Restaurant Culture in Uzbekistan

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My sample size for restaurants is relatively small, so I don’t know if what I have experienced in restaurants is uniquely Uzbek, or if it’s all over Central Asia.

Everything is a la carte, you are expected to order a main dish, salad and bread. 

And the servers will hover over you indefinitely until you place your order. Maybe it’s because my Russian is very bad, but even when I tell them to give me a moment, they will stand with their legs basically touching the table, poised to take my order. Sometimes it takes me a bit to peruse the menu because I read Russian like a 3rd grader, sounding out the words to get the meaning. Even if I ask them to come back, they will just stand there. In multiple places I have read the menu for at least several minutes with the waiter standing there, while other guests come into the restaurant, they do not leave until I order.

And then, it can be difficult to get their attention, they simply will not come back. Sometimes, I will get up to leave and go directly to the front in order to pay, but they direct me to sit back down so they can bring me the check, but I had to go looking for the server in the first place! To be fair, some places want you to pay at the front cashier. 

There is some order and decorum that I haven’t quite picked up since I’ve been here and I probably need more experience, and a better handle on the language(s).



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