73: Yellow ticket #116

My cousin sister and her husband and daughter in China came to HK yesterday and they will leave today, so we went to a restaurant in Mongkok this morning. Mum and I went to the restaurant to find tables first and they continued their shopping.

As expected, there were lots of people holding number tickets waiting for tables around the entrance counter. There are 3 kinds of number tickets: red for 4 people; yellow 5-7people; green for large tables, and there is a display board for the numbers in 3 colours.

We have 5 people altogether and hold a yellow ticket numbered #116. The numbers for red tickets were displayed frequently and the broad is displaying yellow #112 now. We have waited for about half an hour and more than 20 red numbers have been displayed and there are only 2 yellow numbers and 2 green numbers. Mum started to get impatient. I start to think, are there so many square tables in the restaurant so that all people come in are in 4? So when another red number is displayed, I follow the people secretly. Oh! They get a rounded table and even 6 people can fill up the rounded people! Why not display yellow numbers??? This is totally contradicted to efficiency!

When I go back to the waiting area, I already see Mum was “talking” to the PR and asked lots of questions. I asked the PR, ‘Why the group in 4 went in just now would sit in a rounded table which can fill up 6 headcount? Why not call yellow tickets for this rounded table?’ ‘Sir, please wait, when there is table, we will call you.’ ‘Madam, I think this is not an answer. Do you think it is very unreasonable to let a group of 4 sitting in a table for 6?’ The PR was silent … …

Those ‘see lais’ waiting around are even more crazy. See lai A said, ‘(Sir) You have to wait ga la. Many people are still waiting. Be more patient la.’ See lai B proceeded, ‘Break into 2 small tables lor. A family of 8 can eat in 2 separate small tables ma. It’s perfectly ok wor. Or next time you can also get another red ticket. It’s faster ma.’ Oh my god, they still don’t understand my point!!

Suddenly, less than 30 seconds, yellow #115 appears … … No one come forward, and our longing #116!!!!! Finally comes!!!!! See lai A or B said, ‘It’s understandable gae … … waited for so long and still no table. If I were them, I would also be angry.’ Oh~! These ‘see lais’ are totally negligible. No point at all, haha … … Mum said to me, ‘The yellow #115 was so angry that they left probably.’ Yes, I also think so.

We see our table and it is a rounded table, the kind that can sit for 6 people. Finally, we get it … … after 40 minutes of wait. But there are the PR, See lai A and See lai B, it’s worth, as a real-life case for studying people’s characters.