Restaurant Etiquette and Whatnot

I hardly eat out anymore, but when I do it reminds that dining in Montevideo keeps you on your toes and definitely offers a different experience than what you're used to. By the way I wrote this one on the fly with no editing so if you think of something else I missed, let me know, eh?

1) Less embarrassing walk outs. Just about every restaurant has their menu located by the door on the window or on a stand. This is useful because instead of walking into a restaurant then walking out while your covering your face because you're not satisfied with their meal choices doesn't have to be such a big ordeal. You stand outside for a few minutes (or seconds) flipping through the menu then you decide in peace whether to walk in or walk away.

2) Remember your waiter's face.. Or waitress. As a rule of thumb, I assume the waiter/
waitress isn't going give me the time of day unless I wave him or her down and possibly spit out what I need as he/she rushes by and probably tries to pretend they don't hear me. I'm not saying 100% of waiters do this but maybe a good 70%. Then again I also try to eat at the cheapest restaurants possible so maybe that's my bad. Anyways, they don't come up to your table every 15 minutes to see how things are going which is actually kind of cool since you don't usually have to speak through a mouthful of chivito and say that everything's just great. You do, however, need to remember their face in case you need to ask for the menu, get drinks, place your food, ask for condiments and napkins, refills, and the check.

3) Abysmal napkins. Something this experience has taught me is how to make do with less. Like napkins. The ones here seem to be made from the smallest amount of material possible making them both thin and tiny. I remember the looks on our faces when Kelsey, Hayley and me first discovered them. "These are napkins?" we thought. Yes, sirree bob, they are. It takes some getting used to but now I know to hold down the container with one hand and just take a handful and lick your fingers when you inevitably run out of napkins two bits into your meal.

4) Drinks. The thing about drinks is that they usually come in a liter or 500cc. Look at the menu and make sure before you order so you're getting what you want. Also, if you want water specify if you want it with or without carbonation (con gas or sin gas). Also, a lot of people order beer all day long whether its Pilsen, Patria or that one in a green bottle that starts with a 'z'. So, no problem if you want a beer or even wine. Gotta bring your own maté though but I've seen it being sold just for tourists to try. And no free refills.

5) Asado. And you thought asado was only an outdoor activity while being surrounded by friends. A lot of places have nice big grills for asado and can fix you up a nice plate of various meats like a mini asado. Depending on the restaurant it might be doing to for just one person if you come hungry but a lot of people, a.k.a. foreigners who can't handle it, end up splitting it with at least one other person.

6) Cubiertos. You gotta watch out for these little suckers. In Colonia the signs outside the restaurants typically let you know about these cover charges that are fees to just eat in their restaurants, but in MVD I've never seen such signs. I also never get charged them unless I go into a fancy enough restaurant like in el Mercado del Puerto (Port Market) in Ciudad Vieja. I usually don't notice until the bill comes and by then its way too late. They aren't too bad though. I went to the Gold Club (yeah, I got friends like that) and the charge was about $28 pesos uruguayos which is about $1.50 if I'm not mistaken.

7) Propina. Typically people give 10% for tip and this is a good percentage for just about any service. I usually tip a little over though out of consciousness that 10% isn't really much and I almost feel like I'm taken advantage of them. Plus the waiters/ waitresses usually do a great job.

8) Rectangular Pizza. Yup, pizza comes in a rectangle here. I've gotten it as a circle ONCE and it was tiny. I think it was called a pizzetta. Whichever one is smaller. A uruguayan once told me she'd only see circle pizzas on American t.v. shows. Haha! It was like we were the ones with funny shaped pizzas.

Well, now you know how to dine in Uruguay. Also, keep in mind that the more touristy the place the more expensive it is like with anywhere else. Splurging on the Port Market is worth it though. And if you want to get away from the high prices try further down 18 de Julio and especially on its side streets. But be careful of course.

P.S. By the way in exactly 30 days i will land I will be sleeping in my very own bed. I'm so excited!