Restaurant

Someone recently complained that the serving boy in a hotel dipped all his five fingers into a tumbler while fetching drinking water; this brought out the indignant repudiation from the manager, ‘How could he have had all the five fingers in? It must have bee only four. Otherwise he could not have carried the tumbler.’ This seems to me typical of the utter divergence in outlook between two sections of the present-day population: those who visit hotels and those who run them. Probably in order to improve the situation a questionnaire was sent out sometime ago, intended to catch all aspects of the problem. I believe when the
investigators attempted to elicit facts all that they got was complaints form the servers regarding work and wages, complaints from hotel-goers regarding quality, quantity, cost and everything. I think the committee gathered a voluminous quantity of paper, properly filled up. It is probably too early even to say what they will do with it.

Most people are miles away from their homes at tiffin time. This is a characteristic of urban life. Students, office-goers, businessmen, have no choice in the matter. It would be unthinkable for a man from Adyar working in First Line Beach to return home for his afternoon coffee; nor can he wait till the closing of his office. At office awaiting the tiffin-break is one of the pleasantest states of existence. When on returns to one’s desk an hour later chewing a beeda one has definitely acquired a pleasanter outlook. Now I would like to examine what has happened to the man between his leaving his office table and returning to it an hour later,. No doubt when he returns out friend is chewing betel leaves and looking the picture of satisfaction but he has been through a trial.

He goes to his favorite hotel as fast as his feet can take him, but he cannot enter it. He has to wait, then push his way through a file of others moving in, and finally stand in a corner scanning the hall for a vacant seat. It is most...