Mate

Call me old fashioned if you like, but I hate being called 'mate' by complete strangers. It is bad enough from someone I know, albeit I don't know many people who would do it. From a scruffy young waiter in a Pizza Hut it is insufferable. Since when was I his 'mate'? Why does he think it is alright to say that? I am his customer and, as such, he should show a modicum of respect, particularly if he wants a tip. Oh, and my beer came in a bottle with no glass to pour it into, so I had to request one. He then gave me a choice of a straight one or a bulbous one, for which I suppose I should be grateful.
I am not asking to be called 'sir' by anyone, although I have just been called that in the hotel bar here, which was reassuring after this pizza-abuse.
In fact, I don't blame the dishevelled waiter, I blame his training, or lack of it. If he calls everyone 'mate', then why should he treat me any differently? Pizza Hut should know better though, particularly if they want their customers to feel valued and not inclined to rant on their blogs.
The intelligent reader of this will realise that I predict certain people now calling me 'mate' for a while, just to try to wind me up. That's OK, it's the penalty I will pay for honesty about how I feel.