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Anyone interested in this might also like the tidbit that in Germany, they used to, and still count beer consumed as pencil strikes on the beer paper mat. Alter

Anyone interested in this might also like the tidbit that in Germany, they used to, and still count beer consumed as pencil strikes on the beer paper mat. Altering the number by the guest is legally considered forgery and the disappearance of the beer mat is also punishable by law. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bierdeckel#Urkundencharakter https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bierdeckel#Urkundencharakter (in German, English wiki doesn't have this info)

rconti 4mo ago
Beer mat = "coaster" for the curious. I was originally thinking a paper tablecloth. It was pretty straightforward to understand via browser translation of the wikipedia article, thanks!
- iterateoften 4mo ago
  In Brazil they have a little pad they leave on the table next to the napkins
  - dataviz1000 4mo ago
    This is exactly the first thing I thought of considering the influence of Germany in Brazil culture especially in the south like Curitiba.
  - fsckboy 4mo ago
    at dim sum, you stack up the little empty plates.
- riordan 4mo ago
  And alligator pears are avocados!
  - rconti 4mo ago
    TIL!
al_borland 4mo ago
> In some breweries and countries, the beer mat placed on the glass signals to the waiter that the guest does not want to drink any more beer. Interesting. I’ve always seen this as a signal that a person was stepping away, but coming back. The person would cover it while going to the bathroom, in part so it isn’t as trivial for someone to slip something in their drink. Implying that they intend to keep drinking it once they return. I’d be interested to know where it means that the guest doesn’t want any more beer.
- gnatolf 4mo ago
  All over Germany, and it's been around much much longer than the fear of having something slipped in your drink.
  - culturestate 4mo ago
    To be fair, in the summer you need to make sure the wasps don’t slip themselves into your drink.
  - ricardobayes 4mo ago
    Yes, I believe it stems from the tankards having lids back in the day, which is due to the belief that plague-ridden flies could fly into your beer, and also against "night air". Interestingly some Germans still believe "moving air" (well, draft) is unhealthy, especially from an AC, and the cold air is what makes you sick. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory
- dismalaf 4mo ago
  It's useless for preventing someone from slipping a pill into the drink. Works for preventing insects from flying in when sitting outside though.
- fhars 4mo ago
  I have always seen this a a signal that the drinker doesn't want drowned wasps in their beer.
retired 4mo ago
In the Netherlands that person would be considered an eetpiraat (food pirate) or flessentrekker (bottle puller). Those are terms used in court. https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Flessentrekkerij&inhoudsindicatie=zt0&publicatiestatus=ps1&sort=Relevance https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Flessen... https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Eetpiraat&inhoudsindicatie=zt0&publicatiestatus=ps1&sort=Relevance https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Eetpira...
prmoustache 4mo ago
In Málaga, Andalusia, Spain there is churinguito (a seafood place next to the beach) that doesn't really have a menu after 9pm. Waiters just walk in the dining area with a plate in hand and yell the name of the fish/seafood for peoole to ask for it. Each fish has a different kind of plate with a different price. When you ask for the bill, they just do the sum according to the plates left on the table. They had to cement the dining area because people used to bury the plates in the beach sand.
- hendersonreed 4mo ago
  This is also how conveyor-belt sushi restaurants near me calculate your bill - the plates are different colors, and each color has a price associated with it.
- outime 4mo ago
  Also in Spain, specially in the Basque country, you pick pintxos from the counter and at the end they just count the "skewers" left on the plate.
CurtMonash 4mo ago
My grandfather told me that it was deemed time to stop drinking when you couldn't see over the pile of coasters.

rconti 4mo ago

Beer mat = "coaster" for the curious. I was originally thinking a paper tablecloth. It was pretty straightforward to understand via browser translation of the wikipedia article, thanks!

iterateoften 4mo ago
In Brazil they have a little pad they leave on the table next to the napkins
- dataviz1000 4mo ago
  This is exactly the first thing I thought of considering the influence of Germany in Brazil culture especially in the south like Curitiba.
- fsckboy 4mo ago
  at dim sum, you stack up the little empty plates.
riordan 4mo ago
And alligator pears are avocados!
- rconti 4mo ago
  TIL!

al_borland 4mo ago

> In some breweries and countries, the beer mat placed on the glass signals to the waiter that the guest does not want to drink any more beer. Interesting. I’ve always seen this as a signal that a person was stepping away, but coming back. The person would cover it while going to the bathroom, in part so it isn’t as trivial for someone to slip something in their drink. Implying that they intend to keep drinking it once they return. I’d be interested to know where it means that the guest doesn’t want any more beer.

gnatolf 4mo ago
All over Germany, and it's been around much much longer than the fear of having something slipped in your drink.
- culturestate 4mo ago
  To be fair, in the summer you need to make sure the wasps don’t slip themselves into your drink.
- ricardobayes 4mo ago
  Yes, I believe it stems from the tankards having lids back in the day, which is due to the belief that plague-ridden flies could fly into your beer, and also against "night air". Interestingly some Germans still believe "moving air" (well, draft) is unhealthy, especially from an AC, and the cold air is what makes you sick. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miasma_theory
dismalaf 4mo ago
It's useless for preventing someone from slipping a pill into the drink. Works for preventing insects from flying in when sitting outside though.
fhars 4mo ago
I have always seen this a a signal that the drinker doesn't want drowned wasps in their beer.

retired 4mo ago

In the Netherlands that person would be considered an eetpiraat (food pirate) or flessentrekker (bottle puller). Those are terms used in court. https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Flessentrekkerij&inhoudsindicatie=zt0&publicatiestatus=ps1&sort=Relevance https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Flessen... https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Eetpiraat&inhoudsindicatie=zt0&publicatiestatus=ps1&sort=Relevance https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Eetpira...

prmoustache 4mo ago

In Málaga, Andalusia, Spain there is churinguito (a seafood place next to the beach) that doesn't really have a menu after 9pm. Waiters just walk in the dining area with a plate in hand and yell the name of the fish/seafood for peoole to ask for it. Each fish has a different kind of plate with a different price. When you ask for the bill, they just do the sum according to the plates left on the table. They had to cement the dining area because people used to bury the plates in the beach sand.

hendersonreed 4mo ago
This is also how conveyor-belt sushi restaurants near me calculate your bill - the plates are different colors, and each color has a price associated with it.
outime 4mo ago
Also in Spain, specially in the Basque country, you pick pintxos from the counter and at the end they just count the "skewers" left on the plate.

CurtMonash 4mo ago

My grandfather told me that it was deemed time to stop drinking when you couldn't see over the pile of coasters.