Eating Good in the 'Hood

My friend Pam from the States was here a couple of weeks ago. She plays in the Minnesota Orchestra and they were in Europe on tour, so she and had planned last summer to meet in Vienna and spend some time together. We had a wonderful time. We saw the Klimt exhibit, did some shopping (well, not me so much because I'm broke) and then we went to the Musikverein where she had to play and I got to listen. The concert was fabulous and the soloist was Joshua Bell. The seats were uncomfortable and I swear that I was sitting in the ADD section. The woman in front of me spent the entire concert tapping her foot and looking around. She even turned around and looked at the people in the upper balcony. Repeatedly! Others read their programs or texted (it's called simsiming over here, kind of a verb form of SMS). But all leapt to their feet when the concert was over. It was that good. And the Viennese are known for being picky.
Anyway, part of the fun of a new city is exploring the restaurants. I'm not sure the food is always that interesting. It must be very dangerous to be a pig here because most of the offerings on the menu are pork based. The prices are high but the portions are enormous!! As are the calorie counts.
There are some major but surprisingly subtle differences in the dining experience in Austria. Pam found this out in a slightly alarming way. At one restaurant, as soon as the waiter heard our American accents, a full bread bowl appeared on the table. Pam, who was famished, grabbed a roll and had torn into it before I could say "No! Wait! Don't!" You see, it's not like the States where bread baskets are part and parcel of the experience. In Austria you are charged for every piece of bread you eat.... and you are charged an almost outrageous amount. I told Pam this and she was incredulous when the bill arrived with an extra 2,30 Euro charge for two rolls. That's a lot in dollars, but factor in the conversion rate and it becomes unbelievable.
Now to beverages. It is considered RUDE to ask for tap water and of course you are charged for it. It doesn't just arrive unbidden like it does in the States. You have your choice of mineral water with or without gas (fizz). And of course it costs. The best bet I've found is usually the beer. It's local and delicious,
The wait staff generally does not hover over you or take dishes away or really pay any attention to you whatsoever. There is no incentive to do so as they are paid a living wage and not the $2.35 an hour that my daughter makes in the States. When you are finished eating and you are ready to go, you flag down your waiter and settle up right then and there at the table. The nice thing about this is that it's very easy to split the bill if you need to.
So the next time you are eating at Applebees and the funny redheaded waitress brings you a bread basket and free water, remember that she is trying really hard to give you good service and make you happy and for this she is only being paid $2.35. I say this not to promote Applebees. After all, their jingle is ungrammatical. "Eating good in the 'hood?" It should be "Eating well outside of hell" or something. Or maybe even "Consume Mass Quantities in the Surrounding Vicinity." Kind of has a ring to it, doesn't it?