More Ugly Singaporeans

It seems like once I left the relatively-cloistered environs of a school, I'm getting to witness more and more scenes of Ugly Singaporeans. Take today for example:

I met Wes at O'Brien's at City Link Mall for a quick bite. He had just gone to the SH2004 exhibition and I was on my way to the National Library. Before he arrived, a hatchet-faced, pinched-voice woman in the queue in front of me got into a little something with the serving staff.

Apparently she'd ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad. But, could the server please add a serving of tuna to it as well? [Note that tuna is not an item that's usually found on an O'Brien's CCS.]

Sure, but it'll cost another dollar.

Oh, she says, and then taking all of the next five minutes to consider (of course I'm exaggerating, it was only four minutes. Bear in mind, there were other people in the line, including her lunch companion), how about you give me half-a-serving of chicken and half-a-serving of tuna?

Um, no, I can't do that. Even if I did, it'll still be a dollar.

Her voice shriller now: I'm sure you can.

Says the server-who-doesn't-make-the-rules-and-doesn't-really-get-paid-to-do-so-and-REALLY-shouldn't-give-a-damn, really, I can't.

But it's only a half serving of each. You're being unreasonable. I'm already paying one dollar for the chicken. Can't it be fifty cents for the chicken and fifty cents for the tuna?

I'm sorry, ma'am.

[Grudgingly] Fine. Give me the chicken only.

And people in the queue rejoiced. Then...

I don't want salad cream with that.

Uh, I've already put it in.

No, really. I don't want salad cream with my salad. Throw that away.

End result? Poor server had to toss the salad (no pun intended) and make a new one. And in the time it took the server to make the new salad, the witch was complaining loudly to her friend about the bad service in the outlet.

Sorry, you're getting no sympathy from me. And you know what lady? How about looking at it this way: the chicken and tuna servings are fifty cents each, the extra dollar is for the crap you just put everyone through. I mean, seriously, and the part about the salad cream? That could have been mentioned a lot earlier. Like, when you first ordered?

Someone told me recently the best way to see a person's true character is how she treats people who are in a subservient position (wait staff, counter staff, service providers, etc, ie, people who have to deal with you and be nice, no matter what) because you can never tell if she's genuinely nice when she's dealing her superiors or if she's just sucking up to them.

Words to live by, I think.

***

To the National Library at Stamford Road: goodbye old friend, and thanks for the memories.