The Best Waitress in Germany

Back when we had a car, we drove by Finnegan's Irish pub many times. Now carless for 10 months, we have even walked by it a couple times. Last night, most of the typical places we visit were involved in a city-wide shindig that requires a cover (and we're all fairly anti-cover). So, we decided to go to this Irish pub, despite it being out of the way.

When we got there, I was pleasantly surprised to see the board outside the door announcing that Köstritzer was only €1! Woo hoo! That's one of my favorite beers, and it's not too common around here.

So, we went in and ordered. Three of the four of us ordered the Köstritzer, and when we got it, we commenced with the obligatory prosting before we took a gulp of our beer. Instead of the smooth, slightly chocolaty black beer taste I love, my tongue was assaulted with a harsh and bitter lemony taste. It was like somone had used lemon dish detergent and forgot to rinse. I discussed this with Jeannette and Ursula, and they both tasted the same thing. Something was amiss.

In a few seconds, the waitress was at the table and asked if everything was OK, because she saw us all make a disgusted face when we drank the beer. We explained how something wasn't right about it, and she offered us a replacement. I watched her go back to the bar and pour herself a small glass and taste it herself. When she returned with a different beer variety, they were on the house. She agreed that it wasn't right.

This waitress gets the award for best in Germany, because not only did she replace our defective beer without a fuss, she also recognized that there was a problem without us even having to ask. That's very unusual, and not just in Germany.