Of Men & Manners

I grew up in Georgia, and my manners are as Southern as my roots. When meeting a friend’s parents, I will always call them Mr. or Mrs. until they tell me otherwise. Sir and Ma’am are used frequently. Please and thank you are a must, as is being on time. 'Thank you notes' are written frequently and posted. And you always say excuse or pardon me. Manners are the one thing that any good Southerner doesn't leave home without.

Having good manners of your own is one thing, but having them means one critical thing: you will always recognize those who don’t.

When it comes to dating, men definitely have their work cut out for them. It may be unfair, but honestly if a woman is a lady she is definitely worth the added effort.

Since being in Spain, the manners of men has been intriguing to say the least. Comical is probably a better way to express it. And while most of my “dates” have been with Jose (I did see him in 3 different cities) I can’t help but wonder if any of this is acceptable in this country. My guess is ‘no’, but it does still pose an interesting question.

Here is what I have witnessed, mostly from Jose:

--Shouting across the restaurant when “pane” was not served with the first course, and then giving the server a lecture about bread being served with everything in Spain.

--Ordering for someone else without asking their preference. (I guess Jose had a bad hint from the universe!) Sometimes this can be nice for the surprise factor. But you don’t order a 112lb woman a 32 oz steak without discussing it first…especially for lunch!

--Walking around to every table in a fine-dining establishment asking for a cigarette.

--Causing a ruckus over the price of “the world’s finest Serrano”…and the quantity that came with such a price. (if it’s the world’s finest, did you really think it would be cheap and you would have a surplus?)

--Dousing a salad with olive oil without asking preference, especially after someone says they want to eat ‘lite’.

--Meditating in the middle of a meal.

--Performing reiki on oneself in the middle of a meal.

--Dropping a knife on oneself, and then yelling at a server as if it were his fault and demanding he buy him a new pair of pants.

--Drinking all the wine and then asking if I would like to buy more.

--Accepting the check, looking at it, and then passing it to me saying “this one is on you my dear” (granted it was the least expensive of our many meals, but still…)

Tomorrow I have been told I have a date with “Motorcycle Man” in Sevilla. Hopefully those Southerners can make up for this Canary!