Tuesday, July 26

You think I like cleaning tables?

It’s confirmed. We Malaysians are a lazy lot. General sweeping statement, I agree, but let me give you one example of how this really bothers me. This really takes the cake as the situation that irks me the most.

Hubby and I go to our neighbourhood McD’s. We order our meal, pay and get a place to sit and enjoy our food. I look at all the smiley faces of kids running around the place with straws in their hands. Never mind they can poke their eyes out. As long as they’re happy. I see young couples on their dates and smile to myself. Never mind they don’t look old enough to be 13. As long as they’re happy. I glance at the mother who is trying her best to make her four kids and a baby sit and eat with civility. Never mind that two of them are eating fries off the floor. As long as they’re happy. I look over at the table next to me and… ack!!!! I see a tray littered with wrappers and leftovers and paper napkins everywhere. Along comes another couple and what do they do? They take the tray and without so much as flinching, they nonchalantly place the tray at another not-so-desired-but-perfectly-clean table. And why in heaven’s name…. why? Why do people do that? It really disgusts me.

Why can’t people clean up after themselves in self-serve restaurants? Is it really too much to ask? Ten seconds of your oh-so-precious time just to clean your table (and your mess, might I add) and put the rubbish in the bins and place the trays on top. Most of the time it’s the mat sallehs who clean up after themselves. I bet you, if you were overseas and saw people cleaning up after themselves, you would follow suit and you wouldn’t even give it a second thought. So how come foreigners can do it but we can’t even be bothered to keep clean? Is it considered degrading to do that? Is it beneath your station? Does it put you behind your schedule, which I’m sure is more important than anyone else’s on this planet? Or is it that you just wanna get your 17 sen worth of service tax? Do we still pay this? And even if we do, what’s the big deal? Clean up your mess!

If you’ve noticed, there’s a sign in Ikea’s restaurant that states why you should clear up your own table. Does it work? Well, truthfully, I’ve seen more people try to clear up their own tables in Ikea’s than I have in McD’s. Is it because you don’t know that you have to do so? If you didn’t, well newsflash to you. I don’t appreciate going to some eating place and not being able to find a clean table, or worse, having to clear up other people’s leftovers. I’m sure you don’t either. Be a little bit more considerate okay. That’s all I ask.

2 comments:

mudslinger said...

true true... well, it's never too late to learn a good habit!

mudslinger said...

jocelyn,
be my guest.
thanks for stopping by....