The Black Hole"What a lovely dinner. The restaurant was charming, food tasty and service prompt. And I don't think it will send me to the emergency room. Let me see if I can get the check. Hey, where is everyone?"
Ahh, the black hole. In our time traveling, Erin and I have noticed a subtle yet powerful phenomenon in restaurants around SE Asia. Much like it's stellar cousin, the restaurant black hole can be found by looking for what you don't see - anybody in the restaurant who actually works there.
Let me explain.
We have noticed that there is little correlation between the service during the meal and what happens immediately after your food is delivered. On the contrary, it seems to be nearly ubiquitous that food delivery equals service over. Time to head out back to have a smoke or take a nap on the cot in the kitchen or just wander off somewhere.
Seriously, we have encountered all these and more as we tried to pay for a meal. Where once there were four or more people eagerly taking drink orders and bringing food (although rarely clearing dirty dishes), now there are none.
There have been times when I have had to head into the kitchen, calling as if into a large cavern, hearing echoes come back to me. Helloooo, anyone around?
It is truly one of the mysteries of our time in Asia. To be fair, this scenario is more common in small towns and family-run places than in Bangkok's glittering nouveau establishments.
Yet it has happened enough that we began to take notice. And as we looked for what wasn't there, we could see a blank spot forming on the restaurant universe. Light bent around the end of the meal and all waitrons were pulled inexorably into a hole by a gravitational force many times stronger than our sun's.
Ahh, the black hole. In our time traveling, Erin and I have noticed a subtle yet powerful phenomenon in restaurants around SE Asia. Much like it's stellar cousin, the restaurant black hole can be found by looking for what you don't see - anybody in the restaurant who actually works there.
Let me explain.
We have noticed that there is little correlation between the service during the meal and what happens immediately after your food is delivered. On the contrary, it seems to be nearly ubiquitous that food delivery equals service over. Time to head out back to have a smoke or take a nap on the cot in the kitchen or just wander off somewhere.
Seriously, we have encountered all these and more as we tried to pay for a meal. Where once there were four or more people eagerly taking drink orders and bringing food (although rarely clearing dirty dishes), now there are none.
There have been times when I have had to head into the kitchen, calling as if into a large cavern, hearing echoes come back to me. Helloooo, anyone around?
It is truly one of the mysteries of our time in Asia. To be fair, this scenario is more common in small towns and family-run places than in Bangkok's glittering nouveau establishments.
Yet it has happened enough that we began to take notice. And as we looked for what wasn't there, we could see a blank spot forming on the restaurant universe. Light bent around the end of the meal and all waitrons were pulled inexorably into a hole by a gravitational force many times stronger than our sun's.
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