Originally Posted by
Scots_Al
Interesting how different people in different places interpret things. I (and I suspect most people this side of the pond) would find a waiter clearing plates away whilst someone at the table is still eating to be incredibly rude.
If I'm continuing to eat dinner, I'm at a loss to understand how the waiter removing my wife's empty, dirty dishes qualifies as "rude." I want dirty dishes somewhere else than on my table.
Do you insist that the waiter leave the empty salad plate on the table when he brings the main course? (Assuming, of course, that the salad precedes that main course.)