Visible crew/equipment: At the end of the episode where everyone is cleaning up, there is a shadow of the boom mic on the wall. (00:29:05)
Visible crew/equipment: When the bald hotel guest asks Basil for his drinks and slams his hand on the table, in the next shot a boom mic can be seen briefly as it is pulled away. (00:24:05)
Visible crew/equipment: Near the start of the episode, after the guest has told Basil that he will only be staying until Sunday, Basil walks from the dining room to the office, and the shadow of the camera following Basil can be seen in the reflection of the studio lights in the picture above the Drawing Room door. (00:04:45)
Visible crew/equipment: When Basil asks the family sitting by the window to move, a boom mic can be seen in the top right hand corner. (00:16:05)
Answer: A possible explanation can be found here: http://tviv.org/Fawlty_Towers/Waldorf_Salad Quote: "This is, of course, sarcasm, as southern California in general and Los Angeles in particular is famous for its palm trees".
Mortug