In the Taj Mahal curry house, Douglas, Isle of Man
So I'm telling a (not very interesting, not worth repeating) anecdote from that year's summer holiday, when we flew on a German airline and the stewards were a bit clueless.

Next thing I know, there is a scruffy middle-aged guy wearing a sea captain's cap standing next to me.

"Excuse me. My name is Captain Schmidt. I am German."

"er...pleased to meet you..."

"You ver talking about ze var, yes?"

"No, just about my summer holiday."

"Yes you ver, you ver talking about ze second vorld var vith ze English and ze Germans."

"No, really I wasn't, it was just a German plane."

Work colleagues are all cracking up and not offering a word of support.

It took about five minutes to convince him (and I had to suggest he asked the people at the next table in case they'd heard the original conversation better than he had). I thought he was going to pull out his Luger and shoot me.

In one of those esprit d'escalier moments, I later realised I should have asked if he'd parked his U-boat out in the bay.
(rogerzilla, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 18:55, 5 replies)

If it had been in Cork, I imagine that quip about the U-Boat would have got you shot.
Neutral, my arse.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 18:57, closed)

if they can't take a joke
then they shouldn't have lost the war!

...Is another thing it isnt advisable to say to their faces
(Carpe Cyprinidae, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 19:15, closed)

wars

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 19:21, closed)

well
there's no sense in rubbing it in toooo much after all
(Carpe Cyprinidae, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 19:46, closed)

I beg to differ. Anyho', they've won now.

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 20:00, closed)

Was this the Taj Mahal round the corner from The Empress Hotel? I've eaten there, it's a dump. Not unlike the entire island
(Bob the Builder killed Captain Alex, Fri 13 Dec 2013, 22:27, closed)

that's the one
up a sort of alleyway. I have a new job and no longer need to go there regularly. w00t.
(rogerzilla, Sat 14 Dec 2013, 7:46, closed)

The last time I went to the Isle of Man was 1980.
Is it still full of scousers who didn't quite make enough money to move to a proper foreign country?
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Sat 14 Dec 2013, 9:04, closed)

actually some of the serving staff are scousers
there is such a shortage of proper Indians/Bangladeshis on the IoM that they once had a middle-aged Ted (think 8 Ace from Viz) working in the Taj Mahal as a waiter.
(rogerzilla, Sat 14 Dec 2013, 10:35, closed)

A friend of mine went on a cruise of the Western Isles and met a former U-boat captain also on holiday.
"Ever been here before then?" he asked.

"Nein, no shipping." was the reply.
(Woodlouse say it with flowers. Send her a Triffid, Sat 14 Dec 2013, 10:35, closed)