>Well I didn't have time to bend down to pick it up because a waiter had run over and grabbed it before me. About 5 or 10 seconds later he returned with a clean

>Well I didn't have time to bend down to pick it up because a waiter had run over and grabbed it before me. About 5 or 10 seconds later he returned with a clean fork, set on a cushion, itself carried on a large silver plate. JFYI, service in a Restaurant is "coded". A bad/slow service is when the ratio waiters/customers is 1/25 or even higher, such as 1/30. An excellent/fast service is when the ratio is 1/8 to 1/12. Michelin starred restaurant can often go as high as 1/6 or even 1/4. Basically you have the waiter being dedicated to your table for all the time you are there. Personally I find it even a little disturbing as you have the waiter constantly focused to each of your movements, ready to fill your glass or intervene for whatever may seem as looking for something.