Carafe d'eau

[Jc]

They must have water available,either by carafe,pichet or verre!!

[Owens88]

Why is it cheeky?

Seems reasonable to me that if you're ordering and paying for a meal that you shouldn't feel under any obligation to buy a drink if all you want is some water.

Well, do you want a clean glass and a clean carafe ?  Would a tin mug do the job ? Nothing's free anyway.

 

[Dick Smith]

Not free, but complimentary. Not charged for individually but the cost borne by the patron.

[weliveinhope]

[quote user="Owens88"]

Why is it cheeky?

Seems reasonable to me that if you're ordering and paying for a meal that you shouldn't feel under any obligation to buy a drink if all you want is some water.

Well, do you want a clean glass and a clean carafe ?  Would a tin mug do the job ? Nothing's free anyway.

 

[/quote]

 

What an odd response.

[opas]

Quite agree, we live in an area with an excelent watersourse, why buy a bottle of evian if the tap water can equal it.

Oh and if my carafe or glass wasn`t clean when put on the table it would be sent back very politely.

[Owens88]

[quote user="Opas"]

Quite agree, we live in an area with an excelent watersourse, why buy a bottle of evian if the tap water can equal it.

Oh and if my carafe or glass wasn`t clean when put on the table it would be sent back very politely.

[/quote]

 

I wasn't saying one should buy water in a restaurant. I was replying to a line of argument that goes. 'I'm not paying for a drink at all, but water is free so why shouldn't the restaurant serve it to me free ?'

In general I am with the crowd of people who suggested that water (whether a carafe or jug or glass) should well be a complimentary drink, complementary to something one is paying for. (have I got my i's and e' correctly placed ?)

 

Or if not paying for a drink at all, then at least pay for the washer-up.

 

[Russethouse]

Surely its complementary to the meal ?

[Owens88]

Russethouse wrote the following post at 26/07/2006 22:57:

Surely its complementary to the meal ?

I am obviously outnumbered here. FWIW I thought that salt & pepper would be complimentary in a meal. Some bread to mop up the juices, evidently complementary...

But would you really order a meal and expect to pay nada towards any drink, yet have a drink  ?

 

And is 'a meal' only food.. ? (separate thread called for. Answers on a beer mat.)

[KathyC]

Complimentary is when you're paying a compliment, or as in the case of a free gift. Complementary is when things go together well. I suppose a carafe d'eau could be seen as either.

Personally I think it's really tight to have a meal and not pay for any type of drink. We have tap water when we're having alcohol but  bottled water when we're not. This also seems to be the way the majority of French do it so why not go along with that?

[Rosebud]

[quote user="KathyC"]Personally I think it's really tight to have a meal and not pay for any type of drink.[/quote]

We went for a meal at the weekend.  They bought a lovely chilled carafe to the the table before we'd even ordered.  We spent 50+EURO on pizzas, pasta, salad and coffee.  We also left a tip.  We enjoyed the water and no, we didn't order another drink.

Calling us tight?  I don't think so.......

[Jc]

Ina lot of retaurants down our way(34)you ask for a carafe but the water comes in an old wine bottle(obviously a shortage of carafes in France).

[weliveinhope]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks a glass of water isn't too much to ask for in a restaurant.

I know they'd prefer you to boost their income by buying the product with the biggest profit margin but if all you want's a glass of water why should you bow under to the pressure of the proprietor (real or imagined) or convention by buying something else.

In the various parts of France I've been to I've never once felt a whiff of displeasure or unwillingness when asking for water.

Incidentally, I like the practice of getting water in chilled wine bottles[:)]

[KathyC]

[quote user="weliveinhope"]

 

I know they'd prefer you to boost their income by buying the product with the biggest profit margin but if all you want's a glass of water why should you bow under to the pressure of the proprietor (real or imagined) or convention by buying something else.

 

[/quote]

Perhaps some of us want to fit into our new country and act in a way that is acceptable. Perhaps you haven't read all the messages on these boards on how difficult it is to run a small business in France (particularly restaurants). Or doesn't this matter when you're on the other side of the fence as a consumer?

[weliveinhope]

Hmmm. That's all a bit holier than thou.

I've lived and worked for extended periods in several countries around the world since the mid 1980s and I think it's imperative to try and live the life as it's lived there, I hate the image of the Brit communities on the Costas reading the Mail and never having a word of the language after a decade of living there.

However, in none of these countries (at least one of them with an inflation rate in the hundreds of percent and a hell of a lot poorer and a hell of a lot more difficult to do business than France appears to be) was it considered unusual to receive a glass of water in a restaurant.

Again, is it really too much to ask for a glass of water? 

[KathyC]

WLIH

I expect you meant "holier than thou as an insult" but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Things may be different in expensive,rip off restaurants, but I'm thinking of the little local places that often seem to be struggling to make a living. If by buying bottled water (and usually we have wine and tap water) I can contribute to that place staying open, then it seems that will have a benefit for everyone; the owners keep running a business and I have an inexpensive local restaurant to visit. I would call that a win win situation. I also think that you would be given pretty short shrift if you were to ask for tap water (and no other drink) in most UK restaurants or pubs. If everyone were to do that, many businesses would not be viable.

One of the meanest things I ever saw was a (youngish) American couple who were having a meal on the terrace of an average restaurant in Venice. They'd obviously read the sort of guidebook that said that it was acceptable to just have a plate of pasta (instead of having it as a starter) so they'd ordered the cheapest item on the menu (pasta with tomato sauce) onto which they put huge mounds of the Parmesan provided. To go with that they ordered a couple of carafes of tap water (they stayed long enough to need more than one) and were obviously congratulating themselves on having the best seat in the house for such a minimal cost. They were totally oblivious to the looks they were getting from the waiting staff and the way this reflected on their country. Thank God they weren't British. I was mortified that we even spoke the same language.

[weliveinhope]

[quote user="KathyC"]

 I also think that you would be given pretty short shrift if you were to ask for tap water (and no other drink) in most UK restaurants or pubs. If everyone were to do that, many businesses would not be viable.

[/quote]

I think if you went into a pub and asked for a glass of water you would be given short shrift but I think that's a different issue. In general drink is the stock in trade of a pub.

If you go into a restaurant in the UK and have a full meal I think it's perfectly acceptable to drink water and I'd be amazed if I was was questioned on that choice by a restauranteur.

The behaviour of the couple in Venice is lousy alright but it's difficult to know the circumstances. They may have been skint.

I remember hitchhiking in Ireland once and my friend and I pooled our money and figured out that we could afford a bowl of soup and a cup of tea in the only place still open at the time of night we arrived there. We were kicked out.[:)]

We were broke and starving. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances.[blink]

[KathyC]

If you're skint you buy bread, cheese  and water and have a picnic! I'm sure that you wouldn't have done this, anymore than I would. I don't think you're right about UK restaurants but let's agree to differ on that, it'll obviously depend on our personal experiences.

Bottoms up!

[Just Katie]

[quote user="KathyC"]

. I don't think you're right about UK restaurants but let's agree to differ on that, it'll obviously depend on our personal experiences.

Bottoms up!

[/quote]

I disagree, I have gone to restaurants in UK or France with my husband and if I drive we will order our meal, with starters, hubby will order a beer and I will order a jug of water with ice and lemon for which we have never been charged.  We also leave a tip as usual and as far as I am concerned it is fine.  I have never experienced poor service either.

However, the guys in Venice, I must agree had a downright cheek.  But I would like to think that all Americans would not have been judged as a nation because of it.  In fact that is laughable.

 

[weliveinhope]

[quote user="KathyC"]

If you're skint you buy bread, cheese  and water and have a picnic! [/quote]

True.

In fact on another occasion we survived a couple of days in Galway on a packet of custard creams and a pint of milk.[:D]

[opas]

[quote user="weliveinhope"][quote user="KathyC"]

If you're skint you buy bread, cheese  and water and have a picnic! [/quote]

True.

In fact on another occasion we survived a couple of days in Galway on a packet of custard creams and a pint of milk.[:D]

[/quote]

Buy water?!  never, thats the whole point of this thread isn`t it?[8-)]

[Cassis]

To refuse to serve a carafe (or old wine bottle) of chilled eau ordinaire with a meal seems to me extraordinary.  I've never been refused that request.  If I was I think I would walk out - even if I was starving!

[KathyC]

[quote user="Opas"][quote user="weliveinhope"][quote user="KathyC"]

If you're skint you buy bread, cheese  and water and have a picnic! [/quote]

True.

In fact on another occasion we survived a couple of days in Galway on a packet of custard creams and a pint of milk.[:D]

[/quote]

Buy water?!  never, thats the whole point of this thread isn`t it?[8-)]

[/quote]

I'm talking about picnicking, Opas. There's precious few water fountains around these days. Of course, if you'd thought in advance you'd've taken a bottle and filled it from the tap before you went.

[Russethouse]

You are going to the wrong restaurants - we have recently discovered a place where we get complimentary Kir and nibbles while we are deciding - of course its added in somewhere, as providing tap water would be at other places.

At another local restaurant we are often given a liqueur, brandy or lemon cello - same thing - it's a nice touch but I have no illusions that we don't pay for it somewhere along the line.

[Tony F Dordogne]

There is also a resaurant in Gay's/our area where you get complementary canapes, soup and petit fours.

Swap restaurant names with you Gay?

[Miki]

There are probably hundreds, possibly thousands of restos that will as

part of the prix fixe or otherwise, give one anything from a free kir

or another form of apero,  a petite soupière, canapes, rilletes,

digestifs, different wine with courses, a fruit juice, a calva and so

on. Gay is right, free is not really the word,it is about presentation

at the end of the day.  The costs will be added in to the overall

price. One of our local restos will leave a bottle of calva or other

digestif and some coffee at our table after the meal and it will not be

charged for. I suspect many on here who are regulars somewhere will

also be given that little extra as a thankyou. What they lose, can

sometimes be gained in the tip!..................

In Cancale for instance, we know of at least 5 restos (I speak just for

the 5 we will use, I would expect that many more there will do the

same) where one will be given rillettes/toast or a soupière and often

both before one even gets to L'entrée. Just after the main course one

might be given a mango type fruit juice and then with coffee, petit

fours.

When we were in the Dordogne, one of the best restos we have ever eaten

in, anywhere, also gave us a glass of wine of what they believed to be

the best wine for every course.

As for the water incident, rarer than rocking horse poo and finding a

resto that would refuse a glass or pichet d'eau could take one a very

long time to find...Mmm nice reason for going to eat out then.