Sour Puss

Now, I feel that it has been a little while since I have complained about something of a cultural nature (the expense of Switzerland doesn't count. I don't know why, it just doesn't), so here I go.

What is up with the Sour Puss faces here? ?!! I mean seriously, would it kill these people to smile? Just a little one?

It was one thing in Paris, where they just kind of pretend you're not there, but the German-Swiss folks here, my god, what is going on?

They make eye contact, and then they give this look like you've just kicked their dog or thrown a flaming bag of poop at their door. They just look like the most miserable people on the planet. But they don't actually seem to be miserable when it comes down to it.

I see them, two seconds after giving me death-ray eyes, laughing with their families, and the waitresses at the various restaurants we've been to, once they had looked at us as though we were two turds with hats on, became super pleasant and even smiled a few times.

It's obviously just not a cultural thing here to smile when you pass people on the street. I know that I certainly didn't when I was living in Brooklyn. In cities, you just have to have your fight-face on, but here, in a little sweet village, where everybody's on vacation, why not a little smile of acknowledgement as you pass each other?

I've already gotten used to the fact that a line isn't really a line, it's just a bunch of people pushing past each other, but the sour expressions really are starting to piss me off. There's something really angry and judgmental in the expression, at least that's how it feels to me.

I even got this nasty look from a freakin' eight year old girl on a train, and i was so sick of it I almost shouted: "You want a piece of me??!! Come on!!!", because I was pretty sure I could take her.

Maybe we overdo it in the States. I know I sometimes do, with the smiling and the being super nice to everybody, sometimes I can feel like I'm running for Miss Congeniality. It can be a lot of effort. I imagine when people pass me here and I smile at them, they think I'm insane, or else already a little drunk.

I think there should be some middle ground. It doesn't have to be Miss America smiles, but something a little less "I could kill you right now" would be nice.