Beer mat = "coaster" for the curious. I was originally thinking a paper tablecloth. It was pretty straightforward to understand via browser translation of the wikipedia article, thanks!
replyIn Brazil they have a little pad they leave on the table next to the napkins
replyThis is exactly the first thing I thought of considering the influence of Germany in Brazil culture especially in the south like Curitiba.
replyIn Málaga, Andalusia, Spain there is churinguito (a seafood place next to the beach) that doesn't really have a menu after 9pm. Waiters just walk in the dining area with a plate in hand and yell the name of the fish/seafood for peoole to ask for it. Each fish has a different kind of plate with a different price. When you ask for the bill, they just do the sum according to the plates left on the table.
replyThey had to cement the dining area because people used to bury the plates in the beach sand.
Also in Spain, specially in the Basque country, you pick pintxos from the counter and at the end they just count the "skewers" left on the plate.
replyThis is also how conveyor-belt sushi restaurants near me calculate your bill - the plates are different colors, and each color has a price associated with it.
reply> In some breweries and countries, the beer mat placed on the glass signals to the waiter that the guest does not want to drink any more beer.
replyInteresting. I’ve always seen this as a signal that a person was stepping away, but coming back. The person would cover it while going to the bathroom, in part so it isn’t as trivial for someone to slip something in their drink. Implying that they intend to keep drinking it once they return.
I’d be interested to know where it means that the guest doesn’t want any more beer.
All over Germany, and it's been around much much longer than the fear of having something slipped in your drink.
replyTo be fair, in the summer you need to make sure the wasps don’t slip themselves into your drink.
replyIt's useless for preventing someone from slipping a pill into the drink.
replyWorks for preventing insects from flying in when sitting outside though.
In the Netherlands that person would be considered an eetpiraat (food pirate) or flessentrekker (bottle puller). Those are terms used in court.
replyhttps://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Flessen...
https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/resultaat?zoekterm=Eetpira...