Why Are They Called Waiters?

American waiters have the amazing ability to interrupt you just when you're getting to the punch line of a joke. In America waiting tables is a job, in Italy it's a career. Italian waiters can be solicitous without your ever realizing it. They know exactly when you need something, without asking every five minutes if everything is all right, it's a sixth sense. At the necessary moment they materialize, unlike their American counterpart who has mastered the knack of going deaf while focusing his gaze squarely on a distant galaxy just when you want his attention. Italian waiters don't give you their name, "Buona sera, mi chiamo Giovanni," rather they maintain a polite distance until you've become a regular. Then they become friends for life. One can be away from a favorite restaurant for two years, and when you finally make a return visit the waiters have a way of greeting you as if you've only been missing a couple of weeks, letting you know they're pleased to see you again while saving you the embarrassment of having to explain your absence.