Cyprus-Forum.com

[MR-from-NG]

This was posted on a forum used by the ex-pat community in the North.

I have a very good only in TRNC......
I walked into Lemar the other day to buy one loaf of bread, just after they had opened, I only had a 50YTL note on me......the cashier asked if I had smaller change to which i responded no I havn't, and she said its ok you can have the bread, no charge we don't have any change.....can you imagine that in Waitrose or Tesco....etc...me thinks not.

Also a similar incident, pulled in filled up with diesel, and then realised I had no cash and all my cards were at home....its ok they said no problem come back later and pay.which I did five hours later after conducting my business ....a very humbling experience again !!!!!

[devil]

Yes, it would happen in the RoC, especially if you were known (perhaps not at big chain supermarkets, as the cashiers have no power of decision there). Many Mom and Pop shops keep credit accounts in a little black book open for regulars who pay at the end of the month.

[jambo]

Yes, Happened to my wife in pafos.
she was in the old town on business,
she walked by a shoe shop and a pair of shoes grabbed her eye,
she nipped into the shop to try them on, liked them,
and told the guy she would be back for them later,
as she had no money on her.
he asked her do you live here ? she said yes ,
then he said take them and drop the money in later .....
He had never met my wife before in his life ..

[andri_cy]

LOL mrmmfrog yes it can it has happened to me plenty in the RoC. We think we are different, but not so much after all huh?

[kafenes]

This is a true story told to me by a Russian couple.
They were walking in a village near the Paphos mountains and came across to a nice little cafe with one table and 2 chairs under the shade of a vine tree. An old man came out and greeted them and having problems with communicating they managed to tell the old man that they were hungry. The old man went inside and made them 2 halloumi sandwiches. Then the couple asked for some tea but the old man told them he didn't have any tea but only coffee. They said, how can a coffee shop not have any tea, to which the old man answered, "this no kafenio, this my house".

[Helen & David]

similar to this happened in Paphos..... we had a hire car and wanted to keep it an extra few days but was waiting for our wages in UK to clear, lovely chap said "no problem", pay when you bring the car back..

[BigDutch]

"this no kafenio, this my house".

legendary Cypriot hospitality.

I've been given the "no problem, pay later" option a number of times down here in the SW !

[kafenes]

This seemed to have been the Cypriot (TC or GC or any) attitude to never deny food or drink or shelter to another human being in need, whether being a friend or stranger or even enemy. Unfortunately it seems to be fading away slowly.

[simonwjones]

This was posted on a forum used by the ex-pat community in the North.

I have a very good only in TRNC......
I walked into Lemar the other day to buy one loaf of bread, just after they had opened, I only had a 50YTL note on me......the cashier asked if I had smaller change to which i responded no I havn't, and she said its ok you can have the bread, no charge we don't have any change.....can you imagine that in Waitrose or Tesco....etc...me thinks not.

Also a similar incident, pulled in filled up with diesel, and then realised I had no cash and all my cards were at home....its ok they said no problem come back later and pay.which I did five hours later after conducting my business ....a very humbling experience again !!!!!

I think it does!!

[devil]

A number of years ago, my wife and I were in Peristerona, wishing to view the unusual triple-apsed Byzantine church. It was locked, so we asked at the nearby kafenion and the owner sent his presumed son to find the guy with the key. In the meanwhile, we sat down and we ordered a mineral water for my wife and a metrio for yours truly. The guardian of the key came hurrying with a loaf of village bread under his arm; the boy had found him in the bakery. We stood up to pay the coffee shop, which was refused, saying that anyone who wanted to see the village church should have their drinks free. The guy opened the church for us and we enjoyed looking round it for, I guess, about 20 minutes. When we came out, the guy was sitting on a chair just outside. He stood up as we exited and spontaneously took out a wicked-looking pocket knife, without displaying any overt signs of hostility towards us. He hacked two large lumps of bread from his loaf and offered them to us, saying it was an honour for him to break his bread with us. We were largely touched by this hospitality towards two foreign strangers.

I wonder whether it would happen today????