Dave Smith wrote:
>
> Maybe we should all get in the habit of raising a finger to signify
> that the server should wait until we finish chewing and swallowing our
> food, and then chew very slowly and carefully.

That's a thought. We would have a whole restaurant full of people
raising fingers <laugh>
>
> I know that we have all had it happen, but let's face it..... they
> brought us a meal, of course we are eating it, and we are going to
> have our mouths full and be chewing for a good portion of the time.
> Odds are that they are going to get us with a mouthful.

And they know that. That's why they always come and ask "Is everything
OK/How's your meal?" when I'm busy chewing. Bit hard for me to
say, "No, it's awful." when I've got a mouth full of food...

However, a couple of restaurants have a good practice here - well, I
like it. They have a 'service indicator' on the table. Quite simple
really. It's a block of wood shaped rather like an old fashioned hour
glass. It's painted green on the one half and red on the other. As long
as you have the green half pointing upwards, the wait staff leave you
alone. If you turn it over and have the red part facing upward, they
know you want their attention... When they come over to see what you
want, that's when they're free to ask questions, clear away empty
plates, glasses, etc.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy