MY FIRST TIME!

My first time coming to the States as an adult was – now looking back – quite a laughable experience!
     I guess if you subconsciously base a trip to New York on "Coming to America", some stupid nonsense is likely to happen right?
     As we landed at JFK on that March Monday morning, I spotted some white patches on the tarmac that looked suspiciously like left over ice.
     So after the chaos of getting herded off the plane like cattle and learning how to reuse my knees, I remember stepping out of the terminal and getting slapped back inside to look for more clothes by the sharp biting wind.
     You should have seen me pitifully rummaging through my oversized (again "Coming to America") but under-packed suitcase in the middle of the terminal.

London 0-1 New York

The first sit down restaurant I went to served seafood and of course I wasn't familiar with the system of tipping servers, nor was I used to overly nice waiting staff who spent a lot of time smiling and coming over to ask if everything was alright.

     If anything, that made me suspicious as to what they would be putting in my food when I wasn't looking.
     My first experience of calamari was at a lovely family owned Greek restaurant in London two months earlier and it was scrumptious!
     So when I saw it on the menu in New York I excitedly ordered it – instead what I was served was fried snake!
     Or at least that's what I think friend snake would taste like...
     Anyway, needless to say I wasn't very happy with that but I didn't yet know that I could get even by making deductions on the tip.
     Instead, I walked out with a bitter resentment for all seafood restaurants in New York City and a slimy taste in my mouth.

London 1-1 New York

Ella Roberts,

ellasbooks.blogspot.com