Feeling
sadistic, we decided to visit the Russian embassy for a tourist visa. The Russians
made us wait outside for an hour. Then they called us in, glanced at our application,
and said, "Denied." We left and decided to do something equally baffling - learn
a little Hungarian history. A few hours in Hungary's National Museum kept us occupied
before we had lunch in a popular restaurant, 'Fatal.' The name refers to the service.
Over soup, we witnessed the waiter snub an American couple sitting next to us
in the rudest way, by refusing them service and asking them to move to a cubbyhole
table. The American customer said he had a handicap and wished to sit where he
could straighten his leg. The waiter answered, "I see and I don't care." The waiter
insisted that the customer move to the smaller table or leave. Suddenly, customer
service at the Russian embassy didn't seem so bad. |