We remain in Australia for this next article, which once again deals with travel and
cultural differences that you encounter amid fandom. The author of this article is
no stranger to travel, and in fact is a candidate in the current Down Under Fan Fund
election.
 One of the more intriguing aspects
of travelling around and mixing with fans is the cultural differences you come
across while eating. There are differences in items of fare like iced coffee,
which in Australia consists of a small amount of hot black coffee to which sugar,
milk, and ice cream have been added in a tall glass. In the U.S., iced coffee turns
out to be a glass filled with crushed ice over which unsweetened black coffee has
been poured. Another beverage difference was that dry ginger ale in the U.S.
appeared to be what I knew of as ginger beer. The brown glass packaging meant I
couldn't differentiate by color before purchasing. Fast food outlets are also
different in the U.S. than they are here in Australia -- I had never seen TVs in
fast food outlets before.Besides all these obvious differences,
just as memorable are the odd behaviour and antics people display at 'settle the
bill' time. A typical Australian procedure is that everyone puts in what they
think will cover their portion, sometimes after requesting a copy of the menu to
check. This is generally rounded up to the next convenient figure, such as $10,
$15 or whatever notes they happen to have on them that can be easily changed from
the growing pile in the middle of the table. The net result is usually a surplus
which covers sundry table items, such as corkage, with fiddly change going as the
tip.A current example of this occurs at
informal gatherings at K&Ms in Myers Arcade, Melbourne, on Friday nights.
Complications can arise by people ordering two things, but at different tables,
during seat hopping conversations, and consequently owing on two separate bills.
However most of regulars there are reasonably honest and lack of payment is probably
due to forgetfulness rather than duplicity. This system can even result in a
sizeable refund if the waiter is not good at arithmetic! Clive Newall reminisces
about the good old days at the Cafe Paradisio in Lygon Street, Carlton, where his
social club usually benefited $8-12 per meal. Any K&Ms surplus is usually collected
by Cath Ortlieb and donated to Friends of the Zoo. A case of 'FOTZ gaining the
total's black'.By contrast, while dining out with a
group of American fans at Conspiracy in 1987, it was literally out with the
calculators at the meal's end. Each bill item was ticked off for each person,
individual totals were calculated and the appropriate tip added to them. Some pound
coins were also sent to the cashier for changing before settling individual accounts
with the pile in the centre of the table. I don't think the Americans were more
parsimonious than other fans: it just seemed to be more a national eating out trait.
Dining at an upmarket hamburger place in New York with a group of local fen later
in my trip resulted in a similar occurrence. I checked the price of what I had had
on the menu, added tip plus tax, then rounded the lot up to the next dollar, from
$7.30 to $8 I think. The person totalling the payment pile made a point of
returning 30¢ to me as I had 'overpaid'. Perhaps an explanation lies in the
inherent tax and tipping systems in operation over-seas. In Australia, what it says
on the menu is what we pay, with an added tip if the service impressed us. Overseas
state tax (in the US) and tips, expected to be at least 10%, have to be added on
afterwards, so it pays to check so you don't end up tipping twice.I suppose one predominant theme about
eating with fans is time, or rather the lack of it. Not that I mind this; while
growing up on the farm, family meals usually took all of about 15 minutes actual
eating time (I don't think my father ever ate at a restaurant where the meal took
over an hour to be served and eaten while I was with him). Hosting the local Nova
Mob SF discussion meetings once a month has led to trying a few nearby restaurants
around Richmond. There was the Indian place, with a good chef and reasonable
service. But when that chef left, and the time taken for a meal got so drawn out
it was impossible to start at 6 pm and even finish main course by the meeting
commencement time of 8 pm, we gave it up. I used to head off to open up, and hoped
the others would arrive before the speaker got too annoyed. Of course if the speaker
also happened to be dining, some of the attendees might have to cool their heels for
a while on my front door. One night we overstayed and it poured rain while we were
finishing dessert. Mark Linneman was not impressed with his wet feet gained while
porch waiting.We tried a Greek restaurant next, but
lukewarm food and limited menu choices soon ended that. The Greek place was the
Laikon, which was actually a trendy dining icon of the `70s. Now the Laikon has
unfortunately fallen on low times. It came up in conversation at the recent
ANZAPACon II, where I think it was Merv Binns who claimed they tried to take
Jack Vance there during Tschai'con, but it was closed. It was cleaned out and
vacant as of December 1993.Currently (well, for the last 18
months) a Thai restaurant has worked fine. Seated by 6 pm, we've usually ordered
by 6.10, and could have three courses and coffee over by 7 pm if we wanted to.
Usually it's about 7.40 when we adjourn. The meals have been pretty consistent,
and I can generally pick what the regulars will order. Bruce Barnes will inevitably
go for tofu, Donna Heenan likes the cashew chicken, and Elaine Cochrane, after
experimenting with lots of things, settles for prawn salad or spicy noodles and
vegetables. I tend to order plum beef or pork. The desserts are a bit unusual in
that pecan pie, date pudding, and chocolate mousse cake don't strike me as
particularly Thai. The current chef considers himself an artist and the side walls
are covered by his paintings and mottos. For our Christmas break-up we'll be going
to a Chinese smorgasbord yum-cha in the city. This offers quite a few advantages
over the usual yum-cha arrangement. You can eat the individual dishes in whatever
order you prefer, not the random one they may arrive in. Vegetarians or people
with eating preferences, such as gluten-free, can start straight away and not have
to wait until a suitable dish arrives. You can also have as much of a particular
favorite dish as you like.Other moral dilemmas can also occur
when eating out. Upon checking the bill you find that your main course hasn't been
listed. Does this mean there is such a thing as a free lunch? Also, should you
spread your good fortune by paying $1 each, say, to your fellow diners? Or do you
just put in to cover for the rest of your meal, and guiltily wonder if the waiter
will have the cost somehow deducted from their wages? Not only that, what happens
if you know someone is about to leave and hasn't paid? Is hassling them in public
worth it, or do you cover them and try to extort the amount later in private? And
just how rude is leaving early so you can get home to watch that TV program you
forgot to set the VCR for?Anyway, eating out with fans is an
experience in large group dynamics. Given that fannish preference for cheap meals
means crowded, noisy, and cluttered surroundings, it's no wonder that they are
mainly hectic events. Gafiation may actually be the search for a quiet intimate
meal. Title illustration by Peggy Ranson |
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