This week has been very relaxing, but pretty non-eventful, so I don’t have much to blog about. I was supposed to FINALLY get wireless internet in my apartment on Wednesday. Alas, due to some miscommunication, it didn’t work out. Maybe the internet company will come back again next week.
Tuesday was the 9th anniversary of when Ross and I started dating. I got to talk to him on Skype before he went to work, but it was really sad not having him around to celebrate. November 17th (when he arrives in Sarajevo) can’t come soon enough!
Okay, enough whining. The topic of today’s blog post is: Bosnian Restaurant Etiquette. It took me a while to get used to the way that restaurants work here, because they are run quite differently than in the US. I think I now have a good general sense of what to expect and how to behave.
1. Seat Yourself. Or, at least, this has been the policy of every restaurant I’ve eaten at so far.
2. If you sit near a lot of people, the server will probably come up and take your order. However, if you sit in a more isolated area, you have to get the server and tell him/her when you’re ready.
3. There is usually one menu per table. Be prepared to share. I’ve been known to steal menus from other tables J
4. It’s okay to wave down your server if you need something. They will probably leave you alone if you don’t, since people like to sit around and talk for hours. Say “isvini” or “isvinite” (pronounced eesveeneetay), meaning “excuse me” to get a server’s attention.
5. A lot of cafes/bars don’t have food, so make sure that you’re going somewhere with food if you want it.
6. Most places serve a mix of Bosnian food, pasta, pizza, and crepes. There aren’t too many other choices. Pizza can be weirdly sweet, and it’s sometimes served with ketchup! Pasta seems to usually be a good bet. If you want something else, look around and see what other people are eating, because that’s probably what’s good.
7. Some restaurants with Muslim owners do not serve alcohol. If you want a glass of wine or beer, check that they serve alcohol before you sit down.
8. Expect to pay between 1-3 marks for drinks (except for wine, which is a bit more) and 5-15 marks for food at a mid-priced restaurant. I’ve had a mineral water and a meal for as little as 2 marks at cheaper places! (A dollar=about 1.6 marks)
9. Sometimes, they bring the check with your meal. Otherwise, you may have to flag down your server and ask for it.
10. If you are just getting coffee, I think you can leave money on the table, as long as it’s just a few marks. Otherwise, get up and find you server to pay him or her. Sometimes, you are asked to pay someone else in the front. Don’t be shy, or you’ll just end up waiting around for hours!
11. Tips aren’t really expected. If you do leave a tip, usually just round up to the nearest mark, or hand in one extra mark.
Thank you. Something as simple as "seat yourself" or "wait to be seated" is almost totally absent on the Internet.
ReplyDelete