The best meals of a trip rarely have a printed menu. They have a round of bread torn by many hands, mint crushed in a glass, and a chair that did not start the evening as yours.
A private rule
I keep a private rule: if someone pulls a stool closer, stay. Ask about the herb in the salad. Learn the word for enough, thank you so you can be polite when you are full.
Paying and leaving
Pay more than the sum if the welcome was larger than the bill. Leave before the table becomes a performance for the next room. No brand of restaurant can teach this. Only a table that was already a conversation before you arrived.
