Is courtesy our way of life?
I just had to post this. My family and some friends went to have breakfast this morning after church service. There were 10 of us. The restaurant we went to is usually quite crowded on a Sunday morning but they have tables set out for 4 to 12 people so finding a table to accomodate 10 people should not be that big of a problem. While waiting for a table to be made available, my wife said that there was a table in the back room that is able to accomodate all of us. We went there and sure enough, there was a set of table for 12 and another for 6. However, there was a family of 4 already seated at the table for 12. I saw the waiter talking to the lady sitting and she shook her head. The waiter came back and said that the lady did not want to move so we either split or wait. Fortunately, another set of tables for 12 became available in another room.
I asked my wife what happened. She said that the man in the group of 4 (who is probably the husband since there is also a young child in the group) had earlier agreed to move to the table for 6 since there were only 4 of them. However, when we arrived and the waiter went to request them to move, the man was outside and the lady (who is probably the wife) did not want to move. As I looked at the tables in that room, I was wondering why would the lady want to occupy the tables set for 12 when there are only 4 of them. Such behaviour baffles me and perhaps, that is also the reason why we have people who will not give way in a narrow road and will claim right of way in every encounter. While we teach our children to stand up for their rights, we should also teach them to be magnanimous and courteous as well.
Ah well, life goes on.
I asked my wife what happened. She said that the man in the group of 4 (who is probably the husband since there is also a young child in the group) had earlier agreed to move to the table for 6 since there were only 4 of them. However, when we arrived and the waiter went to request them to move, the man was outside and the lady (who is probably the wife) did not want to move. As I looked at the tables in that room, I was wondering why would the lady want to occupy the tables set for 12 when there are only 4 of them. Such behaviour baffles me and perhaps, that is also the reason why we have people who will not give way in a narrow road and will claim right of way in every encounter. While we teach our children to stand up for their rights, we should also teach them to be magnanimous and courteous as well.
Ah well, life goes on.
posted by Guy in the glass at 6:14 PM
8 Comments:
table/rights/magnanimous/courteous all aside...
u did not say if they've already gotten their food - i guess not. if their food already placed in-front of them and with a kid, i guess i will be d@mn reluctant to move too. practically speaking.
otoh, in such busy shop, after u ordered and you moved away to a new table can simply mean u miss your food and a very annoyed hawker-auntie yelling.....
my practical approaches :
1/ be prepared to split into two or more tables,
2 / avoid such busy shop,
3 / avoid going in a big gang.
so - did u get your 10-ppl-table as happy ending ?
btw - i learnt a new word : magnanimous
>>> uncle, ngoh geh chee-cheong-fun leh ? fai-dit lar...
You are right. They have not gotten their food. In fact, the guy came back with the food after the lady declined to move. Since it is the guy who agreed to in the first place, I am not sure if he was surprised they did not move.
And this is a restaurant, not a coffe shop lah.
Yes, we moved to the other table and enjoyed our meal.
Aiyah... like that also you get upset ah?
It's a Malaysian thing... everyone wants to live within their circle of influence. Don't bother me and I won't bother you. So, to the lady who was hogging the table...she's probably thinking, "Too Bad! Not my problem you dont have seat... I don't need anything from you, so why should I give you anything?"
Sad you say? Well, I think that's Malaysia Boleh!
Circle of influence? Hogging is more like it. There were other places that could seat 6 people comfortably...
More "dog in the manger", if you ask me...
i don't need an answer to this question : "will u moved if you were in her situation ?"
I will move, if asked nicely.
I will not, if I'm already halfway eating.
Looks like the point has been missed. The guy in the group agreed. The lady decided she did not want to move. The environment has not changed. All the dependencies raised were not there, eg. they had not started eating.
That's the reason I have titled this blog "Is courtesy our way of life?". Nothing to do with whether it is my problem or yours.
It takes all kinds......
Not everyone is like that. Perhaps that person was in a bad mood at that moment in time and may be quite courteous at other times. Also, when we're in deep thought, we may sometimes hear without listening and our first reaction is usually to say "no".
Sometimes it pays to politely ask twice.
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