I take your point and I might well agree with it. Counter-point is: the native majority (or quasi-majority) in a given location is in no obligation to behave in a certain way to please the occasional tourist or love seeker...or is it?Jester wrote:For our purposes here at HA, the purpose of connecting and making a new life overseas, if all the good Lombards of Milano are tucked away safely in their homes, cocooning, then the city is INDEED majority immigrant -- for our purposes.
This is something I used to tell Eurobrat back in the days: when in Rome, do as Romans do. It's that simple. If it's all about closely knit social circles and you want to spend time in a bar thinking your destiny will serve you a good one with a beer and a side of chips, then feel free - but disappointment might ensue. If you read one of his latest posts about Berlin, he's talking about having a job that integrated him well in the local scene, friends and house parties. He didn't really "crack the code", he simply learned to go with the local flow.
And besides...if 50% you find on the streets of Glendale California are Filipinos, does it mean any tourist can start talking to a cute Fil-Am on his first day hitting the road? That doesn't sound so bad