. 10 to 15 minutes later he returns and tells you if they have it. They you ask for the next item and the process repeats. It takes between a half hour to hour and a half to order. Then it takes at least an hour before the food comes. And when the food comes it's always worth a good laugh to see how they interpret "vegetarian spaghetti with pesto and mozzarella" which a. doesn't have mozzarella or pesto, and 2. is made with fettuccine noodles, not spaghetti. You have to order your drinks two at a time or you will die of thirst waiting for them to come with drinks...and then it takes another half hour to get the bill, which you then have to check item by item, and each question you have the server "dashes" off to ask for an answer. Then when you hand them your credit card they try to tell you they can't process it because they would rather have cash, after all, it's hard to short the till on credit card receipts. All the while, you know the poor guy is barely making any money and then they don't get tips to boot. It's worth the experience.
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