# ED Tips and Tricks



## SusieBelle (Feb 18, 2008)

bymyhand said:


> 8.	Gas ...Also you will notice that there three different types of gas when you get there 91, 95, and 100. I believe this is the octane level but a couple that was doing European delivery as well, and staying in the same hotel, said that the people at the welt told them that 95 equaled 89 in the US, but I am not sure how correct this is. Also another thing that is quite odd is that the 91 and 95 gas are both the same price with the 100 gas being about 10 Eurocents more expensive per liter. Austin


We were told by my German cousin that the reason that the 91 and 95 octanes are priced the same is that they are currently working to phase out the 91. In pricing both the same, the reasoning is to encourage people to start purchasing the higher octane. (Bitte, JSpira, please correct me if you have heard differently.) I am only repeating what I was told because we also thought it was a little odd that the price for both should be the same. When we were instructed at the Welt which octane to fill up with, we were told which *German* octane to use (not which American), so conversion to our (U.S.) octane numbers did not enter into the equation at that point. Your owner's manual tells you which American octane is appropriate.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

SusieBelle said:


> (Bitte, JSpira, please correct me if you have heard differently.)


Korrekt :thumbup:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> > Then it takes awhile to get your check for the meal. I have had to resort to a 'finger up' and eye contact to get a refill or my check.
> 
> 
> "Zahlen, bitte" works wonders. Even in England the wait staff will expect you to ask for the bill. The table is yours until you are ready to leave. They aren't about to rush you off.


It didn´t occur to me that the OP was NOT asking for the check. Did he expect it to just be brought by osmosis if that´s the case?


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## obelix (Feb 16, 2008)

JSpira said:


> I guess I expect to get the size offered on the menu, such as ,5 l.
> 
> Regarding a refill, I wouldn't expect something for free.


If the soda's being served from a fountain, the marginal cost of a given glass is pretty low -- I've seen estimates of $.25 for a 20 oz. drink. (When you go to a movie theater, the cup your drink is served in costs more than what goes in it.) Now this makes me wonder why North America uses fountains and Europe doesn't...


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## obelix (Feb 16, 2008)

JSpira said:


> It didn´t occur to me that the OP was NOT asking for the check. Did he expect it to just be brought by osmosis if that´s the case?


More likely he was expecting the server to come up and ask if he wanted anything more, and if not to be presented with the check. That's pretty standard behavior in the U.S. (at least in everyday restaurants -- I'd be surprised to have that happen at at higher-end place).


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## bymyhand (May 28, 2008)

adc said:


> I think parents of small children should be fine: for one, small children don't really care and for another, they should be fast asleep late at night.
> 
> I'm just wondering what you adults were doing watching those horrible shows so late in the night...


We got bored at night and were watching Wild Things dubbed in German. Then after that we switch over to another channel and was kind of surprised to see boobs flailing around in phone sex ads. Then almost every gas station I visited had pornographic magazines showing their front covers. Just trying to give a heads up as to what was out there.

Austin


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

bymyhand said:


> Then almost every gas station I visited had pornographic magazines showing their front covers. Just trying to give a heads up as to what was out there.


I guess I can´t see a problem with that (are gas station patrons offended?) but the notion of covering up a magazine cover, regardless of content, is just prudish, don´t you think?


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## bymyhand (May 28, 2008)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> We ran into quite a few people that spoke zero English. Even waiters in Munich and touristy Rothenburg oDT. It was very helpful to know a little German. Debbie took a single semester night course and that was well worth the time.
> 
> "Zahlen, bitte" works wonders. Even in England the wait staff will expect you to ask for the bill. The table is yours until you are ready to leave. They aren't about to rush you off.
> 
> It is also worth learning food names or carrying a small dictionary. That way you can get away from McDonalds and restaurants with English menus.


I would definitely say you would get a lot more enjoyment out of your trip if you know German, especially at the museums and such where everything is in German. But I personally was just letting people know what was required to get you through your trip. I did talk to people that didn't know English too but the drink orders were pretty standard and I just pointed to the item on the menu I wanted. If you keep your request to name brands like, Fanka, coke a cola, and visa that will usually get you through it since they are the same in German as they are in English. If you want a greater, deeper, German experience, you need to learn the language or bring a guide but I thought that went without saying, sorry.

Austin


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## bymyhand (May 28, 2008)

JSpira said:


> I guess I can´t see a problem with that (are gas station patrons offended?) but the notion of covering up a magazine cover, regardless of content, is just prudish, don´t you think?


I thought it was very interesting, and I was more amused then offended. But then again I am not from the Bible belt either.  Just trying to be helpful.


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## chaz58 (Sep 11, 2007)

Really nice post!

Some pointers:

Leitungswasser ***8211; is tap water. You can usually get it instead of bottled water if you ask politely.

91 and 95 octane gas is an inside joke in Germany. Yeah, it is the same price ***8211; one German magazine did a test and found that you get the same gas if you choose 91 or 95 (actually the octane was often much more than 95 anyway). Go figure. (Yes, there is a move by the gas companies to do away with 91, since they are selling you 95+ anyway).

With restaurants, you always have to ask for the bill. They are not going to come give it to you ***8211; that would be pretty rude. And yes, the table is yours for the evening if you wish ***8211; most Europeans take the time to enjoy their meals as you have noticed.

In general, you can tip by rounding up. If the bill is 20.30***8364;, just give them 21***8364;

Mayonnaise is much, much different in Europe than the US. You should try it at least once. Mayonnaise with Fries is a specialty in Belgium.

Your passport states that any mutilation makes it Void. If you have torn a page out, you need a new passport.

Also, any words you can learn in the language of the country you are visiting will take you a long way.


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## guppyflyer (Oct 26, 2006)

chaz58 said:


> Mayonnaise is much, much different in Europe than the US. _You should try it at least once._ Mayonnaise with Fries is a specialty in Belgium.


I agree, but beware! Had a pizza in Roma once that we thought had melted cheese.........nope........mayo! : puke: :rofl:

Erik


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## bymyhand (May 28, 2008)

guppyflyer said:


> I agree, but beware! Had a pizza in Roma once that we thought had melted cheese.........nope........mayo! : puke: :rofl:
> 
> Erik


Ah yes! Another thing about Pizza, pepperoni means pepperoncini in the German culture. Salami seemed to be the same thing though. And there is something to say about knowing the language when ordering since at one restaurant I accidently got a sunny side up egg on my pizza. It was quite the breakfast pizza  Also people in Europe usually eat pizza and French fries with a knife and fork.

Austin


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## adgrant (Aug 13, 2003)

chaz58 said:


> Mayonnaise is much, much different in Europe than the US. You should try it at least once. Mayonnaise with Fries is a specialty in Belgium


The problem is that most Americans get their "Mayo" out of a jar that has the word "Hellmans" written on it. It's like deciding you don't like beer when you have only drunk Budweiser or choclate if you have only ever eaten what Hershey laughingly calls chocolate. They do the same in the UK too, fortunately my mother insisted on making her own.

My travel tip for people who have not travelled much outside the US is widen your tastes a bit while still in the US. That's harder in some parts of the country than others of course, but most major cities have some decent European restaurants. In my neighborhood in New York, we even have German grocery store.


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## adgrant (Aug 13, 2003)

obelix said:


> If the soda's being served from a fountain, the marginal cost of a given glass is pretty low -- I've seen estimates of $.25 for a 20 oz. drink. (When you go to a movie theater, the cup your drink is served in costs more than what goes in it.) Now this makes me wonder why North America uses fountains and Europe doesn't...


Many resturants in the US don't use fountains. They tend to be much more common in the lower end chain resturants. I don't drink much soda these days (or eat much in the big chain restuarants) but when I did, I found that the soda they produced was inferior tasting to the stuff produced at the bottling plant.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

bymyhand said:


> Also people in Europe usually eat pizza and French fries with a knife and fork.


Well, the alternative is fingers and that would be weird.

If I were to have picked up a piece of pizza with my hands, my father would have shot me such a glance...


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## bymyhand (May 28, 2008)

chaz58 said:


> Leitungswasser - is tap water. You can usually get it instead of bottled water if you ask politely.


Did they charge you for tap water? Also without ice/filters in most restaurants this probably wouldn't be cold or taste very good.



chaz58 said:


> Mayonnaise is much, much different in Europe than the US. You should try it at least once. Mayonnaise with Fries is a specialty in Belgium.


Also I noticed that in some places the ketchup was sweeter and in one place it was served with onions in it.



chaz58 said:


> Your passport states that any mutilation makes it Void. If you have torn a page out, you need a new passport.


Yea my wife, when she was 17 and on a class trip to Europe, tore a page out to give her number to some guy. She never mentioned it until the German border guard had an issue with it.. It was a nice surprise


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## MrBones (Oct 26, 2007)

I thought half the fun of visiting other countries is trying different foods and customs.


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## obelix (Feb 16, 2008)

adgrant said:


> Many resturants in the US don't use fountains. They tend to be much more common in the lower end chain resturants. I don't drink much soda these days (or eat much in the big chain restuarants) but when I did, I found that the soda they produced was inferior tasting to the stuff produced at the bottling plant.


I wouldn't expect a high-end restaurant to have a fountain, but it's not just chains that have them; any place that has a bar is likely serving from the fountain rather than keeping bottles on hand. And yeah, soda from a fountain often tastes worse than soda from a bottle, because the restaurant is (either intentionally or accidentally) watering down the syrup.


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## adgrant (Aug 13, 2003)

obelix said:


> I wouldn't expect a high-end restaurant to have a fountain, but it's not just chains that have them; any place that has a bar is likely serving from the fountain rather than keeping bottles on hand. And yeah, soda from a fountain often tastes worse than soda from a bottle, because the restaurant is (either intentionally or accidentally) watering down the syrup.


Of course, I was just talking about resturants. As for bars serving mixed drinks, they may not be just watering down the syrup.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

adgrant said:


> Many resturants in the US don't use fountains. They tend to be much more common in the lower end chain resturants. I don't drink much soda these days (or eat much in the big chain restuarants) but when I did, I found that the soda they produced was inferior tasting to the stuff produced at the bottling plant.


Those chains are dropping like flies. Good riddance I say (not that I had frequented them). But from all reports, the food was high in calories and fat and not at all healthy. :angel:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Much better map and it also loads faster too!


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

adgrant said:


> I also don't understand people who visit New York from other parts of the US and chose to eat in the same chain restaurants they have at home. It's probably no coincidence that several major US chains have restaurants in the Time Square area.


I guess I can't understand why they would choose to eat in those very restaurants at home either:rofl:


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## Pedal2Floor (Jul 29, 2006)

adgrant said:


> I also don't understand people who visit New York from other parts of the US and chose to eat in the same chain restaurants they have at home. It's probably no coincidence that several major US chains have restaurants in the Time Square area.


It is simple -- many people are afraid of change or trying something new "OMG! What if I don't like that, that -- new thing I never tried before that I will not know if I like because I am afraid to try it!" Moving outside of what is familiar is a scary thing for many people. Fear is a big demotivator [or motivator if you are being chased by a bear!]

It is the same reason why many people will not even try ED -- "OMG! I may be in a country where I do not speak the language -- what if I order lizard tails for breakfest!" Although in China that would be normal -- ask me how I know!

There are people in the USA who have never even left the town they were born in or went to school in -- sometimes because they don't care, other times because of fear.

It is a big world out there :tsk:

In some cases, it is legit that there are people who are very happy with chain restuarant food -- to each their own. There are some who live simple lives and don't care to explore outside the place they know very well -- it is just a different view of the world -- neither is good nor bad -- just different. I have relatives who have lived in the USA for over 40yrs but still refuse to eat anything that is not Italian food -- why? Part of it is actually fear, part is education and part is unfounded belief that anything not Italian food is junk! And, if you travel the globe you find these people everywhere!

If you have traveled a lot, or grew up in say Europe where you must interact with different cultures all the time thanks to close proximity, then you have a different view or have an adventurous spirit.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

So, now that is cleared up--back to an earlier digression:

I have a related "tip" to add to this thread on "Tips and Tricks"...

Tip: Words such as "Petuelring" are completely unpronounceable. When you combine a vowel followed by an "e" (or with an umlaut) with the l's and r's, it is best to just give up. Or even better, write "nach Petuelring, bitte" on a piece of paper and show it to someone when you need directions.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

b-y said:


> I have a related "tip" to add to this thread on "Tips and Tricks"...
> 
> Tip: Words such as "Petuelring" are completely unpronounceable. When you combine a vowel followed by an "e" (or with an umlaut) with the l's and r's, it is best to just give up. Or even better, write "nach Petuelring, bitte" on a piece of paper and show it to someone when you need directions.


Except that it's pronounced pe-tu-el-ring in this case :angel:


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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

adgrant said:


> I also don't understand people who visit New York from other parts of the US and chose to eat in the same chain restaurants they have at home. It's probably no coincidence that several major US chains have restaurants in the Time Square area.


Now you got me hungry. I try to make it a point to get to the Carnegie Deli at least once each time I make it to NYC.


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## Texas-Bimmer (Apr 18, 2008)

Thanks, that was pretty exhaustive and great tips.

I would add one more, if I could. While in Munich (and Dublin), I found it quite difficult to locate restrooms. The places that do have them are MacDonalds (welcome if you buy something), other restaurants, and the railroad stations (and the Welt of course). In public areas - make sure you have change for restrooms.

Also, the hotels in Europe seem to mute the room phone ringers. We found this in Munich, Scotland, Dublin, and in London. Initially, we missed some important calls - well, until we found out. 

The local commuter train is great. That is exactly what we did. We parked at the Welt, when we could. It is also safe.
We dropped the car off a day before we left, and also took the train back to the hotel. The next day, we took the train to the airport - it is very convenient, even with the luggage.


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