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From: klein@ucbcad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.travel
Subject: Re: Americans in Paris
Message-ID: <211@ucbcad.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Apr-85 12:51:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbcad.211
Posted: Mon Apr 29 12:51:48 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 1-May-85 03:12:25 EDT
References: <1871@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: UC Berkeley CAD Group, Berkeley, CA
Lines: 29

> In a few short
> hours, I found myself trying to avoid Americans. They would come up
> to me and ask directions and be exceptionally rude if I could not
> help them. They were the ones standing in lines complaining about
> the street noise that they heard from their luxury hotel rooms. 

Hear, hear!  This is not just your experience, either.  Imagine a
beautiful Rhine cruise on a boat with wonderful beer and great German
food.  A family of Texans sits behind us, dominating the conversation on
this side of the boat, complaining about the food and telling the kids
that they're just going to have to wait until they get back to the hotel
to get some decent food (steaks and hot dogs, not those weird "wuerstchen"
on the lower deck).  We had great seats so all we could do was shrink
down and not talk too much lest we give away we were American too.
This was the worst we saw, but certainly not the only instance of
"Ugly Americans."

Anybody going to a foreign country soon?  If you do, do us all a BIG favor
and stop perpetuating this awful (but accurate) image Americans have
overseas.  Don't assume everybody's envious of you because you're an American.
Don't assume our food is the only (it actually ranks pretty low ---
open your mind and try EVERYTHING).  Like Janice says, sit by and WATCH
the other cultures for a while.  You can learn a lot from them.  And
you'll enjoy yourself much more.
-- 

		-Mike Klein
		...!ucbvax!ucbmerlin:klein	(UUCP)
		klein%ucbmerlin@berkeley	(ARPA)