Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, The Hearst Corporation (the "Houston Chronicle") Dec 21, 1998 I have just returned from almost two weeks in Central Europe. The tales of my trip, of course, have focused on where I went and whom I met. But while I was traveling and looking, I found I wasn't just curious about what I was seeing in Prague, Budapest or Vienna. I also wanted to know how people in those countries were viewing me and my fellow Americans. I got my chance to ask on my flight home from Vienna. I struck up a conversation with Franz Weiner, a European who has lived in Prague for the last six years. Franz, 33, speaks fluent English and works as a guide and interpreter. His trip to New York was a Christmas-present bonus from a group of businessmen he helped as an interpreter on a business deal the Americans were putting together in the Czech Republic. "You can see Americans coming a mile away, can't you?" I said to Franz. "There can be a room full of people all wearing basically the same dark clothes, the same black scarves, hats and gloves. Some will be English, some will be German, and some will be Italian. But Europeans will automatically pick out the Americans even before they've heard even one American accent." Franz smiled and said, "That's true. But it's not exactly what you think. "One thing that says you're American almost from the start is your teeth. Americans have very white, very healthy, very straight teeth. They just stand out. Americans tend to smile a lot. You see those teeth. Even when they are whining or complaining, those teeth are a wonder." He explained some other dead giveaways. Americans demand water automatically at meals. They are appalled that they have to pay for it. You ask for water, the waiter says, "with gas (carbonated) or without?" If an American says "without," they assume it's just regular water that comes from the tap and is free. "In Prague," Franz said, "you ask for water without, they still open up a bottle and pour it into a small glass and bring it to you. You pay. I have dealt with tourists who get very mad about this. But that is the way it is here. I will be surprised if I find I get water with all meals and it is free." He said he had also been told that drinks are refilled free in American restaurants. "Can you drink vodka all night?" he asked. "No," I explained. "The refills on vodka are not free. Beer will also cost you more in New York than in Prague." He laughed when I said I was surprised to find that in Central Europe they don't put washcloths in the hotel bathrooms. "This is also something I hear all the time from my clients," he said. "The hotel people tell me this is very curious. You want washcloths, but you don't use the bidets." He said Americans tip the most lavishly; do not like to ever carry their own suitcases; always assume everyone will speak English, so they don't take time to learn any German or Czech phrases; and American women wear the most jewelry. "I do not mean this as a criticism," he said. "This is just the way it is. This is just what Americans are." And learning more was something Franz was very excited about. To see New York was a lifelong dream. He has cousins in Brooklyn. They were going to meet him and be his guide for his one-week stay. The businessmen were also going to host a dinner for him. Most important on his "to do" list was seeing modern buildings and neon. "I have seen pictures," he said. "It is almost unbelievable. I cannot believe such things exist with all those lights." I told him I felt the same way about Prague. It was one European country that had not been bombed in World War II. Parts of it could still have been the 17th century. It was so beautiful and so untouched. "Well, not untouched," said Franz solemnly. "The Nazis didn't destroy our buildings, but they did destroy so many people. A building can be rebuilt." Credit: Dallas Morning News