'Poor' Americans get discount at famed Venice bar

reuters.com

Harry's Bar, the famous Venice restaurant where writer Ernest Hemingway used to hang out and sip martinis, is now offering a discount to "poor" American tourists who must contend with a weakened dollar, one that has resulted in horror stories about $40 ice creams and $10 bottles of water. A sign at Harry's reads:

Harry's Bar of Venice in an effort to make the American victims of subprime loans happier, has decided to give them a special 20% discount on all the items of the menu during the short term of their recovery.

Harry's owner, Arrigo Cipriani, says the number of American customers has fallen between 5 and 10 percent since January. His concern highlights similar worries that European tourism operators have about the weakened dollar.

But how will Harry's tell who's American? Cipriani told Reuters:

We will judge by the accent and if we make a mistake, we will give a 20 percent discount to the English as well.

Now may be a good time to learn to fake an American accent!