# Nasty customers



## Danzo (Jul 16, 2020)

Hey fellas. Just curious if anyone else here has to deal with these nut bags in hospitality or retail. Customer service can be great but there are some really... ‘special’ customers out there. 

I run a small grocery store in North Seattle, and this nut wants us to stop carrying a popular brand of ice cream because the owner of the company is publicly anti-police during this BLM movement. We try to be nice with her, but if we looked into the politics and ethics of every company we carry we wouldn’t have anything on our shelves. The reality is we are here to sell food regardless is politics. My poor social media manager is having a hell of a time with this broad. 

here’s the last email she sent, now she’s threatening to turn us over to the media for carrying said product. lol like any media outlet will give a ****. Here I’m wondering why she isn’t spending her negative energy going straight to the ice cream company. I figured you guys would get a kick out of it.

this is after she sent this customer my phone number.
*“Ha! Have no interest in discussing anything with you, Bridget. However,let your "owner" know we'll forward this number to the media outlet we're lining up to do the interview. Again, in case your dense, we have no interest in ever supporting any of the Kens again. We simply feel the neighborhoods needs to know they types of brands you chose to support...especially when they're anti law enforcement. Honestly, since Molly Moons doesn't even make their own ice cream we'd think you'd carry more authentic brands. Snoqulamie makes their ice cream you fools...meaning Molly Moons Ice Cream is a about as self made as an eighty year olds erection, kinda like the owners of Kens...

Thanks, grocery store girl!”*

fee free to share your crazy stories with these Karen’s


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## crockerculinary (Jul 16, 2020)

I would just ban them from your business and ignore them. They never never never get any better. They stay crazy. And I don’t care if it’s the French Laundry or a hotdog cart, the moment someone gets abusive they’re gone.


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## GoodMagic (Jul 16, 2020)

I love Molly Moons! I live down the street from Kens in Queen Anne, go there several times a week. Everyone there is awesome Your customer service is excellent, and has been for twenty years.  Even my dog loves kens! What a nut! Redirect her to the Molly moons a few blocks awa!


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## soigne_west (Jul 16, 2020)




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## Danzo (Jul 16, 2020)

crockerculinary said:


> I would just ban them from your business and ignore them. They never never never get any better. They stay crazy. And I don’t care if it’s the French Laundry or a hotdog cart, the moment someone gets abusive they’re gone.


Oh yeah we’ve banned plenty of people. Typically they are thieves or homeless or mentally ill or a combination of those three. I probably know about 75% of my customers and I’m not exactly sure who this person is. It’s pretty funny how determined she is with this. We’re not too worried about her, she won’t get anywhere with her so called ‘media outlet.’ Especially considering the majority of current political opinions in Seattle are opposite hers.


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## Danzo (Jul 16, 2020)

GoodMagic said:


> I love Molly Moons! I live down the street from Kens in Queen Anne, go there several times a week. Everyone there is awesome Your customer service is excellent, and has been for twenty years. Even my dog loves kens! What a nut! Redirect her to the Molly moons a few blocks awa!


that store is actually under different ownership and isn’t part of our kensmarkets. George, Joe, and Eric do a good job with that store though. Still got that old store flair. Too bad this lady is lumping us all together it seems they’ve lost a customer too now.


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## panda (Jul 17, 2020)

ban Karen from the store. problem solved.


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## Dhoff (Jul 17, 2020)

Huh, I consider myself quite good at English, however, what she wrote is at a level where I find it hard to even understand what she means. Could be it would do her good to go back to school 

On a side note, I hope she does not locate this by google, could get messy.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> Huh, I consider myself quite good at English, however, what she wrote is at a level where I find it hard to even understand what she means. Could be it would do her good to go back to school
> 
> On a side note, I hope she does not locate this by google, could get messy.



Her composition and grammar skills are, quite sadly, right on the level of the average american - nothing particularly difficult to understand or follow. I'm not a grammar or spelling nazi so no specific comments about that, but her weakness in basic composition is truly appalling.

Which part did you not understand, so that I can break it down for you?


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## Dhoff (Jul 17, 2020)

podzap said:


> Her composition and grammar skills are, quite sadly, right on the level of the average american - nothing particularly difficult to understand or follow. I'm not a grammar or spelling nazi so no specific comments about that, but her weakness in basic composition is truly appalling.
> 
> Which part did you not understand, so that I can break it down for you?



Think part of the issue is my lack of knowledge of the names, though I had to read it a couple of times to grasp her written language since it is written as one would speak without much regard for the reader 

*“Ha! Have no interest in discussing anything with you, Bridget. However,let your "owner" know we'll forward this number to the media outlet we're lining up to do the interview. Again, in case your dense, we have no interest in ever supporting any of the Kens again. We simply feel the neighborhoods needs to know they types of brands you chose to support...especially when they're anti law enforcement. Honestly, since Molly Moons doesn't even make their own ice cream we'd think you'd carry more authentic brands. Snoqulamie makes their ice cream you fools...meaning Molly Moons Ice Cream is a about as self made as an eighty year olds erection, kinda like the owners of Kens...

Thanks, grocery store girl!”* 

What is Kens? The shop of Denzo?

Molly Moons is the producer of the product they wish were banned?


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## Bert2368 (Jul 17, 2020)

Years ago, there was a difficult customer at the New Orleans Takeout on Fordham Ave. I chefed at. He would buy a meal and come back the next day, complaining that something had been off, perhaps there had been only one shrimp, no oysters in his gumbo, not the 6 total we always put in every cup. Bread was stale. Rice wasn't cooked enough. Always something wrong. But he kept coming back, apparently trying to find a different person at the counter and wangle a freebie to make up for his "bad meal". 

There were only 4 people who ever took front, we all cooked and packed orders too. After a short while, we compared notes. 

The next time he came in and started to whine, the owner was front and two of us were at the sandwich board and steam table. The owner who was a Greek dude raised in an NYC restaurant by immigrant parents quickly cut him off and told him to shove it up his ass and get the hell out of his restaurant. The guy acted shocked and said "but the customer is always right!" EVERYONE in the kitchen (3 of us, including the dishwasher), plus the owner and even one of the other regular customers in line turned at once towards the guy and yelled "NOT IN HERE!" We hadn't rehearsed it, it just happened. He didn't come back again.

Life is too short to put up with bad food or bad customers.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

Dhoff said:


> Think part of the issue is my lack of knowledge of the names, though I had to read it a couple of times to grasp her written language since it is written as one would speak without much regard for the reader
> 
> *“Ha! Have no interest in discussing anything with you, Bridget. However,let your "owner" know we'll forward this number to the media outlet we're lining up to do the interview. Again, in case your dense, we have no interest in ever supporting any of the Kens again. We simply feel the neighborhoods needs to know they types of brands you chose to support...especially when they're anti law enforcement. Honestly, since Molly Moons doesn't even make their own ice cream we'd think you'd carry more authentic brands. Snoqulamie makes their ice cream you fools...meaning Molly Moons Ice Cream is a about as self made as an eighty year olds erection, kinda like the owners of Kens...
> 
> ...



Ken's (sic Kens) is a regional supermarket / grocery store chain. Molly Moon's (sic Molly Moons) is a regional ice-cream brand that apparently sources their product from another manufacturer and white-labels it as their own brand. Yes, from the context that product is the one she wishes was dropped from Ken's inventory.

Snoqualmie (sic Snoqulamie) is the name of one of the local major rivers and also a major mountain pass in the Cascades, and is widely used in regional brand naming.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

In case you're dense (sic "in case your dense) means that "in the case that your mind is too feeble to read between the lines".


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## LostHighway (Jul 17, 2020)

Crazy customers are an all too familiar phenomena. I think food tends to to be an especially popular focus for craziness because it is one thing people more-or-less can control in their lives when so much is out of their control. We had a customer in Maine who insisted we should *only *stock locally grown produce year round. It apparently never occurred to her that a produce department stocked only, during the winter months, with root vegetables, some rather withered and/or soft apples, and perhaps some stratospherically expensive leafy greens grown in heated and artificially lit enclosures was not a viable proposition. The certified organic wines *only* crowd was another painful faction, if not so completely insane. Examples of food related craziness abound.
Social media has provided a vehicle for the ignorant and/or mentally unstable to form packs and reinforce one another. It hasn't exactly improved basic civility either.


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## Chefget (Jul 17, 2020)

If you haven't been approached by the anti-foie gras crowd, you don't know really, really crazy


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## Ploppy Blobby (Jul 17, 2020)

An anagram of 'customers' is 'store scum'


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## WildBoar (Jul 17, 2020)

unfortunately social media gives everyone/ anyone their own 'news outlet'.

In the DC area, an IG post went out saying if you simply stayed silent on #BLM, and did not actively post in support of the movement, you (chef) and your restaurant would be added to a compilation of chefs and restaurants to boycott. Within a couple of hours many chafe sand restaurants started posting their support of the movement. Not that many people/ places were not already posting, but there was a very large bump up.

Sadly all it takes is one person with an agenda to cause harm to businesses these days.


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## VICTOR J CREAZZI (Jul 17, 2020)

I have a welding business. My favorite customer comment; Upon receiving the bill for a small job they actually said "There used to be a guy in town who did welding really cheap...but he went out of business" I chuckle every time I think of this.


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## daveb (Jul 17, 2020)

The common denominator is people and the bell curve. 

I have a crew of 8 in the kitchen,, 1 outstanding, 6 good, 1 a pia. (Union Shop - can't get rid of her). Most of my admin time is dealing with the 1. 90% of my call outs are the 1. 

I feed about 60 residents, 3 meals/day. About 5 will love anything that gets put on the plate, about 5 will complain about anything that gets put on the plate, we survey as "good" with about 50.

It's true throughout life - there's always an ahole. With social media giving them a largely anonymous platform the aholes are more vocal / visible.


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## billyO (Jul 17, 2020)

That's a great story, thanks for sharing. Not that you need any advice, but if she's ranting while purchasing something, I'd smile, not respond and continue to take her money for the products she is willing to pay for. If, on the other hand, she comes in just to rant, then she's taking up space and I'd ask her to leave and silently pity her for her mis-directed anger. 
Now if she had verifiable information that the owners of the company were active pedophiles or something of the sort, then she might be worth paying attention to.


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## billyO (Jul 17, 2020)

soigne_west said:


>



Thanks for sharing! This should be required listening for everyone.


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## Edge (Jul 17, 2020)

And then there are the foreign forum members that slam the country of most of the members, or explains things for the 'dense' members.


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## Matus (Jul 17, 2020)

@podzap maybe we just could refrain from “an average American “ kind of language. It comes across as insulting pretty quickly ... because it is. And saying that as a foreigner in a US-centric forum does not make the whole situation any better, it actually starts to look like a provocation - irrespective of the original intent.

We all have our views and cliches about different groups of people, but expressing them in such a manner just does not do justice to most. If anyone wants to call me ‘an average Slovakian’ they should feel free to do so, but please use a PM for that.

@Angie I apparently took too long to compose my answer.


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## mise_en_place (Jul 17, 2020)

Angie said:


> And then there are the foreign forum members that slam the country of most of the members, or explains things for the 'dense' members.



All KKF members should sign affidavits pledging unwavering support to USA! USA! USA!


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## Edge (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> All KKF members should sign affidavits pledging unwavering support to USA! USA! USA!


Not necessary, but not putting everyone down in one statement goes a long way for community relations. Just as I would not put down "average russians", etc.


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## Twigg (Jul 17, 2020)

She appears to be mentally ill. (Diagnosed from afar with nothing resembling professional credentials) She seems like an idiot that really should find something meaningless to occupy her time with... maybe crushing rock salt?

Ban her and be done with it. (I enjoyed reading the thread though!)


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## M1k3 (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> All KKF members should sign affidavits pledging unwavering support to USA! USA! USA!


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## mise_en_place (Jul 17, 2020)

I never really thought about people as being "foreign" forum members because of server location or what have you. I read your comment as more of a "how dare you," and I'm tired of that very typical American attitude. I am an American, I might add. I'll stop now at the risk of getting political.

I'm more about letting people speak their mind. If they want to generalize, we can come to our own conclusions about them. 

@Angie, you are wise not to make such generalizations about "average Russians"-- or perhaps even wiser not to post them online.


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## Edge (Jul 17, 2020)

Generalizations are a good way to upset folks. Even me. And superior tones when they have to explain things for "dense" members. That is even more insulting to any one of any nationality or location.


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## ian (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> I never really thought about people as being "foreign" forum members because of server location or what have you.



Same.




mise_en_place said:


> I read your comment as more of a "how dare you," and I'm tired of that very typical American attitude. I am an American, I might add. I'll stop now at the risk of getting political.



I’m not a fan of podzap’s comment either, though. I’m fine saying “how dare you” to someone who says that people from a certain country are stupid.


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## mise_en_place (Jul 17, 2020)

ian said:


> I’m not a fan of podzap’s comment either, though. I’m fine saying “how dare you” to someone who says that people from a certain country are stupid.



I read the comment, saw the user was from Finland, and came to my own conclusions...

Maybe podzap taught English in America for 30 years and is qualified to speak on American compositional standards


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## ian (Jul 17, 2020)

Honestly, while I imagine the nasty customer in question has some issues, I don't find what she wrote any worse grammatically than the average KKF post...


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## billyO (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> All KKF members should sign affidavits pledging unwavering support to USA! USA! USA!


I really hope you're kidding. If so, this isn't that funny.


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## LostHighway (Jul 17, 2020)

Matus said:


> @podzap maybe we just could refrain from “an average American “ kind of language. It comes across as insulting pretty quickly ... because it is. And saying that as a foreigner in a US-centric forum does not make the whole situation any better, it actually starts to look like a provocation - irrespective of the original intent.
> 
> We all have our views and cliches about different groups of people, but expressing them in such a manner just does not do justice to most. If anyone wants to call me ‘an average Slovakian’ they should feel free to do so, but please use a PM for that.
> 
> @Angie I apparently took too long to compose my answer.



I think basic civility is extremely important and we probably all could be kinder and more respectful of others. However, if you will permit the generalization, it does appear to me that there is a drift, at least in my part of the world, toward the increasingly thin skinned and eager to take offense. IMO just as civility and compassion are important qualities so too is tolerance. There are certainly some things that will get my hackles up but within the context of KKF it is very, very rare for something to be said that I would find over the line, or even close to it.


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## mise_en_place (Jul 17, 2020)

Well, I hope we can all agree we just shouldn't buy or stock anything.

Don't let your kid play with Legos because they donate to the Democratic Party. Don't use McAfee because he did something I can't remember. No more Jimmy Johns, because Jimmy John shoots big game animals. And no flying Delta, because they give most of their political contributions to Republicans.

We can all just make our own sh!t at home! But wouldn't that be anti-small business?!?!?!?!

@billyO please read the whole thread. I know sarcasm isn't well-received in text, but I thought it was pretty clear it's a joke.

Edit: /sarcasm


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## Danzo (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> Well, I hope we can all agree we just shouldn't buy or stock anything.
> 
> Don't let your kid play with Legos because they donate to the Democratic Party. Don't use McAfee because he did something I can't remember. No more Jimmy Johns, because Jimmy John shoots big game animals. And no flying Delta, because they give most of their political contributions to Republicans.
> 
> ...



let’s try and stay focused here folks, we can’t turn on each other, we need to battle the nasty customers remember!

AND this is it. Every business and their owners are entitled to believe whatever they want. Regardless of whether or not you support their political involvement is irrelevant to the products they make, especially if the demand is there. It’s not like molly-moons is doing anything unethical either.


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## Edge (Jul 17, 2020)

@Danzo I did enjoy your story. I hope she shops elsewhere and does not give you more headaches.


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## esoo (Jul 17, 2020)

Danzo said:


> Hey fellas. Just curious if anyone else here has to deal with these nut bags in hospitality or retail. Customer service can be great but there are some really... ‘special’ customers out there.
> 
> I run a small grocery store in North Seattle, and this nut wants us to stop carrying a popular brand of ice cream because the owner of the company is publicly anti-police during this BLM movement. We try to be nice with her, but if we looked into the politics and ethics of every company we carry we wouldn’t have anything on our shelves. The reality is we are here to sell food regardless is politics.  My poor social media manager is having a hell of a time with this broad.
> 
> ...



My finacee works retail and has been working through all the covid period. She is so fed up with customers that when I read this to her, she spent the next 30 minutes writing out what could be a reply. It was very cathartic for her. Not sure the response needs to be posted here, but there is sympathy for your plight.


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## M1k3 (Jul 17, 2020)

esoo said:


> My finacee works retail and has been working through all the covid period. She is so fed up with customers that when I read this to her, she spent the next 30 minutes writing out what could be a reply. It was very cathartic for her. Not sure the response needs to be posted here, but there is sympathy for your plight.


I feel for her. I went from retail to BoH. Food is so much less complainy.


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## McMan (Jul 17, 2020)

Danzo said:


> let’s try and stay focused here folks, we can’t turn on each other, we need to battle the nasty customers remember!
> 
> AND this is it. Every business and their owners are entitled to believe whatever they want. Regardless of whether or not you support their political involvement is irrelevant to the products they make, especially if the demand is there. It’s not like molly-moons is doing anything unethical either.


You are looking at this the wrong way. She compared you to an 80-year-old's erection. This is a memory you'll have for the rest of your life.


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## billyO (Jul 17, 2020)

@mise_en_place - I was hoping that, but wasn't sure. Thanks for clarifying.



Danzo said:


> let’s try and stay focused here folks, we can’t turn on each other, we need to battle the nasty customers remember!


But Danzo is correct, thanks for re-directing.


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## gregfisk (Jul 17, 2020)

I can understand why someone from another country might say something like was said. The older I get the more I just shake my head at some of the people in this country. I certainly don’t agree with the assessment nor do I appreciate the comment though. It takes all kinds to make up a country no matter where you live. And that lady’s grammar was terrible for sure.

Back to the subject, I don’t think Danzo has to worry about the media getting involved in Seattle and I really don’t understand why this lady is targeting the store. Personally I would just kick her out and ban her for life. Life is too short to put up with people like that. When I owned my business it was always 3% of the customers causing 80% of the problems. Because they were like this those customers would never get a break on service and always got an increase in quarterly monitoring charges when we did them. The customers I liked would get cost savings just for being kind people, I appreciated them. Some people will just never be satisfied. Then there are the people who complain with an agenda to get something from you. These are the customers I like the least. Always trying to get something for less or for free implying you owe them something.


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## LostHighway (Jul 17, 2020)

The post from @Bert2368 brought back a few memories of the chronic product returner class of bad customers. Other people may have different attitudes but I have little sympathy for the customers who want to return products either because they broke it through mishandling or they decided they just didn't like it. IME there is a small minority of wine customers who will claim 10% to 15% of their wine purchases to be faulty bottles. I should specify here that my experience is entirely in cooler northern climates but that is far above the percentage of actually bad bottles I've encountered. Craft beer customers have their quirks but IME they are far less likely to attempt to return product they simply didn't like.


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## WildBoar (Jul 17, 2020)

McMan said:


> You are looking at this the wrong way. She compared you to an 80-year-old's erection. This is a memory you'll have for the rest of your life.


There is irony in that she shamed elderly men. But that is the way it goes these days -- claim you are supporting everyone, and then turn around and knock a group of people.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

mise_en_place said:


> I read the comment, saw the user was from Finland, and came to my own conclusions...
> 
> Maybe podzap taught English in America for 30 years and is qualified to speak on American compositional standards



I was born and raised and educated in USA, lived there for 30 years before evacuating over 20 years ago. Yes, I am more than qualified to speak on american compositional standards.

So, when I generalized about the sad state of affairs I was talking about my own people. And I stand by it.


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## orangehero (Jul 17, 2020)

podzap said:


> I was born and raised and educated in USA, lived there for 30 years before evacuating over 20 years ago. Yes, I am more than qualified to speak on american compositional standards.
> 
> So, when I generalized about the sad state of affairs I was talking about my own people. And I stand by it.



It is a sad state of affairs. Indeed you don't need to learn english at all, and many don't, and live life with no problems in the usa.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

orangehero said:


> It is a sad state of affairs. Indeed you don't need to learn english at all, and many don't, and be just fine in the usa.



It's not unique to the USA - americans (and I decapitalize it on purpose) all over the world live in foreign countries for 10, 20, 30 years and don't bother to learn 5 words of the local language. I've personally witnessed it in both Germany and Finland. Note: I speak both languages fluently, though my Finnish is even more "fluent" than my German.

Anyway, my comment was only really related to the fine fellow from Denmark who was having a bit of trouble parsing her ****** English. No offense intended to you who actually stayed awake in school.


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## orangehero (Jul 17, 2020)

podzap said:


> It's not unique to the USA - americans (and I decapitalize it on purpose) all over the world live in foreign countries for 10, 20, 30 years and don't bother to learn 5 words of the local language. I've personally witnessed it in both Germany and Finland. Note: I speak both languages fluently, though my Finnish is even more "fluent" than my German.
> 
> Anyway, my comment was only really related to the fine fellow from Denmark who was having a bit of trouble parsing her ****** English. No offense intended to you who actually stayed awake in school.



It's not that they don't bother...even passively you should be able to pick up conversational knowledge of the language of the country you are living in given enough time. These "americans" just outright refuse to assimilate.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

orangehero said:


> It's not that they don't bother...even passively you should be able to pick up conversational knowledge of the language of the country you are living in given enough time. These "americans" just outright refuse to assimilate.



French and Brits are not different. BTW the reason I refuse to capitalize americans is because it refers to 35 countries, not just 1. Therefore, I refuse to give the term legitimacy in the contemporary context. A more accurate term I sometimes like to use is "USA people".

But this has gone way off topic. Let me attempt to bring it back.

Back in the late 90's, my boss was a really bad customer. I hated going to lunch with him because we visited chains and he always demanded his plate to be totally customized without additional charge. And then he also bitched when the bill came and tried to get a discount. Every. Single. Time. It was really embarrasing. Unfortunately, I did need to go to lunch with him and the rest of the team about 5 days a week. Also, we were taking our customers out to play golf during the middle of the workday once a week but he did behave better in that context.


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## Twigg (Jul 17, 2020)

This thread is way off track. Political, xenophobic, ethnocenic, religious, etc. views are best left at the door, or at the login portal. We are all here to share in our mutual love of all things related to cooking with a particular slant towards kitchen knives. To that pursuit, all cultures have something to offer and share.


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## BillHanna (Jul 17, 2020)

Twigg said:


> This thread is way off track. Political, xenophobic, ethnocenic, religious, etc. views are best left at the door, or at the login portal. We are all here to share in our mutual love of all things related to cooking with a particular slant towards kitchen knives. To that pursuit, all cultures have something to offer and share.


Amen. If anyone needs an example of institutionalized racism, read a bit above. Geez.


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## podzap (Jul 17, 2020)

BillHanna said:


> Amen. If anyone needs an example of institutionalized racism, read a bit above. Geez.








__





Godwin's law - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## panda (Jul 17, 2020)

i hope she trips on a rock and breaks her nose so she'll be even more ugly.


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## Matus (Jul 18, 2020)

This thread ends here, ladies and gentleman.


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