Lingering meals

A couple months ago, I read an article about how a New York McDonald's had resorted to calling the police to forcibly evict restaurant patrons who the McDonald's claimed were consistently overstaying their welcome. Some things about the situation were clearly ridiculous in any cultural context, such as the McD's posted sign stating that customers have 20 minutes to finish their food - even for a meal labeled "fast food," 20 minutes is a little extreme. But other aspects of the case would give many Americans pause, and perhaps even reason to side with the McD managers: the customers "colonizing" the seats every day were "taking up tables for hours while splitting a small packet of French fries ($1.39)."

It is no coincidence that the patrons in question were a group of elderly Americans of Korean heritage, i.e., they all shared the same non-American cultural background. Only in America would a restaurant think it had the right to kick eaters out for being too slow or not ordering enough food. In Peru, restaurant mentality is very much like that of the article's elderly Koreans. Here, sharing is definitely the norm - why would friends each order their own fries when they could share? This group-ordering mentality can also be seen in the fact that Peruvian restaurants typically give you just one menu for the whole table. Along the same lines, splitting the bill is almost unheard of, especially the common American receipt-time fiasco where each person adds up the costs of the items he or she consumed and pays that exact amount. In Peru, somebody invitar's (treats) the other person, period.

As for time limits on eating, no way José! Peruvian meals/snacks/coffees/etc. last much longer than they would in the U.S., and restaurant service reflects that reality. A waiter will show up to give you a menu soon(-ish) after you sit down, but he probably won't return to the table until you signal him - they expect that you'll take your time, chatting, and eventually let them know that you're ready to order. Once it's prepared, the waiter will serve your food, but otherwise will not visit the table. The concept of dropping by to see if you need anything would be foreign here; if you need something, it is assumed you will flag someone down and ask. It is also expected and accepted that you will linger long after the meal itself is done, simply enjoying the company of your table-mates. Even at a crowded lunchtime restaurant with groups waiting for space, a Peruvian restaurant owner would never think of asking seated patrons to vacate their table - and the folks at the door are okay just waiting. The international chains (McDonald's included) have picked up on this, and consequently the seating areas at Peru's McD's, Starbucks, etc. are often double the size of those in the States - they know people here will relax and hang out long after their coffees are gone.

Having lived in the Peruvian context for so long, the story about that New York McDonald's was laughable to me, even absurd. Sitting around chatting for three hours over one shared plate of French fries? Sounds normal to me, and I hope those elderly Koreans keep showing up to remind America that time and money aren't what's most important.