As you finish your first plate, wait for your host to offer you more food and be
sure to accept as this is a great compliment to the chef. If you truly are finished
eating, it may take turning down additional food a couple times before your host
is finally convinced that you are done, even if you do place your fork and knife
together at the 5:00 o'clock position to symbolize that you have finished.
If you're at a restaurant, getting the bill at the end of the meal is a challenge;
it will not be given to you until you ask for it, no matter how long you remain
seated. If you invited your guests, be prepared to pay for everyone's meals,
whereas if you are the invited guest, offer to pay, but expect to be turned down.
Tipping in San Marino is optional if there is a service
charge included in your bill (which it often is). If no service charge is included
or if service was superb, a tip of about 5-10% is appreciated.
Drinks
San Marino has nearly ever common non-alcoholic beverage
available, including juices, soft drinks, tea, and coffee, although none are particularly
authentic to the region. Perhaps coffee and cappuccino are among the most popular
of these drinks.
On the alcoholic side, wine dominates San Marino and
the two most commonly produced wines are sangiovese, a red wine and biancale,
a white wine. In addition to these two local products, other wines are also popular,
particularly Italian wines, although there is a strong preference
for drinking the local wines. Beers and hard liquors, including many international
brands are also available.
Generally speaking, the tap water is safe to drink in San Marino,
but check with locals for any particular regional differences. Also, many people
may have troubles adjusting to the local tap water, as it will most certainly be
different from what your system is used to.