to want ^Typical English^ tourist spots to have English people serving you?

[IwantJoansbag]

I expect to get flamed for this and called all-sorts, but I don't care.
I'm genuinely curious.

We went out for the day yesterday and stopped off at 3 well-known English tourist spots.
Glastonbury, Cheddar and Wells. (with a little stop off at a pretty little 'supposedly' English market-garden type place - selling Strawberries, Plums, etc) plus we stopped off at an outlet village.

It just seemed wrong that at EVERY place we stopped we were served by Eastern Europeans. I didn't hear ONE English accent (except in the shops), but all the eateries and stalls.... foreign accents.

If I go to a Beer Festival in Germany, its nice to be served by somebody with a German Accent - it adds to the atmosphere.
If I were to go to New York and eat in China Town - its great if the majority of people are Chinese.
Stopping off in a typical Italian Pizza place and the people are mainly Italian! You expect a bit of authenticity.

So, is it too much to ask the same happens in England?
It must be disappointing for the tourists when they come here.

For the record:- I am ONLY talking about typical tourist spots and I've got nothing against people coming to our country to work, but I think that some places (tourist spots where you expect things to be traditional) they should have mainly English people dealing with the public.

In op you said "It just seemed wrong that at EVERY place we stopped we were served by Eastern Europeans. I didn't hear ONE English accent (except in the shops), but all the eateries and stalls.... foreign accents."

later post you said "As for the accent? It's not so much the accent that's a problem."

Which is it?

Yep, I pointed that out about 4 pages ago, Arsenic, but the OP ignored me.

Some small progress then

I don't think it was off.. that's exactly the thoughts I got from it because I didn't immediately think racist.

That doesn't surprise me Gamer.

I didnt immediately think racist, this comment was a bit ukip bingo though...

"Why is it, we will go to GREAT LENGTHS to protect the tradtions and cultural differences of other Nationalities, but, to want to protect and 'celebrate' English Traditions is somehow WRONG and a matter for joking?"

A lot of people that served us that day couldn't speak English at all (or very little), so there was a real communication problem from both sides.

Maybe they couldn't understand your accent? Regional British accents can cause issues even for the natives. We have huge variations in a relatively small country - think of the difference between the accents in Eastenders and Trainspotting.

Maybe you just don't speak English very well? Looking at your grammar this might be the reason. why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

I'm not that old, Buffy . There were still different types of coffee to be had when I was last in Zummerzet ... and no smocks. All very authentic.

Bet you would be mighty pissed off to go into a bar in Australia and be served by a Brittishgap year student not very authentic , have read some iffy veiled xenophobic bigoted posts on here but yours takes the biscuit least your honest about it you dont want foreign people ruining your day out

Eh? Is that addressed to me, Mrsjayy?

Oh no was replying to the original poster

I really like interacting with local people in restaurants etc

How does one tell if someone is "local"? I have lived in the same area all my life and do not speak with local accent.

If you visit Scotland would your visit be ruined by being served by a person from Dorset?

How many tourists can tell the difference between an Austrian accent and a German one when visiting Vienna? Or be able to tell if a person is American or Mexican, solely by their accent?

I have never found that a person's accent impinges on their ability to provide good customer service. However, British standards of service are often sadly lacking compared with other countries. I'd rather have a polite Pole than a disinterested English person.

...

I know this comment was ages ago but I was really amused to read the comment about all the waiters in Zizzi's being Italian. My brother-in-law used to work in Zizzi's. He was the only Italian in the place at the time. Everyone else was Eastern European.

Im just hanging around for the deletion message

Owl that was me. Maybe my accent perception is a bit off kilter

Excellent, Royston Vasey :)

I'm not the OP Katie so am not talking about it being a ruination or bad service (if Eastern European it will be better service, most likely).

Just less interesting, which I'll stand by if it's all the same to you. I'm from London and don't lack for variety.

I'm not so sure one's coming LEM

If I go into an indian restaurant do I need to ask which part of southern Asia they are from its a bloody minefield

You are right, OP, this is a scandal and a very important issue.

I don't know whether you are currently in paid employment, but whatever you are doing, you should drop it immediately and take up a job in a stall or eatery in a classic English tourist spot.

I'm sure the pay will be quite low, which is why so many non-native English speakers are doing those jobs rather than Real English People such as yourself. But in a crisis like this, true English-born natives like you must rise to the occasion and rescue their country! It's terrible for tourist visitors to tourist spots to undergo the horrific experience you have described.

Also, while you're at it, my cleaner is not native-born English. I would prefer hired help that is a little more Downton-Abbey-like, if you see what I mean. I don't suppose you would be interested in a job as my cleaner? But never mind, now that I think of it, it's more important for you to come to the aid of the stalls and eateries. Good luck and thank you!

YWBU, I'm glad you've acknowledged that your OP was 'off the mark'.

OP I would like to see doughnuts spelt that way in England, not in the American way, but I don't care who serves it as long as they are competent. Olde-English people also make mistakes sometimes.

proper lol at people in Glastonbury town 'getting into the spirit of things'...Glastonbury is a market town full of shitty little 'new age' shops run by lentil-weaving acid casualties, for the most part.

i can't stand the prejudice against Eastern Europeans. the person serving you your authentic american coffee and donuts more than likely has a very good degree. the economy in eastern Europe has tanked to the point where there is simply no work for graduates. how do you feel, OP, about british graduates heading off to find work in other countries?

Are you actually suggesting that these jobs should be advertised as "Actual English People only need apply" ?

Because thats what you would need to do in order to get the result you want. You could add on "no dogs/no blacks/no irish" for that authentic english retro feel......

I know you aren't the OP, Flipflops. I was just interested in how you were able to ascertain the people you were encountering were indeed locals.

What makes one a local? Accent or length of time spent in the locale? How about an Eastern European who has lived somewhere for 30 years and has a wealth of local knowledge but still speaks with an accent? Do they qualify as "local"?

I'd be very surprised if the majority of people could distinguish subtle linguistic and pronunciation differences that would enable them to identify that a person came from Fife rather than from Stirling.