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#60690 - 08/17/01 08:32 PM 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Dan the Michigarian Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 02/02/01
Posts: 21
Loc: mi, u.s.
free refills!!!!!!!!!
come on man! fountain pop is the cheapest thing in the whole restaurant! cheaper than napkins!

also, if the door has a handle, then make the door a PULL door and not a push.
duh.


go ahead and jump on my case if you want.
_________________________
(Dan & Abbie may be using this user name, but Dan will usually sign his name)

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#60691 - 08/17/01 09:34 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Wolf Offline
Member

Registered: 01/25/01
Posts: 1235
Loc: Rockford, IL/Milton, WI, USA
Free refills! Man! I even got charged for refills on iced tea, when it cost enough that I had to take out a mortgage on my gold fillings to pay for it... eek The only place I ever saw glacier sized chunks of ice was in my iced tea. Everything else, not enough to sink a waterbugs yacht. laugh

Wolf (Who tried carrying a few ice cubes with him in his pocket, but someone musta kept on picking it, when I needed them they were gone. rolleyes )

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#60692 - 08/23/01 08:37 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Brinkie Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/06/01
Posts: 4
Loc: Dutch in Madrid
Haha, well if you give away free refills in Holland, families will order one small cup, take a few empty glasses from home and fill them for free for all the lads. Too bad, because one coffee is not enough for me, especially not the café solos here in southern Europe.

What about the mayonaise/ketchup in fastfood restaurants in the US? In Madrid I get them for free and plenty of them. In Holland I have to pay 50 cents (40 pts) for a portion... frown

Brinkie

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#60693 - 08/23/01 09:17 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Wolf Offline
Member

Registered: 01/25/01
Posts: 1235
Loc: Rockford, IL/Milton, WI, USA
Brinkie,

The condiments like catsup (ketchup), mayo, and mustards are free. Most of the soft drinks we buy are becoming super sized in fast food restaurants, so we can get refills for free. Of course I still believe we pay for it out front, when we buy the first serving. I doubt they'd offer it otherwise.

I'm big (both my size and as to what I enjoy drinking... smile ) into iced tea. I probably drink about eight or nine gigantic glasses a day. That combined with my ten to twelve cups of coffee keeps me buzzing until I go into a shut down mode to sleep. But most places in the U.S. give refills on ice tea as well, just like coffee. Of course again, we probably pay the price up front. Some of us ending up getting a better deal because we drink more of it, while those that drink less of it pay more for it.

To be honest, I get so much caffiene every day that it's a good thing I'm not a brain surgeon. My hands would be shaking so bad that I might end up giving someone a vasectomy at the same time I was operating on their brain. Not an encouraging thing for promoting new patients I don't think. frown

Fortunately, nobody has asked me to perform surgery. But I am experienced in the medical field. Every once in a while I have to go through a procedure on myself. I have to remove my foot from my mouth.... laugh

Wolf (Who dislikes the person who takes his blood every month nearly as much as the average lawyer... smile )

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#60694 - 08/23/01 11:30 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Tia Offline
Member

Registered: 02/18/01
Posts: 170
Brinkie,
I always order "un café con leche DOBLE" to get what I want. wink

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#60695 - 08/23/01 12:04 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
josie Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 04/01/01
Posts: 26
Loc: Silver Spring, MD, USA
And the other thing Dan the Michigarian mentioned, the doors/handles: amen to that! My daughter and I were in Spain for 3 weeks and we found ourselves constantly pushing when we should have pulled, and vice versa. What really annoyed me was that I could see the word TIRAR right there on the door. I know what it means, but for some reason when I see tirar I get the feeling that I should throw or toss the door, which to my brain is more like push than empujar is. Hard to explain. About 3 days before our trip was over, my brain had finally made the adjustment, and I rarely made a mistake. Then it became fun people watching. You could tell who the tourists were by what happened when they came to doors with handles. My daughter and I still laugh about tirar/empujar. smile josie

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#60696 - 08/23/01 07:20 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Fernando Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 07/05/01
Posts: 1551
Loc: Madrid, Spain
Hi!

One of the things I adored from the USA was the free refilling smile It was a strange sensation, but very pleasant. Another thing that shocked me was that when I asked for a barbacue sauce in a McDonalds they gave me three portions for free! Here you have to pay for them, and in some places even for the ketchup and moutard.

About the tirar/empujar there is an explanation. If a place get so crowded and there is an emergency (fire, ...) if people go all over the door there is no danger that they all get traped, because all the doors are opened from inside to outside. I didn't know it was different in other countries by the way smile

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#60697 - 08/24/01 04:23 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Kurt Offline
Member

Registered: 08/02/00
Posts: 184
Loc: Chicago, IL. USA
In America, one pushes a door to exit, and pulls to enter. That is prescribed by most municipal fire codes (an exit door one must pull is a fire hazard as it hinders exiting in an emergency). Is it the same in Spain and Europe? It ought to be...

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#60698 - 08/24/01 05:14 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Anonymous
Unregistered


There are the same regulations, I believe, but they are not always honoured. There is a small percentage of doors that open towards the inside of the shop.

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#60699 - 08/25/01 03:26 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Zzeus11 Offline
Member

Registered: 09/08/00
Posts: 56
Thinking about doorknobs and 'no free refills'brings to mind why I like Spain , and a little bit of the other europe too.
Those things make it what it is.
I don't want a free re-fill on my coffee con leche , I want to walk to the counter , unless I'm already there , and ask for one . Just like the locals.
I'm happy to pay another 150 pesetas for it.

If my daily hydration requirements exceed the normal service quotas at cafe bars or restaurants , I can always go to some hipermarket to by more bottled water.

America is great , I am happy to be here , but if every other place was just like this , then why go anywhere??

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#60700 - 08/25/01 07:46 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Tia Offline
Member

Registered: 02/18/01
Posts: 170
Apropos of walking to the counter to pay la cuenta (I also like the habit and want to do like madrileños do): Sometimes it seems to be OK to do it, but not everywhere. In a first-class restaurant I wouldn´t even dream of it, of course eek. Even if it´s obvious that I´m a tourist (and the locals don´t expect me to know "the social codes")I don´t want to behave like a lout, but how do I know?

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#60701 - 08/26/01 10:03 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
mecky Offline
Member

Registered: 01/07/01
Posts: 91
Loc: US
I ve just about cried reading about not getting refills for free and then the doors wow! Give us lots of food and lots of drink and we are a happy nation. Look at the people in the US with all the free refills.O lets not forget to make everything in Europe just like it is here in the US. Maybe if all will learn to speak english that would be even better too. Well I need an european infusion soon. Less food but quality!!!

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#60702 - 08/26/01 10:47 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Wolf Offline
Member

Registered: 01/25/01
Posts: 1235
Loc: Rockford, IL/Milton, WI, USA
Zzeuss11, mecky,

Nobody is "upset" about prices or no refills. This is a "tongue-in-cheek" discussion, not people wanting to change Spain. We're just having fun. Isn't that what it's all about? laugh

Wolf (Who loses his sense of humor when his underwear is too tight. eek )

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#60703 - 08/27/01 02:03 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
roses Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 05/07/02
Posts: 151
Loc: Beverly Hills, CA
Okay. I have to agree with the thing about the refills. Fountain drinks are so riduculousy cheap. They are even given away for free in the States with an order of any fast food meal.

And speaking of fast food, McDonalds has to come up to speed. I have never waiting as long as I did at the McDonalds on Gran Via and Callao. Man, I tell you, 45 minutes just for a six pack of Chicken McNuggets. And McDonald's should know better, since they are an American company.

What's the world coming to? smile -roses

[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: roses ]

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#60704 - 08/27/01 05:28 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
karenwishart Offline
Member

Registered: 12/23/00
Posts: 280
Loc: York,PA,USA
Well I don't hear any complaints about the almost free bottle of wine you get in Spain w/the menu del dia.I loved the places where 2 of us ate and we each got one of those squarish flasks of vino tinto plunked down in front of us.I think we should get the good ole USA to do that! Is fountain soda really dirt cheap in Spain? Maybe not.

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#60705 - 08/27/01 07:07 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
roses Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 05/07/02
Posts: 151
Loc: Beverly Hills, CA
yes, it is dirt cheap. check the prices in spain on a fountain coke and then check the prices on coke in a glass bottle. this should answer your question. restaurants prefer to sell bottles of coke, because they can charge 225 pts. per coke bottle. but the reality of it is, these restaurants buy the syrup at a very low price from Coke or whoever, and with seltzer water they make the fountain drinks. and for mcdonalds', they purchase their products from their corporate headquarters and all francishes pay roughly the same. mcdonalds' corporate works out the rates with the cokes and pepsis of this world and sells it to all of their franchishes for roughly the same price. i hope this answers your question on "if fountain soda is really cheap."

also, i'm not a big believer on alcohol, nor do i drink it, so the almost free bottle of vino, well, i'd choose a free refill on a coke any day, and i think former alcoholics would do the same.

roses

[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: roses ]

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#60706 - 08/27/01 08:33 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Zzeus11 Offline
Member

Registered: 09/08/00
Posts: 56
Hey Wolfgang et al ,

'The tongue-in cheek' with me is that I am european!

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#60707 - 08/27/01 09:09 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Wolf Offline
Member

Registered: 01/25/01
Posts: 1235
Loc: Rockford, IL/Milton, WI, USA
Zzeuss11,

Actually I'm European too. Just two generations removed. smile I'm very proud of my European heritage. Please don't get the impression we're attacking Spain, or any other part of Europe in what we say. We're just making observations.

Wolf (Whose underwear has a hole in back for his tail. wink )

[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: Wolfgang81 ]

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#60708 - 08/28/01 03:28 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Anonymous
Unregistered


I think it is OK if they give you a free refill in the States. I wish they did it here too, but, as Wolf says, you or other clients are paying for it.

Anyway, as some members said, here some other things are free. It depends of each countries and each people's costumes. I don't think there is any need that they give a free refill, no matter how cheap it may be for them.

It is the same as in supermarkets: In Spain, in nearly all they give you a free plastic bag, but in the hard discount ones like Dia, they charge you 5 ptas./a bag. Again, if they give it free to you is better, but it doesn't mean that not giving it to you is bad, for in Dia you get much better overall prices.

There was a thread where LaMaestra said some days ago that in Spain tourist offices and spanish firms in USA and embassies give you free posters on Spain. What would you think if somebody complained that in the USA they don't?

Just a matter of promotioning and of what people in each country thinks should be free.

[ 08-28-2001: Message edited by: Ignacio ]

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#60709 - 08/28/01 05:23 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
jer Offline
Member

Registered: 03/03/01
Posts: 83
Loc: madrid, spain... the plaza may...
Went to IKEA in San Sebastián de los Reyes (Madrid) yesterday to pick up a new desk chair and had lunch there (my Spanish girlfriend loves the Swedish stuff they serve). SURPRISE, THEY HAVE UNLIMITED FREE SOFT DRINK REFILLS laugh

I even filled up my Coke one last time before leaving the cafeteria and heading into the store.

Saludos,
jer...

p.d. Now if only the rest of Spain would follow the example.
_________________________
madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plaza-cam & sol-cam .

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#60710 - 08/28/01 07:53 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Fernando Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 07/05/01
Posts: 1551
Loc: Madrid, Spain
In some american-style restaurants here in Madrid there are free refills, one of them is Foster's Hollywood (which is a franchise).

I adore those free refills smile

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#60711 - 08/28/01 02:21 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
jer Offline
Member

Registered: 03/03/01
Posts: 83
Loc: madrid, spain... the plaza may...
Hey Fernando, jer here.

I live here in Madrid and funny thing is that I am from the U.S.A. and never saw Foster's Hollywood until I arrived in Spain confused

Saludos,
jer...
_________________________
madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plaza-cam & sol-cam .

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#60712 - 08/29/01 06:02 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
roses Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 05/07/02
Posts: 151
Loc: Beverly Hills, CA
i live in the united states, too ... and i have never seen or heard of a place called foster's hollywood. i live in los angeles and work in beverly hills (10 mins. from hollywood), and i have never heard of this place. it doesn't come from hollywood... i can tell you that. (-:

roses.

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#60713 - 08/29/01 07:45 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Fernando Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 07/05/01
Posts: 1551
Loc: Madrid, Spain
Did I say it was an american restaurant? smile

Actually it is an spanish franchise of restaurants which have american food (or so they say). Here is the web: http://www.fostershollywood.es/

Keep in mind that it has almost all its restaurants in Madrid, with some scattered around Spain.

It is one of my favourite restaurants I will say.

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#60714 - 08/31/01 10:55 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
CaliBasco Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/17/00
Posts: 1495
Loc: Idaho
Someone please help me. I can't figure out why I would want a 64 oz. "Bladder Buster" refill mug in Spain, since it would undoubtedly be filled with warm, flat soda. I can't even figure out why I would want even a single refill on the warm Tab cola (everyone knows they still serve that in Europe) that's served.

Hey, the last time I went to 7-11 in Madrid they didn't even have Slurpees. I'm not expecting miracles here...

As for the doorknob thing. If you go to the other side of the door it's a pull-door. laugh

CaliBasco [Who had to call the front desk for assistance one morning at the Carlos V Hotel since the front door was a "push" door] :p
_________________________
Ongi etorri!

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#60715 - 08/31/01 02:30 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Jaime Offline
Member

Registered: 08/19/00
Posts: 147
I'm glad the refill thing hasn't caught on in Spain. I'm the typical American glutton and if somebody handed me 2L of diet coke in a promotional movie cup with ice I'd probably drink the whole thing just because. I drank half the coke in Spain than I would here and I enjoyed it twice as much.

I'm going to go off the track here for a second to tell a somewhat relevant short story...in one of my college classes last year a student was talking about one of his study abroad experiences in Japan to illustrate a point about culture. Apparently, in Japan the coke machines have three different sizes with the largest being close to a 2L...the catch is they are all the same price. The student was hanging out with his Japanese friends and they went to buy a coke from the machine. The three Japanese bought the smallest size and the American student the gigantic one. When he asked the Japanese student why he hadn't gotten the largest size since they were all the same price, he said to him...I'm just not that thirsty. I thought this was funny because here in the states we are always trying to get the highest value and quantity for our buck even if what we're getting is in excess of our needs. Does anyone hear supersize???
I'm as guilty of this as the next person but it is true.

As I was waiting at Newark to take off for Spain I had a few minutes to stop and have a smoke outside. A 350+ pound guy in a caddy drinking a supergulp stopped his car in front of us. I thought to myself then I was definitely ready for a visit to Spain.

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#60716 - 09/04/01 11:10 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
SusiLaGallega Offline
Member

Registered: 03/07/01
Posts: 82
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Just saw this post and had to make a comment regarding waiting times at fast-food restarants... I agree with you, roses!!! Waiting times at places like Burger King and McDonald's are crazy!!! I noticed that everywhere in Spain, these "fast-food" restaurants were always jam-packed and really slow, so for those of us who want a nice fountain Nestea or Pepsi, you've got to pull up a chair and wait - by the time you get it, you might have had a full meal at a regular sit-down restaurant!!! HMPH! eek

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#60717 - 09/05/01 04:34 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Anonymous
Unregistered


Oh my god! We don't even have ... Slurpees? laugh

Of course, if we want to be first world we have to consume every N Am. beverage. :p

Terrible delay. Do you have Cacaolat there? Or La Casera? or Fanta? or Kas? Don't even have those? rolleyes laugh


Ignacio

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#60718 - 09/05/01 08:25 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Majesty318 Offline
Member

Registered: 12/16/00
Posts: 233
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Great post, Ignacio. I, for one, would be thrilled if every Slurpee machine was replaced with Fanta Naranja or rich, creamy chocolate. laugh

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#60719 - 09/06/01 02:28 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Miguelito Offline
Member

Registered: 01/23/01
Posts: 603
I think the quality of CocaCola 20 cl bottle is much better than Cocacola fountain pop. At least they taste so different they don't look the same drink. If I could choose between a bar with free refill or a bar with 20 cl bottle or can, I would choose this last one. I think lot of people thinks like me here, so that can be a reason why it's not so extended.

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#60720 - 09/06/01 09:32 AM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
barry Offline
Member

Registered: 03/19/01
Posts: 347
Loc: sóller, mallorca, spain
I think it's a useful exercise to compare the good and bad of different regions, or just the cultural differences. This could be a fascinating thread, but I really feel that we've exhausted the argument on free refills, and slurpees. Does it really matter? (Who wants to drink so much fizzy, sugary water anyway??)
As a person who has lived in both the US and Spain, I realize that there are of course important cultural differences. There are things I like about the US, and things I don't like too. The same could be said for Spain. Having lived in Madrid for 11 years there are many things I find infuriating (don't get me started). One thing I have noticed is that Spanish people (and obviously I'm generalising here – we have to if we're comparing two cultures, so I think that if you want to participate in a debate such as this you should take generalising for granted and not be offended and take it personal), anyway Spanish people very often go on the defensive if you make even the smallest critical comment on anything about their country. I suspect I know why, but won't go into that now. US citizens are similarly inclined to reject criticism against any aspect of their country as a critique of their country as a whole. I'm saying all this so nobody will be offended by observations on the odd apect of their country.
I'll stop rambling now and just add that free refills tempting as they may be, are no substitute for the 6 weeks paid holidays (plus another 15 public holidays) I have every year. Most of my American friends, who have considerably less vacation time, envy me.

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#60721 - 09/06/01 02:39 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
Puna Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 07/07/00
Posts: 1437
Loc: Charlotte, NC. U.S.A.
Jaime - Terrfic comments! If we want all of what (and based on this thread ALL is the key word) of what is available in the US - stay put in the US. If free sodas are a moot point in your scheme of things - than hop on the first flight to where you want to go! My money's on the travel - and all the glorious differences in cultures!
_________________________
emotionally & mentally in Spain - physically in Charlotte
http://www.wendycrawfordwrites.com/

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#60722 - 09/06/01 08:26 PM Re: 2 things i noticed that europe needs to jump on.
CaliBasco Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/17/00
Posts: 1495
Loc: Idaho
I want fizzy sugar water...and Ignacio, give me La Casera until it comes out of my pores!!! eek ¡¡¡¡Me encanta!!!!
_________________________
Ongi etorri!

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