vocabulary advice needed

[pensnest]

Americans! Smart restaurant—napkin or serviette?

Comments

[bossymarmalade]

Napkin! Cloth napkin, even. AFIK, serviette in North America refers only to paper napkins.

[pensnest]

Excellent - just as it should be. In my world (and I admit, I may be a bit peculiar in this regard) a serviette is a noxious object made of very thin, probably rather shiny paper. There are such things as paper napkins, but these are far classier.

Napkin. Thanks!

[frausorge]

I don't say "serviette" in English at all, though I know it as a French word. So definitely "napkin".

[pensnest]

Cool - thank you!

[justhitstatic.livejournal.com]

Napkin!

[pensnest]

Thanks!

[without-me.livejournal.com]

Cloth napkin.

[pensnest]

And quite right too. Thanks!

[zillahseye.livejournal.com]

...I was trying to figure out how you knew the restaurant was smart. What, I'm underslept.

[pensnest]

Eh, I don't even know what kind of food it serves. ;-)

[lauriebreb.livejournal.com]

Napkin. CLoth if its smart ;)

[pensnest]

Cool - thanks!

[puszysty.livejournal.com]

Serviette if its a fancy French restaurant. Otherwise, napkin.

[pensnest]

Interesting - my own interpretation of 'serviette' is that it's a much nastier object than a proper napkin. But I spose if you're in France, that's not the case—and a fancy French restaurant might go the same way. Thanks!