Travels in a Tin Can

you have never heard of sneezers then watch the US television comedy
Friends. Or just use your imagination. Sometimes however, friendly can
become over familiar.
This happened to us in Carmel, California, where we had burgers at
Friar Tuck's. The waitress was attempting to be funny and friendly, calling us
'kids', patting me on the back, telling Emma she was a liar, that sort of thing. It
felt a bit like we were having lunch at an aunt and uncle's house, the way she
fussed over us and the poor quality of the jokes. At one point we asked 'do
you have mayo?' to which she replied 'no, we're a restaurant' - and then
bought the mayo. It was a little stifling and uncomfortable, but at least we
were not the only ones getting her attention. A very mis-matched middle-aged
couple, blatantly having an illicit lunch date, sat near us and were 'told off' for
kissing. We forgave the waitress for her madness though, because the food
was 'the best burger I ever had', to quote the ever eloquent Emma.
Irritating service was not always saved by good food. Top of the list in this
category has to be Lyons, the restaurant near San Francisco airport where we
ended up with flobby prime rib and a waitress who growled at us. This was
certainly the most overtly hostile service we received, although in Cocoa
Beach - part of the Space Coast in Florida - we also encountered fairly
aggressive staff.
We were in a Chinese restaurant - one recommended by Lonely Planet
and only reached after several wrong turns. As in New York we ordered far
too much food but, fortunately, our waiter failed to bring out one dish. We
decided to keep quiet as we were already full, and the meal was more costly
than expected. However, the dish was on the bill and when we pointed this