>it is mainly in North America that waiters continually circle about back to the table uninvited, asking “Are you doing OK?” or “Can I get you anything else?” w

>it is mainly in North America that waiters continually circle about back to the table uninvited, asking “Are you doing OK?” or “Can I get you anything else?” when you are just trying to have a private and leisurely conversation with your dinner companions. It's probably cultural, but Americans generally like that (unless its overboard). I prefer saying "no thanks" to the alternative I tend to face in europe--where the waiter only comes to take the order, drop off food, and take the bill. Trying get a second bottle of wine or address a problem with one's food is hard in Europe b/c of that. I wonder if it America's rule that its rude to snap or point to grab the waiters attention.