Come fly with me: ‘Are you OK?'

I know I write about cafés a lot, but I love sitting and reading or writing in cafés. Anyway, I am about to write about another moment in a café. This time I'm in Africa and sitting in the Good African Coffee, chatting on the phone, having just had a hot chocolate, and as soon as my phone call ends, the waiter approaches me and asks, "Are you OK?", which I'm unsure whether to interpret as "If you're done, could you leave so we can give your table to someone else" or "I'm trying to be a good waiter and find out if you want anything else". So, after a moment, I say, "Yes, I'm just sitting here for another half hour." He smiles, nods and leaves.

The man sitting on the table beside me hears this exchange and leans over and tells me that while in Rome they would ask a customer to order something or leave, in Africa, it is the opposite. I am sceptical. "What about when they leave the bill on the table?" I am not sure what this is meant to mean, but either they want you to leave, or the waiter shift is ending and so needs to clear the bills of their allocated tables. He just laughs.

But it does get me thinking, even as the waiter returns to ask if I want anything. I ask for the bill, which arrives promptly, at which I feel uncomfortable. After all, it is lunch period, most tables are full. While they can't kick me out, questions like Am I OK might be hints. For 20 minutes I've forgotten about this and the next time I look up, the café is largely empty. Maybe the man was right. I must have visited Rome ten years ago and I don't remember anything about the service, but the man's observation got something ticking in my mind.

And so, as I sit staring at my laptop, I realise that I will now consciously or unconsciously be starting to notice these differences of service in different countries, conveying inimitable cultural differences … and I now also have a sudden inkling to go to Roma. I look up, just as I am about to close my laptop and leave, only to notice a random waitress look at me with a frown. Perhaps she means nothing, but it's probably time for me to shoot off.

— Follow Meera Ashish on www.talefourcities.com and @meeraashish and @talefourcities.