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Q: Waitresses standing next to you when you look at the menu
Does it help you focus more on what you want to order on the menu? Or does it stress you out, especially when their body languages starts suggesting that you are taking a long time?
One time I took two minutes at a BBQ, so the waitress called the manager over to "help" me. I had to sit through him blabbering at me through my sticks of greased blubber.
they do it because they are not trained....simple as that!
They get the hint when I start slowly going page to page looking at the whole damn menu. The problem is the majority of Chinese just open up the menu to a random page or 2, blindly order 5 or 6 dishes they will never finish, all within a few seconds. The few of us in the world actually like to take our time viewing the menu and seeing all of our choices is rare it seems.
The least they could do while standing there is recommend some of the chef's best dishes, or what is most popular with the regulars. However, they don't actually get trained for this job, they are thrown to the wolves on day 1 to be an order taker and clerk with money.
Nessquick:
so true. I always tell them, let they come later and bring me cold beer first. it take them about half an hour in a deep freezer, so I have enough time to list the menu 
JustinF:
The problem is that if you ask them to recommend you their best dishes, they'll only recommend you what is value for money for them, i.e.. what is the easiest to prepare at the highest price
You get that? I have a hard time getting a waitress to even pay any attention to me. They almost never come to me unless I call them, and even then it's difficult. If they stood there while I looked at the menu, I'd feel happier since I order quickly.
Waitresses generally have no knowledge of whats on the menu. you choose, they write it down.
They will only give you one menu even if there are four of you at the table.
The will tell the chef to cook the food so that everyone eats at a different ten minute interval. You are not allowed to eat you food together.
You can only have the starter with the main course, or after it. Starters do not come first.
You cannot finish a long glass of coffee, you must leave about 25% of your drink in the glass so that they can take it away when you are not looking.
Traveler:
You forgot that dessert always gets served before the main mail 
dandmcd:
Everything you just said is so true, haha. The 1 menu per table thing is really annoying, I haven't figured out why they think that it s a good idea.
The worst thing for me is when you order 2 or 3 different things, and 20 minutes later they come back to say they are out of that item. Thanks for wasting my time while I'm here starving! When you ask what might be available, they have no clue. None of these people could tell you anything about their own menu. If you asked what are some good things to order, they will just give you a blank stare. I think tipping is an annoying but necessary thing in America, but at least the waiters deserve every penny there, they know the menu inside and out, and rarely make mistakes. American waiters have to actually earn their money, unlike those here who work at a minimum "I don't give a rip about this job ,and neither does my boss about me" wage.
I just order a beer and tell them to go get that first.
It stresses me out especially when Im eating with foreign visitors or friends who look at the menu for ages and can't make up their minds and the waitress gets visibly impatient. I wish they'd just go away for 5 minutes to leave you look through the menu in peace and without the time pressure.
