Liz: Ireland Does That.

Before leaving the states our professor warned us “Ireland is not a service country.” Although everybody accepted his statement, it was not until today that I realized just how true his statement is. I found myself wandering around in-between classes today and stopped in a restaurant for lunch. Being on a budget, it is one of those places where you pay first then sit down. As the cashier hands me my change she says “Sorry, I owe you 25 cents. I’ll bring it to you with your lunch.” Not knowing exactly what to do, I smiled and told her that would be fine. My two companions and myself sat down and waited for our much-anticipated lunch. When the cashier came over with our meals, I didn’t find the 25-euro cents she owed me but I did find an odd looking wrap that would better be classified as a disgusting burrito. My lunch was not the only dodgy looking one. One of my friends found a dead fly lying between her chips and her chicken burger. Not a live fly, but a dead fly. After eating the worst meal I’ve ever had in Dublin, we walk over to the cashier and ask if she had our change. “Of course I have your change!” she says enthusiastically. To me she hands an odd combination for change, rather than giving me two coins she hands me seven coins. Although I knew that service is not the same in Ireland as it is in America, I could not hold back a burst of laughter at the odd combination of coins that were carefully placed into my hand. Small restaurants are not the only place where service is not exactly the same; often at pubs a person will find themselves making eye contact with the bartender for minutes at a time before being asked what they would like to drink. Employees of the service industry simply do not feel the necessity to serve a customer quickly and efficiently. This could be because servers are not tipped in Ireland, or it could be that the minimum wage is equivalent to around 12 U.S. dollars and any job is a well paying job.