Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Embrace the Differences

We are not experienced travelers, but the little travel we have done has been an adventure. We've tried to embrace the differences in other cultures and not expect things to be like they are at home. This has generally been easy, but there was the one time when it took some real effort.

Years ago, my husband and I took a 21 day trip that included a three day Aegean Sea cruise. I'd never been on a cruise before and was excited to experience one for myself. I'd been told that the food on a cruise is to die for, and I was eagerly anticipating the food, the islands, the sights and any other delights that were in store.

We happened to board right before lunch, so we hit the smorgasbord and loaded up our plates. Sitting at a table with two friends and our Greek tour guide, Magda, three of us realized that we had big, black, curly hairs in our pasta salad. Can you say, YUCK!!? Magda asked us what was wrong. When we told her, she shrugged, and in her beautiful Greek accent asked, "What can you do?" Because we had come to enjoy our experience in Greece to the full, we determined not to let a few hairs ruin our meal. Leaving the pasta salad on our plates, we thoroughly checked our remaining food to ensure hairlessness and finished off our meals with only slightly dampened enthusiasm.

The cruise proceeded and we visited the islands of Patmos, Mykanos, and Rhodes. The sites were beautiful and enlightening. Our meals on board were good and, although we ate somewhat cautiously, we, thankfully, saw no repeat of the hair incident.

The last morning on board, we breakfasted as usual, eating leisurely while we chatted with friends. As we finished up, a couple at a nearby table asked the waiter for more orange juice. In full view of us all, he walked over to a nearby table, picked up two glasses, one half empty and one seemingly untouched, filled the half empty glass to the brim, placed both on a serving tray, and gave the juice to the couple! We were more than mildly disturbed, slightly queasy, and grateful that our meals on board were behind us!

7 comments:

  1. ok so this is random and nothing to do with the post but, I was lookng through the blogs you read and I noticed that you have Julie Hadden's blog on there. Did you find that after my post or have you been watching biggest loser long enough that you knew who she was?!?! We have not been watching that long and when we found out that she was coming we went and looked her up. Although now that we have had lunch with her I feel like we have know her forever. She is just that kind of person!

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  2. I am sure that I have heard that story before, but it was great to relive it!! If it is any comfort the cruise I went on with didn't have problems like that. Maybe you just need to try an american cruise!! Love you lots!!

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  3. I was just about to say you just needed to try a REAL cruise too!

    Love you!

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  4. Again I have laughed as I have read this post, You share soo much joy to all you come it contact with, Keep smiling and beward of the pasta salad!! Hugs!!

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  5. lol, Lisa I love your stories! As I look forward to memorial day with my family that lives near... I think of all of you that will be greatly missed. I am also wondering if I should change my plans of making pasta salad to go with lunch????

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  6. Seriously, You've never heard of Aunt Flo? I think I stole it off the Cosby show. And yes, it is what you're thinking of. I NEED a visit because my hormones are OUT OF THIS WORLD CRAZY until about 2 hours after I start. Then they settle down to mere every day insanity.

    I know, I totally should email you this, but clicking on your blog was easier!

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  7. Oh. Yuck. What cruise line was it? Because, I need to remember NEVER to board one of their ships. We took a Costa cruise in the Carribean and it was FANTASTIC!!! And by 'fantastic' I mean no hairy pasta!

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