February 14, 2011 12:01 AM PST
The train was quite crowded and an American traveler walked the entire length looking for a seat. There seemed to be one next to a well-dressed French woman from Paris, but when he got there, he saw it was occupied by the woman's dog. The weary traveler asked, "Ma'am, may I have that seat?"
The woman sniffed and said to no one in particular, "Americans are so rude. My little dog is using that seat."
The American walked the entire train again, but the only seat available was where the dog was sitting. "Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired."
She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude, you are also arrogant!"
This time the American didn't say a word; he just picked up the little dog, tossed it in the luggage rack and sat down.
The woman shrieked, "Someone defend me! Put this American in his place!"
An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up. "Sir, you Americans seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road. You arrange the cylinders on your motorcycles the wrong way. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch in the luggage rack.
