Colour

idea:

good read...

and will disagree with the observation about nights

some nights can be are darker than others


***

the uranium-tipped bomb lit nights of gaza are darker than the moonless nights in the middle of rab al khali

I did like parts of this, and I am really not stupid enough to not know that discrimination is alive and well. but somehow this comes across to me as you actually expecting it, too. like you really, really do not like white people. I kinda feel like you think we're all a little stupid. maybe I just read into it. dunno, you tell me.

also, I did not see the Indian guy as racist. I saw him as an asshole. But what he did to you was in no way racist. It is was all hustlers do, and all those trinket sellers are hustlers.

Nice one, babe. Keep the smithy going.

Like all tourist spots I think its the love for fat euro/dollar tips that make waiters complete assholes.

We've all been ignored by Indian waiters in favor of white foreigners. Its the tips.

However that being said Europe does have its unique brand of racism. We are either mistaken to be Turks or called that nasty word that they use for South Asians.

And we too have a word for them- Euro trash.

What goes around comes around. They do it; we do it. Its just one big racist world.

Enjoyed reading it. Keep it coming.

@ temporal: That's inside one's mind. But it still is one blanket black or the absence of colour over everyone.

@ smallsquirrel: I don't think I dislike white people. I work for a company full of them and what's more, one of my favorite bosses was white. Was I expecting racism? I guess I was though it still came as a shock when it actually happened. There was plenty more that I didn't put into this post since I didn't want it to be a rant on racist attitudes. I did have some good experiences in Greece too. And you're right that trinket-selling creep was simply a low-life scumbag hustler. Can you tell this type I definitely DO NOT like? :-)

@ Deepa Krishnan: Thengyu! :-)

@ Deepti Lamba: Yes, that's true. I was reminded of the movie 'My big fat Greek wedding' that has an underlying thread of WASP snobbery and a semi-racist attitude. In face like I said in the post, the restaurant manager (a Greek) also told us about some things he had faced while working in the US. It just surprised me that people who've faced racism themselves are also racist in their behaviour to others.

much of this, as deepti points out, is driven by the almighty "tip" and perceptions about who will tip more than others. such touristy islands are usually strictly avoided by the greeks themselves for the very same reason. a greek waiter will ignore them due to the "tip". very little to do with "race" per se.

an interesting study of perceptions of race and tipping: in many established restaurants, waiters perceive black customers to be bad tippers and usually assign junior waiter to serve them. these junior waiters usually expect a bad tip, and they are pissed off for being assigned to serve tables with black custormers, so they offer pointedly bad service. and the customers at the receiving end, end up giving a lousy tip, based on the lousy service. the myth of the "black customers being lousy tippers" is not surprisingly, despite exceptions, perpetuated. A classic case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Forget the title of this book, but it is based on intensive fieldwork in many restaurants in the US.

I travel a lot in Europe, and sure I get experience the odd behaviour sometimes, but when I am on a pleasure trip, I just take it in my stride. In Barcelona for example, in the touristy areas, a majority of the waiters are Indian and Pakistani who, due to their phenotypical appearance and facility in Spanish, successfully pass of as Spanish to all the others (expect desis and Spanish) who can tell them apart. They too are very cagey, as they told me, about desi tourists especially, because (they claim) that desi customers (with exceptions of course) treat them like semi-shit. And they admitted that they also treat desi customers like semi-shit. Overall, a tense standoff. Me and my friend were able to engage these waiters in extended conversation about these issues, and they gave us a number of insights about the dynamics of service in touristy areas: three words: TIP

btw, once we chatted with these Indian and pakistani waiters in a friendly way, they were plying us with free beer! this happened in not one but many spots! and some of them were also giving us TIPS on how to avoid the tourist traps where all the prices are inflated. it was a matter of getting thru to them, and trust me almost all of them, without expception, were really friendly and gave us insights about barcelona we would never have had on our own. and yes, we did see SOME desi patrons ordering them around in a semi-feudal manner and the waiters were nudging and winking at us. I hope they did not spit in their beer or something like that! it happens!

I will also add that service in Europe (unless in a Michelin-rated restaurant) is notoriously BAD. I mean look, I am white, I have Italian heritage and I speak Italian, I dress well and I STILL get shitty service.

I will say that part if this is because of the "service included" aspect of most Italian eateries, so you've already paid the tip up front, whether they earn it or not. But I noticed the same in France, Spain, Belgium, etc.

The best service I ever got was in India. Why? Because the sad waiters assumed that the white girl had all the money. I was always asked first in the group if everything was to my satisfaction. Funny thing is I was unemployed and the desis I was out with were all making lakhs per month. I always told them quietly at the end of the meal (the waiters) that they should learn to be nicer to desis and stop worrying so much about pleasing the firangs.

SS,

True about the service charge. however, in overtly touristy areas, most people do leave some tip, especially the charmed tourists! so there is some struggle over that!! (in some places)