Check Please

Rachael Trost

LONDON -- It always surprises me the cultural differences around the world, but especially between two places that are relatively similar in nearly every aspect. I live in New York City, where waiters scurry patrons out of restaurants. But while here in London, my experience has been the complete opposite, and last night three of my friends and I sat for nearly three hours waiting for our check.

A classic British lunch of "pie" and mash.

We sat down at an Italian eatery about a 15 minute walk from our hotel. The menu stuffed with so many mouth watering options, I think it took us nearly a half-hour to order. In the states, our group would be questioned several times, asking when we would be ready to order. Across the pond here, that was definitely not the case.

Flash forward to just about three hours later. Our group was finished eating, order and devoured some desert, and peered around to find out waiter. He wasn't anywhere in sight, so we just kept talking about life after graduation. The four of us are all recent graduates, just thrown into the real world and our first jobs, so that topic of our conversation filled the excess time. Still, it became a bit excessive.

Life moves a bit slower here in London in so many aspects. There are those who are in a rush to get around, but it seems that the majority of Londoners move at a softer pace. I've been told that's just how it is in Europe.