My second day in London started off very differently than back in the states, including getting lost on the Tube (the English subway) while heading to class and trying to memorize the names of a dozen new people. There is something, however, that was very much the same today as it is back in the United States and as I suspect it is around the world. That something is the language of hospitality. No matter where you are in the world, if you approach your fellow man with general warmth and sincerity, with the goal of helping him or seeing that his needs are taken care of, you will be received gladly and even rewarded.
I witnessed the language being spoken today around lunch time when some friends and I entered a local Italian restaurant after class, but not at first. Our server was a solemn young girl who would’t speak to us and the restaurants owners, an older couple who seemed of Italian descent, were fiddling around with what seemed like a printer in the room next to us. While I was thrown off by the lack of cheerful service that I’ve come to know and love in the U.S., I’ve learned that the English aren’t very emotional people in public and I suppose I mistook that for a deficit in genuine hospitable service. Nevertheless I tried to have a good time with my friends at least until the the older woman of the couple came over to our table, asking if any of us had any experience with technology or computers. She explained that her husband was trying to get the new fax machine they had just bought to work but it just kept making strange noises. Being minimally technology-oriented but maximally service-oriented and clearly seeing the woman’s distress, I volunteered to assist her and her husband. As soon as I stood up to help, the air in the room changed from one of isolation to one of cheer. The couple were very friendly to us then on (the fax machine was an easy fix, I just turned on “automatic answer” button and it seemed to work fine), complementing how helpful and knowledgeable we all were and giving us all free sodas to drink. I even got a small word of appreciation from the now genial young girl. It’s amazing how a little friendly service can pay dividends like that, and although it might be unorthodox for the customer to initiate the service transaction in this way, our experience at the restaurant was better for it. We left the restaurant very satisfied and promising to come back and patronize their store again.
The lesson here is clear: hospitality is a universal language. When you give some, you receive some in return.
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