Flew back from Dublin, Ireland, this past Thursday, on AerLingus. Shortly after takeoff an attendant got on the microphone and made this announcement: "Would the American passengers please not congregate near the galley at the back of the plane. That's a work area for the flight attendants."
Which prompted me to look at my seatmate, an Irish woman, quizzically. Why just the Americans, I wondered. She also thought it odd that the Americans had been singled out. Do we Americans have that reputation in the airline world: Congregators. Could be a good name for an international football team: The American Congregators.
I suppose this habit is related to that tendency of everyone to end up in your kitchen when you invite them to your house for a party. Even in the air, we're still looking for that hearth. Or is it that we're just hunting for extra peanuts?