When I was just starting out as a waiter many years ago, I worked in a restaurant that was three stories tall. First floor had two kitchens and multiple dining rooms, second floor was all dining, and third floor was dry storage. Carrying those big trays full of plates and dishes up and down stairs all night long is exhausting. Anyway, I had this private dining room with a big group of people from Italy. They were really nice and just knocking back bottle after bottle of wine. I come upstairs carrying one of those big trays with about 20 appetizer plates stacked on it. As soon as I go to set it down on the little folding stand, it went sideways and dumped everything on the floor.

Cue the "everyone clapped" moment.

I was beet red in the face. Not only embarrassed, but I knew the kitchen was going to want my head on a pike. I quickly cleaned up the mess and resent the order, then ran back downstairs to the kitchen to beg for my life. After promising to buy them all beer after work, they put a rush on my appetizers and a hold on my mains, which I'm sure was a nightmare for them. A few minutes later I'm back upstairs serving more wine to the increasingly drunk Italians, and this lady leans in close and says to me, "don't be embarrassed, this is a good thing, it gives us time for more wine."

I don't know if it's an Italian culture thing, or if it was just particular to that group of people, but they were incredibly gracious, and genuinely happy that my accident delayed their food and extended their pre-dinner wine binge. Still embarrassing, though. And while Europeans generally don't tip the way Americans do, I made a killing off that table.