My Grandmother Almost Got Punched While On A Trip To Italy Last Week

[THUNDER HANDS]

She and her friends were taking a trip with other senior citizens to Italy for a week. They did the usual sightseeing and stuff and overall, had a really nice time.

Except when they ate at this one restaurant.

My grandmother orders a sandwich, they bring it and my grandma opens it up to find nothing but bread and a little piece of tuna on the end.

She called the waiter over and said, basically, "hey, there's no food in my sandwich."

The waiter looked at her and said: "So?"

Turns out he had gotten the sandwich from the chef, then squeezed it in his hands until the tuna had squirted out both sides, threw it on a plate, and handed it to grandma.

My grandmother, shocked, then asked to speak to someone else. The waiter goes back, mumbles something and a minute later comes back with the chef himself.

My grandmother and her three other elderly friends are asking the chef why their waiter is treating them like this and that it wasn't a nice way to behave.

The chef starts screaming and cursing at them. Calling them 'filthy Americans' and raises his hand as if he was going to punch my 79-year-old grandma.

The tour guide they were with eventually broke it up and they left.

But this just proves how much evil and hatred and anger Bush has spread around the world.

We've created a world where grown men will threaten old ladies with physical violence just because they happen to be American.

Thank you Bush.

:mad:

[rooboy]

1. That's just out of line...

and if the incident happened in a small enough town or city, I would encourage your grandmother to write a letter to the town's chamber of commerce. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate finding out about local businesses treating people like this.

[Wickerman]

2. I am so sorry that happened to your G'ma

and so sorry that we have inflicted Bush* on the world.

:mad:

[Goldmund]

3. I'm sorry,

but these guys are absolute idiots. This isn't Bush's fault -- the only thing that Bush has to do with this is that he influenced them to direct their idiocy at your grandma as opposed to something else; he didn't make these guys into idiots. To hate somebody just because of who the president of their country happens to be is repulsive, whehter the recipient of the hatred is an American or anything else.

[liberalmike27]

15. Besides that

It makes things appear that Europeans hate Americans, which is promoting a misconception. It isn't Americans they hate, it's Bush and the things our government is doing.

[Donkeyboy75]

4. You can't blame Bush for the behavior of assholes.

Nobody deserves to be treated like that regardless of their country of origin. Unless your grandmother was traipsing around shouting pro-Bush slogans, she didn't deserve that bigoted treatment at all.

BTW, I was in France, Italy and the UK last October. I know things have gotten worse since then, but I wasn't treated poorly once in the two weeks I was there for being an American.

[Commendatori]

7. I was.

I took some crap in Italy, but I took a mound of it in France. I'll never go back to that country again.

[Zuni]

26. delete

I edited this because it was rude

[Commendatori]

31. I missed the first version of the post, but

if you get bored, PM it to me. I've been in similar threads on this board before, and until today I thought I was the only one who didn't like France. Glad to see I'm not alone.

Nothing you wrote could have been too rude for me.

[THUNDER HANDS]

9. no, and my grandma hates Bush too

My grandmother's proudest photo in her house is one of her brother up on stage with Bill Clinton and Al Gore. My uncle is some Veterans leader in Maryland who did a thing with them in the mid 1990s.

This was just totally shocking to her that people hate Americans that much.

[Donkeyboy75]

13. It is a shame.

Don't get me wrong, I hate * for what he's done to America's reputation. Your grandmother shouldn't have to pay for it, though.

[crimson333]

17. I was in France last nov. and everyone was nice to me as well

.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Where The Heck Was This, Rat?

I've been to Italy a dozen times and have never found anything but friendly, accomodating people. (I speak decent italian, but i don't think that's why they were nice. They know for sure that i'm an american. My italian is nowhere near good enough to fool anybody.)

I'm guessing Rome.
The Professor

[THUNDER HANDS]

10. I'd have to ask again

But it was either Rome or Naples.

[Burma Jones]

6. Europeans have been rude to Americans for a long long time

We were filthy Americans back in the 50's...........It ain't just Bush. Also, the USA has no Monopoly on big stupid cowardly assholes.

ON EDIT: Some Europeans have been rude, not all. OK?

[HuckleB]

32. OK. "Some," but Europe is no more rude than what one gets at home.

If that. The overwhelming majority of Europeans have been incredibly gracious to us on our trips there. In fact, we're treated far better there than we are on our trips here at home.

[Burma Jones]

34. I'll buy that

Actually, we've been treated pretty well everywhere we've went.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. As a European, I apologise

We have our share of idiots too. Most of us realise there's a difference between Bush and Americans.

[Guy_Montag]

11. Regardless of Bush,

and contrary to fairy tales, there is never a justification to hit an elderly woman.

I guess I feel more European than I thought, because I feel it's an embarrassment to my region.

Fucking bastard.

[Claire Beth]

12. Bush is making everyone hate us! n/t

[Kellanved]

14. I'm sorry

That is no way to treat a lady, as a European I apologize.

I can only say that idiots are a worldwide phenomenon and no political situation whatsoever can be used as a valid excuse.

[Kolesar]

16. That sounds like my trips to Italy in 1979 and 1989

The only place I ever felt less welcome was Tennessee.

[Fenris]

18. Il Douchebag is proof that freepism isn't confined to Repub. Americans.

Ignorance and rudeness is, apparently, an international affair.

[Zuni]

29. Yup

Italians have had their own bad leaders many times in their history, so they should be a little more understanding. Heck, they have Berlusconi now

[radwriter0555]

19. I was treated terribly in some parts of Italy last summer and have ranted

on and on about it...

We were treated VERY well in Venice, Pisa, but HORRIBLY in Genoa and Tuscany.

And I can't underscore HORRIBLY enough.

[el_gato]

20. They need to look in the Mirror, Burelsconi is a scumbag as well

[bearfan454]

21. My parents are in Germany right now.

I am worried something like that might happen to them. They are in their late 70's also.

[Kellanved]

23. Don't worry

They'll be fine. :hi:

I don't know what the motivations were in the Italian case, but it is in no way representative of Italy (and certainly not Europe) in general.

I hope they're enjoying their trip :-).

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

22. Sorry that happened to your grandma

I haven't been out of the country (except for Canada) since 9/11. We toured Britain and Ireland 11 days after the attacks. People were so kind to us at that time, and it was so moving to see the thousands of American flags and floral tributes all over Britain. Now what do Americans abroad face? Treatment such as that your grandmother and her friends faced.

Bill Clinton could go anywhere and be mobbed. Bush can't even show his face anywhere in the world without being reviled. Unfortunately that treatment seems to have trickled down to ordinary Americans abroad. I think if I were traveling now I'd wear an anti-Bush shirt every day to let the natives know I do not support this murderous bastard.

[DinahMoeHum]

24. "an anti-Bush shirt"? You mean like this one ?(click link)

Link:
http://americanapologyshirt.com/

I'M SORRY MY PRESIDENT IS AN IDIOT. I DIDN'T VOTE FOR HIM.



:evilgrin:

[Zuni]

25. F-in a**holes

F*** that. I would never judge a person by their country of origin.
These Italians are scum, and I hope they both end up unemployed. If I had a resturaunt and some Freeper type did this to a French or Spanish customer, I would literally bounce him on his thick skull and toss him out the door.
This kind of childish behavior has NO excuse.
Besides, italians, actually elected Berlusconi. Bush lost the vote in the US.

[dawn]

27. Those guys are no better than Bush!

Intolerant assholes are everywhere.

[bearfan454]

28. My parents travel to Europe every year. They are retired.

They said last year they went to a restaurant in Brussels and the waiter wanted their money, but you could tell they look down on Americans. One time in Spain someone asked them where they were from in the States. They said when they told them Florida, several people started laughing out loud saying You people can't even vote there.

[Ksec]

30. Thats just awful

I hope this kind of thing passes after November but me fears its going to take years to get our good name back.

[DS1]

33. Won't somebody think of the fish?