What's the worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant?












71















In Johnny and the Bomb (chapter 8) Terry Pratchett writes this:




Sir John sat down heavily in a seat, motioned them to sit down as well, and then did the second-worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant.



He snapped his fingers at a waitress.



All the staff were watching them anxiously.



‘Young lady,’ said Sir John, wheezing slightly, ‘these people will have whatever they want. I will have a glass of water. Thank you.’



‘Yes, Sir John,’ said the waitress, and hurried away.



‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed to queue up.’



‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’




We learn that Sir John gets away with this because he's the billionaire owner of the entire burger franchise.



But I feel like I'm missing a joke here. Perhaps I'm bad at British humour. What's the worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant, the single thing that's worse than snapping your fingers?



I looked in the Annotated Pratchett File, but this joke isn't explained.










share|improve this question




















  • 24





    #1 is allowing your kids to run around

    – Valorum
    Apr 18 '17 at 23:10






  • 63





    I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

    – DJClayworth
    Apr 19 '17 at 1:43






  • 17





    Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Apr 19 '17 at 13:35






  • 2





    @ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

    – ivanivan
    Apr 19 '17 at 19:38






  • 15





    This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

    – David Schwartz
    Apr 19 '17 at 20:38
















71















In Johnny and the Bomb (chapter 8) Terry Pratchett writes this:




Sir John sat down heavily in a seat, motioned them to sit down as well, and then did the second-worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant.



He snapped his fingers at a waitress.



All the staff were watching them anxiously.



‘Young lady,’ said Sir John, wheezing slightly, ‘these people will have whatever they want. I will have a glass of water. Thank you.’



‘Yes, Sir John,’ said the waitress, and hurried away.



‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed to queue up.’



‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’




We learn that Sir John gets away with this because he's the billionaire owner of the entire burger franchise.



But I feel like I'm missing a joke here. Perhaps I'm bad at British humour. What's the worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant, the single thing that's worse than snapping your fingers?



I looked in the Annotated Pratchett File, but this joke isn't explained.










share|improve this question




















  • 24





    #1 is allowing your kids to run around

    – Valorum
    Apr 18 '17 at 23:10






  • 63





    I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

    – DJClayworth
    Apr 19 '17 at 1:43






  • 17





    Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Apr 19 '17 at 13:35






  • 2





    @ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

    – ivanivan
    Apr 19 '17 at 19:38






  • 15





    This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

    – David Schwartz
    Apr 19 '17 at 20:38














71












71








71


1






In Johnny and the Bomb (chapter 8) Terry Pratchett writes this:




Sir John sat down heavily in a seat, motioned them to sit down as well, and then did the second-worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant.



He snapped his fingers at a waitress.



All the staff were watching them anxiously.



‘Young lady,’ said Sir John, wheezing slightly, ‘these people will have whatever they want. I will have a glass of water. Thank you.’



‘Yes, Sir John,’ said the waitress, and hurried away.



‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed to queue up.’



‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’




We learn that Sir John gets away with this because he's the billionaire owner of the entire burger franchise.



But I feel like I'm missing a joke here. Perhaps I'm bad at British humour. What's the worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant, the single thing that's worse than snapping your fingers?



I looked in the Annotated Pratchett File, but this joke isn't explained.










share|improve this question
















In Johnny and the Bomb (chapter 8) Terry Pratchett writes this:




Sir John sat down heavily in a seat, motioned them to sit down as well, and then did the second-worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant.



He snapped his fingers at a waitress.



All the staff were watching them anxiously.



‘Young lady,’ said Sir John, wheezing slightly, ‘these people will have whatever they want. I will have a glass of water. Thank you.’



‘Yes, Sir John,’ said the waitress, and hurried away.



‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed to queue up.’



‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’




We learn that Sir John gets away with this because he's the billionaire owner of the entire burger franchise.



But I feel like I'm missing a joke here. Perhaps I'm bad at British humour. What's the worst thing anyone could do in a fast-food restaurant, the single thing that's worse than snapping your fingers?



I looked in the Annotated Pratchett File, but this joke isn't explained.







terry-pratchett johnny-maxwell johnny-and-the-bomb






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Nov 13 '18 at 9:47









SQB

25.3k24141241




25.3k24141241










asked Apr 18 '17 at 23:07









b_jonasb_jonas

21.2k1196257




21.2k1196257








  • 24





    #1 is allowing your kids to run around

    – Valorum
    Apr 18 '17 at 23:10






  • 63





    I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

    – DJClayworth
    Apr 19 '17 at 1:43






  • 17





    Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Apr 19 '17 at 13:35






  • 2





    @ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

    – ivanivan
    Apr 19 '17 at 19:38






  • 15





    This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

    – David Schwartz
    Apr 19 '17 at 20:38














  • 24





    #1 is allowing your kids to run around

    – Valorum
    Apr 18 '17 at 23:10






  • 63





    I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

    – DJClayworth
    Apr 19 '17 at 1:43






  • 17





    Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

    – Todd Wilcox
    Apr 19 '17 at 13:35






  • 2





    @ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

    – ivanivan
    Apr 19 '17 at 19:38






  • 15





    This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

    – David Schwartz
    Apr 19 '17 at 20:38








24




24





#1 is allowing your kids to run around

– Valorum
Apr 18 '17 at 23:10





#1 is allowing your kids to run around

– Valorum
Apr 18 '17 at 23:10




63




63





I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

– DJClayworth
Apr 19 '17 at 1:43





I suspect Pratchett is allowing you to imagine for yourself what the very first thing might be.

– DJClayworth
Apr 19 '17 at 1:43




17




17





Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

– Todd Wilcox
Apr 19 '17 at 13:35





Is there some British meaning for "fast food restaurant" that includes wait staff? Cause there's never a waitress in an American fast food restaurant. Perhaps it's meant to be what we would call a diner.

– Todd Wilcox
Apr 19 '17 at 13:35




2




2





@ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

– ivanivan
Apr 19 '17 at 19:38





@ToddWilcox - at least one fast food chain here in the US now brings your food to your table... ordering is still done by waiting in line at teh counter... To keep this comment on topic, I guess the worst thing you could do would be to order and then actually eat a sausage-inna-bun

– ivanivan
Apr 19 '17 at 19:38




15




15





This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

– David Schwartz
Apr 19 '17 at 20:38





This is the second-best question ever asked on stackexchange.

– David Schwartz
Apr 19 '17 at 20:38










6 Answers
6






active

oldest

votes


















24














Maybe I've read too much Pratchett and Adams in my life, but to me seems simply one of theirs typical joke.



More or less every book ever written has some instance of "the best thing", "the worst thing", etc. (just think that Apple entire advertising is based on that trope), here the joke is that he did "the second worst". It is a joke on the constant abuse of the same trope over and over again in literature, and it is something really typical for Pratchett.






share|improve this answer



















  • 13





    Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

    – Nuclear Wang
    Apr 19 '17 at 19:04






  • 4





    Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

    – Walter
    Apr 20 '17 at 20:36











  • I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

    – motoDrizzt
    Apr 21 '17 at 9:57



















54














I think you've answered your own question. Snapping your fingers at a waitress is very nearly the height of bad manners but jumping the queue is quite literally the worst thing that anyone can do and something that deserves its own circle in hell.




‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed
to queue up.’



‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’






Per WATCHING THE ENGLISH, The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox




But calling out to him is not permitted, and almost all other obvious
means of attracting attention, such as tapping coins on the counter,
snapping fingers or waving are equally frowned upon.




and




that there is a special code of etiquette governing the behaviour and speech of pub ‘regulars’ (regular customers of a particular
pub), which, among other privileges, allows them to break the
pantomime rule. The special code does not, however, allow them to
jump the invisible queue – as this would violate the over-riding
English rule about queuing
, itself a subsidiary, it would seem, of a
more general rule of Englishness about ‘fairness’




enter image description here






share|improve this answer





















  • 18





    @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

    – Valorum
    Apr 18 '17 at 23:28








  • 8





    Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

    – kingledion
    Apr 19 '17 at 11:56






  • 5





    Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

    – Simon Fraser
    Apr 19 '17 at 12:16








  • 4





    @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

    – Valorum
    Apr 19 '17 at 12:39






  • 5





    I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

    – Scott M
    Apr 19 '17 at 14:43





















16














Eat.



Not in my opinion, but I get the feeling some people would say the worst thing you can do in a fast-food restaurant is to eat. Notice he only gets a glass of water for himself, and doesn't touch the sandwich he orders.




‘You haven't touched your One with Everything,’ said Johnny, watching him.



‘Oh, I asked for it just to make a point,’ said Wobbler. ‘I'm not allowed to eat them. Good heavens. I have a diet. No sodium, no cholesterol, low starch, no sugar.’ He sighed. ‘Even a glass of water is probably too exciting.’




The other suggestion of cutting the line is a good interpretation but in my opinion it's bundled together with his original finger snapping. That is to say, sitting down, summoning an employee, ordering like it was a full-service restaurant and there by cutting of everyone else waiting are all different parts of one rude behavior.






share|improve this answer

































    3














    If you were to ask this question in Chicago, the answer you'd get 99 times out of a 100 would be "put ketchup on your hotdog."



    Everyone has their "this is the worst thing you can do in a restaurant" and to suggest that something else is, in fact, the worst thing is to invite argument and dissent, distracting from the point that the author is trying to drive home. Whether it's the worst thing or only the second worst isn't the issue, it's just how horrible of a thing to do this is that is being pointed out.



    Aside from leaving the reader to imagine for his or herself what the number one most important thing to do is, this is also a bit of a trope in comedy. This is a Google search for "second worst thing" and you can see that the results are many and quite varying in nature, but they all do have a bit of a common theme amongst them. It's a mix of dry humor and witticism. It's somewhat thinking outside the box (debatable how much so since it is somewhat of "a thing" to use this expression), and is kind of funny.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 1





      Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

      – Valorum
      Apr 20 '17 at 6:08






    • 5





      @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

      – Ben Miller
      Apr 20 '17 at 17:20



















    2














    Yes, an exercise left to the reader. In many American fast-food establishments, the staff will tell you that the worst thing is using the restroom without buying anything. Some customers will say changing a baby's diaper on one of the tables.
    Pratchett likely had other answers in mind.






    share|improve this answer































      -2














      Using 'the second worst thing' is a literary trick used to elicit questions such as yours, i.e. 'what is the worst thing?'



      By the way, Simon Fraser, we do have table service. I'm not entirely sure what restaurant you visited.






      share|improve this answer





















      • 2





        I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

        – Gallifreyan
        Apr 19 '17 at 19:01











      Your Answer








      StackExchange.ready(function() {
      var channelOptions = {
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "186"
      };
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
      createEditor();
      });
      }
      else {
      createEditor();
      }
      });

      function createEditor() {
      StackExchange.prepareEditor({
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader: {
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      },
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      });


      }
      });














      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function () {
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f157559%2fwhats-the-worst-thing-anyone-could-do-in-a-fast-food-restaurant%23new-answer', 'question_page');
      }
      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      6 Answers
      6






      active

      oldest

      votes








      6 Answers
      6






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      24














      Maybe I've read too much Pratchett and Adams in my life, but to me seems simply one of theirs typical joke.



      More or less every book ever written has some instance of "the best thing", "the worst thing", etc. (just think that Apple entire advertising is based on that trope), here the joke is that he did "the second worst". It is a joke on the constant abuse of the same trope over and over again in literature, and it is something really typical for Pratchett.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 13





        Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

        – Nuclear Wang
        Apr 19 '17 at 19:04






      • 4





        Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

        – Walter
        Apr 20 '17 at 20:36











      • I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

        – motoDrizzt
        Apr 21 '17 at 9:57
















      24














      Maybe I've read too much Pratchett and Adams in my life, but to me seems simply one of theirs typical joke.



      More or less every book ever written has some instance of "the best thing", "the worst thing", etc. (just think that Apple entire advertising is based on that trope), here the joke is that he did "the second worst". It is a joke on the constant abuse of the same trope over and over again in literature, and it is something really typical for Pratchett.






      share|improve this answer



















      • 13





        Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

        – Nuclear Wang
        Apr 19 '17 at 19:04






      • 4





        Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

        – Walter
        Apr 20 '17 at 20:36











      • I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

        – motoDrizzt
        Apr 21 '17 at 9:57














      24












      24








      24







      Maybe I've read too much Pratchett and Adams in my life, but to me seems simply one of theirs typical joke.



      More or less every book ever written has some instance of "the best thing", "the worst thing", etc. (just think that Apple entire advertising is based on that trope), here the joke is that he did "the second worst". It is a joke on the constant abuse of the same trope over and over again in literature, and it is something really typical for Pratchett.






      share|improve this answer













      Maybe I've read too much Pratchett and Adams in my life, but to me seems simply one of theirs typical joke.



      More or less every book ever written has some instance of "the best thing", "the worst thing", etc. (just think that Apple entire advertising is based on that trope), here the joke is that he did "the second worst". It is a joke on the constant abuse of the same trope over and over again in literature, and it is something really typical for Pratchett.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Apr 19 '17 at 10:50









      motoDrizztmotoDrizzt

      1,472619




      1,472619








      • 13





        Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

        – Nuclear Wang
        Apr 19 '17 at 19:04






      • 4





        Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

        – Walter
        Apr 20 '17 at 20:36











      • I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

        – motoDrizzt
        Apr 21 '17 at 9:57














      • 13





        Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

        – Nuclear Wang
        Apr 19 '17 at 19:04






      • 4





        Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

        – Walter
        Apr 20 '17 at 20:36











      • I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

        – motoDrizzt
        Apr 21 '17 at 9:57








      13




      13





      Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

      – Nuclear Wang
      Apr 19 '17 at 19:04





      Similar to the line from the Monkey Island series, "That's the second biggest monkey head I've ever seen!" It subverts expectations, and makes you imagine what could hold the top spot.

      – Nuclear Wang
      Apr 19 '17 at 19:04




      4




      4





      Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

      – Walter
      Apr 20 '17 at 20:36





      Douglas Adams, another fine British humor writer, would use constructs like this (3rd best, 4th worst) to give just that level of surreal absurdity that made his books justly famous.

      – Walter
      Apr 20 '17 at 20:36













      I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

      – motoDrizzt
      Apr 21 '17 at 9:57





      I really love the delete flag, by the way :-D

      – motoDrizzt
      Apr 21 '17 at 9:57













      54














      I think you've answered your own question. Snapping your fingers at a waitress is very nearly the height of bad manners but jumping the queue is quite literally the worst thing that anyone can do and something that deserves its own circle in hell.




      ‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed
      to queue up.’



      ‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’






      Per WATCHING THE ENGLISH, The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox




      But calling out to him is not permitted, and almost all other obvious
      means of attracting attention, such as tapping coins on the counter,
      snapping fingers or waving are equally frowned upon.




      and




      that there is a special code of etiquette governing the behaviour and speech of pub ‘regulars’ (regular customers of a particular
      pub), which, among other privileges, allows them to break the
      pantomime rule. The special code does not, however, allow them to
      jump the invisible queue – as this would violate the over-riding
      English rule about queuing
      , itself a subsidiary, it would seem, of a
      more general rule of Englishness about ‘fairness’




      enter image description here






      share|improve this answer





















      • 18





        @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

        – Valorum
        Apr 18 '17 at 23:28








      • 8





        Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

        – kingledion
        Apr 19 '17 at 11:56






      • 5





        Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

        – Simon Fraser
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:16








      • 4





        @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

        – Valorum
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:39






      • 5





        I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

        – Scott M
        Apr 19 '17 at 14:43


















      54














      I think you've answered your own question. Snapping your fingers at a waitress is very nearly the height of bad manners but jumping the queue is quite literally the worst thing that anyone can do and something that deserves its own circle in hell.




      ‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed
      to queue up.’



      ‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’






      Per WATCHING THE ENGLISH, The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox




      But calling out to him is not permitted, and almost all other obvious
      means of attracting attention, such as tapping coins on the counter,
      snapping fingers or waving are equally frowned upon.




      and




      that there is a special code of etiquette governing the behaviour and speech of pub ‘regulars’ (regular customers of a particular
      pub), which, among other privileges, allows them to break the
      pantomime rule. The special code does not, however, allow them to
      jump the invisible queue – as this would violate the over-riding
      English rule about queuing
      , itself a subsidiary, it would seem, of a
      more general rule of Englishness about ‘fairness’




      enter image description here






      share|improve this answer





















      • 18





        @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

        – Valorum
        Apr 18 '17 at 23:28








      • 8





        Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

        – kingledion
        Apr 19 '17 at 11:56






      • 5





        Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

        – Simon Fraser
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:16








      • 4





        @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

        – Valorum
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:39






      • 5





        I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

        – Scott M
        Apr 19 '17 at 14:43
















      54












      54








      54







      I think you've answered your own question. Snapping your fingers at a waitress is very nearly the height of bad manners but jumping the queue is quite literally the worst thing that anyone can do and something that deserves its own circle in hell.




      ‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed
      to queue up.’



      ‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’






      Per WATCHING THE ENGLISH, The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox




      But calling out to him is not permitted, and almost all other obvious
      means of attracting attention, such as tapping coins on the counter,
      snapping fingers or waving are equally frowned upon.




      and




      that there is a special code of etiquette governing the behaviour and speech of pub ‘regulars’ (regular customers of a particular
      pub), which, among other privileges, allows them to break the
      pantomime rule. The special code does not, however, allow them to
      jump the invisible queue – as this would violate the over-riding
      English rule about queuing
      , itself a subsidiary, it would seem, of a
      more general rule of Englishness about ‘fairness’




      enter image description here






      share|improve this answer















      I think you've answered your own question. Snapping your fingers at a waitress is very nearly the height of bad manners but jumping the queue is quite literally the worst thing that anyone can do and something that deserves its own circle in hell.




      ‘You're not s'posed to do that,’ said Bigmac hoarsely. ‘You're s'posed
      to queue up.’



      ‘No, you're supposed to queue up,’ said Sir John. ‘I don't have to.’






      Per WATCHING THE ENGLISH, The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox




      But calling out to him is not permitted, and almost all other obvious
      means of attracting attention, such as tapping coins on the counter,
      snapping fingers or waving are equally frowned upon.




      and




      that there is a special code of etiquette governing the behaviour and speech of pub ‘regulars’ (regular customers of a particular
      pub), which, among other privileges, allows them to break the
      pantomime rule. The special code does not, however, allow them to
      jump the invisible queue – as this would violate the over-riding
      English rule about queuing
      , itself a subsidiary, it would seem, of a
      more general rule of Englishness about ‘fairness’




      enter image description here







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Apr 19 '17 at 0:14

























      answered Apr 18 '17 at 23:21









      ValorumValorum

      403k10529313158




      403k10529313158








      • 18





        @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

        – Valorum
        Apr 18 '17 at 23:28








      • 8





        Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

        – kingledion
        Apr 19 '17 at 11:56






      • 5





        Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

        – Simon Fraser
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:16








      • 4





        @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

        – Valorum
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:39






      • 5





        I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

        – Scott M
        Apr 19 '17 at 14:43
















      • 18





        @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

        – Valorum
        Apr 18 '17 at 23:28








      • 8





        Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

        – kingledion
        Apr 19 '17 at 11:56






      • 5





        Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

        – Simon Fraser
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:16








      • 4





        @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

        – Valorum
        Apr 19 '17 at 12:39






      • 5





        I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

        – Scott M
        Apr 19 '17 at 14:43










      18




      18





      @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

      – Valorum
      Apr 18 '17 at 23:28







      @b_jonas - No. They work exactly the same. He's sat down to be served in a self-service restaurant, thereby jumping the queue. He's then clicked his fingers at a server. Both of these are mortal sins in British dining society.

      – Valorum
      Apr 18 '17 at 23:28






      8




      8





      Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

      – kingledion
      Apr 19 '17 at 11:56





      Awesome pic. I think its in Canto XXXIV where Dante talks about queue jumpers: "At every mouth he [Satan] with his teeth was crunching // A line cutter, in the manner of a brake [a flax crushing machine], // So that he all of them tormented thus."

      – kingledion
      Apr 19 '17 at 11:56




      5




      5





      Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

      – Simon Fraser
      Apr 19 '17 at 12:16







      Using hyperbole is a million times worse ;)

      – Simon Fraser
      Apr 19 '17 at 12:16






      4




      4





      @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

      – Valorum
      Apr 19 '17 at 12:39





      @User14111 - I may have exaggerated slightly.

      – Valorum
      Apr 19 '17 at 12:39




      5




      5





      I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

      – Scott M
      Apr 19 '17 at 14:43







      I thought that people who talk in cinemas got their own special level of hell.

      – Scott M
      Apr 19 '17 at 14:43













      16














      Eat.



      Not in my opinion, but I get the feeling some people would say the worst thing you can do in a fast-food restaurant is to eat. Notice he only gets a glass of water for himself, and doesn't touch the sandwich he orders.




      ‘You haven't touched your One with Everything,’ said Johnny, watching him.



      ‘Oh, I asked for it just to make a point,’ said Wobbler. ‘I'm not allowed to eat them. Good heavens. I have a diet. No sodium, no cholesterol, low starch, no sugar.’ He sighed. ‘Even a glass of water is probably too exciting.’




      The other suggestion of cutting the line is a good interpretation but in my opinion it's bundled together with his original finger snapping. That is to say, sitting down, summoning an employee, ordering like it was a full-service restaurant and there by cutting of everyone else waiting are all different parts of one rude behavior.






      share|improve this answer






























        16














        Eat.



        Not in my opinion, but I get the feeling some people would say the worst thing you can do in a fast-food restaurant is to eat. Notice he only gets a glass of water for himself, and doesn't touch the sandwich he orders.




        ‘You haven't touched your One with Everything,’ said Johnny, watching him.



        ‘Oh, I asked for it just to make a point,’ said Wobbler. ‘I'm not allowed to eat them. Good heavens. I have a diet. No sodium, no cholesterol, low starch, no sugar.’ He sighed. ‘Even a glass of water is probably too exciting.’




        The other suggestion of cutting the line is a good interpretation but in my opinion it's bundled together with his original finger snapping. That is to say, sitting down, summoning an employee, ordering like it was a full-service restaurant and there by cutting of everyone else waiting are all different parts of one rude behavior.






        share|improve this answer




























          16












          16








          16







          Eat.



          Not in my opinion, but I get the feeling some people would say the worst thing you can do in a fast-food restaurant is to eat. Notice he only gets a glass of water for himself, and doesn't touch the sandwich he orders.




          ‘You haven't touched your One with Everything,’ said Johnny, watching him.



          ‘Oh, I asked for it just to make a point,’ said Wobbler. ‘I'm not allowed to eat them. Good heavens. I have a diet. No sodium, no cholesterol, low starch, no sugar.’ He sighed. ‘Even a glass of water is probably too exciting.’




          The other suggestion of cutting the line is a good interpretation but in my opinion it's bundled together with his original finger snapping. That is to say, sitting down, summoning an employee, ordering like it was a full-service restaurant and there by cutting of everyone else waiting are all different parts of one rude behavior.






          share|improve this answer















          Eat.



          Not in my opinion, but I get the feeling some people would say the worst thing you can do in a fast-food restaurant is to eat. Notice he only gets a glass of water for himself, and doesn't touch the sandwich he orders.




          ‘You haven't touched your One with Everything,’ said Johnny, watching him.



          ‘Oh, I asked for it just to make a point,’ said Wobbler. ‘I'm not allowed to eat them. Good heavens. I have a diet. No sodium, no cholesterol, low starch, no sugar.’ He sighed. ‘Even a glass of water is probably too exciting.’




          The other suggestion of cutting the line is a good interpretation but in my opinion it's bundled together with his original finger snapping. That is to say, sitting down, summoning an employee, ordering like it was a full-service restaurant and there by cutting of everyone else waiting are all different parts of one rude behavior.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited Apr 19 '17 at 20:09









          b_jonas

          21.2k1196257




          21.2k1196257










          answered Apr 19 '17 at 17:58









          SegfaultSegfault

          31515




          31515























              3














              If you were to ask this question in Chicago, the answer you'd get 99 times out of a 100 would be "put ketchup on your hotdog."



              Everyone has their "this is the worst thing you can do in a restaurant" and to suggest that something else is, in fact, the worst thing is to invite argument and dissent, distracting from the point that the author is trying to drive home. Whether it's the worst thing or only the second worst isn't the issue, it's just how horrible of a thing to do this is that is being pointed out.



              Aside from leaving the reader to imagine for his or herself what the number one most important thing to do is, this is also a bit of a trope in comedy. This is a Google search for "second worst thing" and you can see that the results are many and quite varying in nature, but they all do have a bit of a common theme amongst them. It's a mix of dry humor and witticism. It's somewhat thinking outside the box (debatable how much so since it is somewhat of "a thing" to use this expression), and is kind of funny.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 1





                Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

                – Valorum
                Apr 20 '17 at 6:08






              • 5





                @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

                – Ben Miller
                Apr 20 '17 at 17:20
















              3














              If you were to ask this question in Chicago, the answer you'd get 99 times out of a 100 would be "put ketchup on your hotdog."



              Everyone has their "this is the worst thing you can do in a restaurant" and to suggest that something else is, in fact, the worst thing is to invite argument and dissent, distracting from the point that the author is trying to drive home. Whether it's the worst thing or only the second worst isn't the issue, it's just how horrible of a thing to do this is that is being pointed out.



              Aside from leaving the reader to imagine for his or herself what the number one most important thing to do is, this is also a bit of a trope in comedy. This is a Google search for "second worst thing" and you can see that the results are many and quite varying in nature, but they all do have a bit of a common theme amongst them. It's a mix of dry humor and witticism. It's somewhat thinking outside the box (debatable how much so since it is somewhat of "a thing" to use this expression), and is kind of funny.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 1





                Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

                – Valorum
                Apr 20 '17 at 6:08






              • 5





                @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

                – Ben Miller
                Apr 20 '17 at 17:20














              3












              3








              3







              If you were to ask this question in Chicago, the answer you'd get 99 times out of a 100 would be "put ketchup on your hotdog."



              Everyone has their "this is the worst thing you can do in a restaurant" and to suggest that something else is, in fact, the worst thing is to invite argument and dissent, distracting from the point that the author is trying to drive home. Whether it's the worst thing or only the second worst isn't the issue, it's just how horrible of a thing to do this is that is being pointed out.



              Aside from leaving the reader to imagine for his or herself what the number one most important thing to do is, this is also a bit of a trope in comedy. This is a Google search for "second worst thing" and you can see that the results are many and quite varying in nature, but they all do have a bit of a common theme amongst them. It's a mix of dry humor and witticism. It's somewhat thinking outside the box (debatable how much so since it is somewhat of "a thing" to use this expression), and is kind of funny.






              share|improve this answer













              If you were to ask this question in Chicago, the answer you'd get 99 times out of a 100 would be "put ketchup on your hotdog."



              Everyone has their "this is the worst thing you can do in a restaurant" and to suggest that something else is, in fact, the worst thing is to invite argument and dissent, distracting from the point that the author is trying to drive home. Whether it's the worst thing or only the second worst isn't the issue, it's just how horrible of a thing to do this is that is being pointed out.



              Aside from leaving the reader to imagine for his or herself what the number one most important thing to do is, this is also a bit of a trope in comedy. This is a Google search for "second worst thing" and you can see that the results are many and quite varying in nature, but they all do have a bit of a common theme amongst them. It's a mix of dry humor and witticism. It's somewhat thinking outside the box (debatable how much so since it is somewhat of "a thing" to use this expression), and is kind of funny.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Apr 20 '17 at 3:24









              Mahmoud Al-QudsiMahmoud Al-Qudsi

              1594




              1594








              • 1





                Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

                – Valorum
                Apr 20 '17 at 6:08






              • 5





                @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

                – Ben Miller
                Apr 20 '17 at 17:20














              • 1





                Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

                – Valorum
                Apr 20 '17 at 6:08






              • 5





                @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

                – Ben Miller
                Apr 20 '17 at 17:20








              1




              1





              Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

              – Valorum
              Apr 20 '17 at 6:08





              Except that this is set in England and is intended for an English audience.

              – Valorum
              Apr 20 '17 at 6:08




              5




              5





              @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

              – Ben Miller
              Apr 20 '17 at 17:20





              @Valorum He's not suggesting that Pratchett was concerned with ketchup. He's saying that deciding what the worst thing is should be left to the reader.

              – Ben Miller
              Apr 20 '17 at 17:20











              2














              Yes, an exercise left to the reader. In many American fast-food establishments, the staff will tell you that the worst thing is using the restroom without buying anything. Some customers will say changing a baby's diaper on one of the tables.
              Pratchett likely had other answers in mind.






              share|improve this answer




























                2














                Yes, an exercise left to the reader. In many American fast-food establishments, the staff will tell you that the worst thing is using the restroom without buying anything. Some customers will say changing a baby's diaper on one of the tables.
                Pratchett likely had other answers in mind.






                share|improve this answer


























                  2












                  2








                  2







                  Yes, an exercise left to the reader. In many American fast-food establishments, the staff will tell you that the worst thing is using the restroom without buying anything. Some customers will say changing a baby's diaper on one of the tables.
                  Pratchett likely had other answers in mind.






                  share|improve this answer













                  Yes, an exercise left to the reader. In many American fast-food establishments, the staff will tell you that the worst thing is using the restroom without buying anything. Some customers will say changing a baby's diaper on one of the tables.
                  Pratchett likely had other answers in mind.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Apr 20 '17 at 22:28









                  Asa GuestAsa Guest

                  511




                  511























                      -2














                      Using 'the second worst thing' is a literary trick used to elicit questions such as yours, i.e. 'what is the worst thing?'



                      By the way, Simon Fraser, we do have table service. I'm not entirely sure what restaurant you visited.






                      share|improve this answer





















                      • 2





                        I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                        – Gallifreyan
                        Apr 19 '17 at 19:01
















                      -2














                      Using 'the second worst thing' is a literary trick used to elicit questions such as yours, i.e. 'what is the worst thing?'



                      By the way, Simon Fraser, we do have table service. I'm not entirely sure what restaurant you visited.






                      share|improve this answer





















                      • 2





                        I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                        – Gallifreyan
                        Apr 19 '17 at 19:01














                      -2












                      -2








                      -2







                      Using 'the second worst thing' is a literary trick used to elicit questions such as yours, i.e. 'what is the worst thing?'



                      By the way, Simon Fraser, we do have table service. I'm not entirely sure what restaurant you visited.






                      share|improve this answer















                      Using 'the second worst thing' is a literary trick used to elicit questions such as yours, i.e. 'what is the worst thing?'



                      By the way, Simon Fraser, we do have table service. I'm not entirely sure what restaurant you visited.







                      share|improve this answer














                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer








                      edited 14 hours ago









                      Neo Darwin

                      2,3221639




                      2,3221639










                      answered Apr 19 '17 at 18:53









                      DJCDJC

                      19




                      19








                      • 2





                        I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                        – Gallifreyan
                        Apr 19 '17 at 19:01














                      • 2





                        I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                        – Gallifreyan
                        Apr 19 '17 at 19:01








                      2




                      2





                      I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                      – Gallifreyan
                      Apr 19 '17 at 19:01





                      I think this is the same motoDrizzt's answer.

                      – Gallifreyan
                      Apr 19 '17 at 19:01


















                      draft saved

                      draft discarded




















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function () {
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f157559%2fwhats-the-worst-thing-anyone-could-do-in-a-fast-food-restaurant%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                      }
                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      Popular posts from this blog

                      How to label and detect the document text images

                      Vallis Paradisi

                      Tabula Rosettana