Personally, the thing I find more annoying than someone who is overly loud is someone who lights up a smoke at the next table over while the folks in my party are still eating.

Thankfully that has been (mostly) resolved though.


It really is a cultural thing though, to some extent, isn't it? Also though, I do not necessarily mean by country but maybe more by some less easily defined bracket.

In the US, if you go someplace where the main course runs $50 or more, you can expect some muted tones, not only to voices but music and decor. If you go someplace where the main course is under $20, you can expect some noise as that is more likely to be a place for families or gatherings of friends.

I remember eating at a new Japanese restaurant that opened in Daytona and while we really couldn't hear the conversation from the two Asian guys seated at the next table, we heard "sluuurrrp, sluuuurrrp" - loudly and often. This is something that is "not done" in the general American culture but something I'd been taught is the norm when I lived in Japan and Hawaii as it expresses enjoyment to the host / chef. I can imagine that to be a bit off-putting to someone who is neither accustomed nor at least been exposed / taught to anticipate cultural differences.



To me, the whole thing is a matter of "when in Rome"....
You go to a restaurant and however you find it - noisy or quiet - you either comply or leave. If you find you can not do that, AND if you find that the behavior of other diners (who truly are NOT doing something disgusting, it's not like they crapped on your table!!) tends to ruin your appetite if it isn't as you think it should be, the simple answer is to STAY HOME.

Of course, if the offending person is actually doing something to purposefully annoy or insult you, that's a whole different story but I'd think that a pack of people who are (or at least think themselves to be) worldly enough to go live in a different country would have it within themselves to "live and let live."

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The Joys of Opticianry

What?!? Really? Oh the coffees, bowls of hot soup, glasses of red wine...!! This I must see. Please tell me you're not joking.

"normal Swiss behaviour" at funerals is difficult to answer.

At the one of my mother, many really funny anecdotes lead people into smiles and at times even laughters, a realistic view on her live made people to remember how she was until a year before the end, the tunes of "Grosser Gott wir loben Dich" reminded people of the point that the praised old girl had died, the Marseillaise played on the organ made it clear that it was just (14) Quatorze Juillet and played tribute to the strong relationship my mother has had with the French Republic. No, the ceremony was NOT quiet and the reunion in the restaurant was lively

At the one of my Godfather in Geneva, the reverend spoke about the rich personality of the gone gentleman, and also presented some nice amusing anecdotes about the "youngish" old boy who had left. And we had the reunion a year later in the Belvoir Rüschlikon, the "younger" generation speaking French, the older ones in a different room German.

At the one of an uncle, an interesting painting, painted by the old man just in his last week, was just beside the reverend. It showed, from the back, an old man looking out at the sea on a beach somewhere just at sunset. The tone was positive and amusing already there, and in the restaurant thereafter, it was really positive and not quiet. People HONOURED the old man, but on his recorded wish did not shed tears about him.

At the burial of the wife of my godfather, a bit a sombre tone resulted from her favourite melody being played at the beginning, the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" but already the Reverend did his best to lift spirits, not least as the lady had become 97 years old, and that she until age 95 had lived in her own apartment and had done her shopping herself. And had been phisically and mentally really well. And the meal in that restaurant right on the French border was a festivity in her honour !

Why not the extreme ? "FDuvall" goes to Spain. Spaniards in actual reality are relatively conservative, serious and quiet people. The loud and overwhelming thing is the show put up for tourism in touristic spots. But the decible-level in restaurants in Barcelona or Madrid is not higher than over here (personal observation but not the result of statistics or measuring with instruments ! ). I am just wondering a bit

when I read threads like this one, what comes to my mind is..


snotty brits and the swiss, a match made in heaven

we had the same thing happen at a bar (being told to shhh) after a couple asked us to join our table for a seat! nice to hear other stories!

The Züri dining experience captured for posterior...

I told a friend of mine about Blinde Kuh and she told me she went to a version in Berlin.
The blind waiter led everyone out of the restaurabt at the end as per normal but put my well endowed friend in front of him instead of behind. He felt her boobs and grabbed her hand a put it on his bratwurst which he'd taken out of his pocket.

Will give you my report in a few months! But so far, my experience is that most of the restaurants that I have been going to in Barcelona and just outside, have a fairly energetic vibe and high threshold for noise.

fduvall

well it means you hit ground in Switzerland. Everything is neat and quiet and one is asked to blend in...

let me know if you need company... I am a lively person too

Restaurants I am going to here have a fairly energetic vibe and high treshold for noise I am NOT customer of those solemn places you have in mind, and of which you apparently have been frequent customer of

Not everything !

ok, I agree the tram makes quiet a noisy sound at the curve in Morgenthal...

Well I am Swiss and plenty of giggles, laughter and even, dare I say, noise - when we go out for dinner with friends - but there is fun and lively - and there is just plain ugly noise.

So you no longer can bear life to start at 5.30 ?

Not what I have "in mind"... I am mostly commenting on the experiences that other people are writing about here. Seems that there are a lot of mismatched expectations. I had dinner at Kronenhalle last week with a group of friends. We were not overly loud, and I could have also had a romantic dinner there with my wife.

If we had been a group of 20, we could have gone to Don Weber and done shots of tequila with margaritas.

Anyway, know what you want and find the right place.

fduvall

"dinner at Kronenhalle" ? Such a thing would ruin me So, I cannot judge your experience there at all, but I expect people to be rather silent in such a solemn place ?!

In general I agree, but there are exceptions..you gotta try this place in the evening on a weekend http://www.bierhalle-wolf.ch/ It's on Niederdorfstrasse near Central tram station.

It's a riot, and really gets rowdy later on. It's more like a typical Bavarian beer hall (but small) with live music. They usually bring in bands from Austria and Germany.

I just got back from a ski trip in Graubünden. We were in our favourite hotel-restaurant, a bit on the upper-end and usually on the quiet side. This time there was a group of eight Swiss Germans next to us conversing quite loudly and laughing. No one minded and in fact later in the evening, the chef joined the group in sharing a beer.

So Swiss restaurants are like funerals? I really don't understand what the OP is talking about!

yes, that one is fun!