I did not sleep much last night, owing to a combination of pu-erh Chinese tea and going to bed at 2 am. If I do not sleep by 1.30 am I am certain not to sleep at all. So now, I am in this zombie-like state, fully awake but not refreshed, and experiencing stiffness and aching muscles all over. So I am not exactly thinking good thoughts. Prompted by two unpleasant dining experiences this week. The problem was not with the food, nor the service or ambience. Rather it was the customers. Let me explain.
It was the middle of the week, and I was enjoying my solitary lunch of toasted sandwich-cuppa tea-cookie at the Cedele Cafe at Great World City. The bread at this place comes from Bakery Depot, they taste good all the time and most are made from organic materials. The sandwiches come properly toasted, and filled with really crispy fresh vegetables and generous amounts of filling. I love their Ham and Cheese, and their grilled burger sandwich. Their cakes are also as consistent, my favourite being the Orange Cranberry cake. Being by myself, I did not want to occupy a whole table, so I sat as usual in the big wooden table in the middle of the cafe. This table also has padded stools that look more comfortable than the regular plastic chairs. There was one other female eating soup and bread at the diagonal end of the table. So I was flipping my magazine and eating my sandwich, when a group of office girls came in. They decided that the other tables were too small for their group, and proceeded to sit at the central table. There was more than enough seats to go round, but the leader of the group was offended that I place my handbag on one of the padded stools, and interrupted me to ask if I can put my bag on a plastic chair instead. I said no, since I figured there were enough seats for everyone. I also asked to be left alone, pointing out that the table is a communal one meant for sharing. She was not pleased with the answer, probably felt she has lost "face" in front of her colleagues, and from then on made remarks to suggest that I should not occupy such a big table. Non-stop, yap yap yap. Her colleagues giggled a bit and were not quite so hostile, but they were with her in spirit. The other lady at the table kept quiet, looking only at the wall, ate her soup and left the table soon after. The group then spread themselves out more, occupying more territory. I pretend not to notice them and continued to read my magazine and eat my sandwiches, but I was really just going through the motions. I just wanted to show that I had every right to be there, and to be dignified about it. Finally, when I left, she openly and loudly expressed her relief. I was so disturbed about the experience I called up the owner of the cafe, Ms Yeap. I don't know her personally, but there are articles about her bakery in the web. Ms Yeap confirmed that the table was indeed meant for communal use, and she commented that disputes over the table happens all the time in her other outlets (except for the city branch which has a very long table). Communal tables are common in Australian cafes, but not in Singapore. Those office girls may not know about communal sharing, but it does not take away the fact that no matter how righteous they felt their claim to the table was, I and the other lady were there first. I paid nearly $10 for my lunch and I was fully entitled to sit at that table. Later in the evening, as I relate the story to my husband, he said that next time I should just call him and he would come straightaway and fight it out with those twits. My Hero!!!
The other incident occured last night, at one of our favourite neighbourhood Chinese restaurants The Peach Garden. It was a busy Saturday night as usual, and our group of four were eating our dinner at a table just in front of the main counter. A group of 6-8 Chinese adults came in, they appear to be from the same family since they look quite alike. There was an elderly lady among them, and the rest were females save one flamboyantly dressed man in his 30s- and he started complaining loudly and dramatically (in a queenly fashion) that he had reservations for 8.30 and why does he have to wait for a table. The restaurant was in full swing then, but the staff mobilised themselves. What they did was to remove the screen from a private room, and moved another couple's table a little, to make room for this group. In the meantime, these bunch of people gathered themselves around the counter, to order their food. After ordering, they remained at the counter, some even Behind the counter. There was only 8 inches of space between the counter and my husband's chair. Husband had to endure the women's ( and the queen's) bums brushing by his chair for almost 20 minutes. I was not left out either, some of them also positioned themselves behind my chair. I don't understand why they had to stand around our table when there are plenty of seats outside the restaurant, and it was not raining last night. Yes, they had reservations, but will they die of starvation if they were seated a little late? I recognise them as frequent diners, because I go there quite frequently too. Hell, they could be owners in this restaurant too, judging from the way the staff deferred to them, but they behaved like the lunch crowd at food courts. You know, where the seats are scarce and people gather around your table waiting to jump on your table the minute you finish eating. Since my MIL was at that table, I kept quiet and did not complain to the management. The lady owner did aplogise to us when we left, which closed the issue for us. But again, this highlighted how ugly people can get, no matter how rich or priveleged they are.
Gripe over. I will go and have brunch and later, I will post some pictures that were taken yesterday when husband made fish cakes, from real fish!
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