You have made a reservation and booked the exact seats for your family but when you reach the place, you found others sitting down at the reserved place. Does it sound familiar? Image source: Raw Pixel on Pexel.com)
Uthaya of the famed THR Raaga told this story in this morning radio show:-
He and his wife were invited to a function.
He was required to confirm his attendance and was required his card to the function for the organisers to get his seats. Seats were limited. He did what was required accordingly but when he and his wife arrived and about take their seats, they noticed a large family have taken their seats.
Despite showing the card, the family refused to budge and asked Uthaya to go somewhere else. Uthaya found out that family did not reserve the seats for the children and decided to them along at the last minute.
It was sometime before Uthaya and his wife finally got their seats but the mood for the evening was spoilt.
Uthaya asked if anyone else had the same problem. I encountered similar problems in these 2 situations:-
Seat In Dinner Function
This is normally where we have wedding cum dinner.
We would normally arrive early (no Malaysian time for us) and get the best seats around and usually reserve for our closest relatives. Anyone who is not familiar to us, we usually would ask them to buzz off.
But here is the problem – the people who we reserve the seats for, would usually come in late. In between, we get uncles and aunties who we cannot simply shoo away (they are relatives, not strangers), seating on our reserved seats – at first to chat but later permanently make that seats theirs and they will then refuse to move away.
To make things worse; they will call others to squeeze in on the available spaces.
The thick-skinned ones would even have the nerves to ask us to seat somewhere else just because they want to have a conversation with others (usually other latecomers) and the others do not have seats at the front (damn, who asked them to come late?). We usually refuse to move but when it comes to the time to take our food, we usually lose the stronghold on the seats.
I lost count of the times I returned with a plateful of food and my seat is taken up by some old relatives and I end up eating whilst standing.
As if there is a lack of humour, very often, I will be asked by the very person who is seating on my seat why I am standing and not sitting down to take my dinner. Thankfully, I would have my mouth full of food to say that someone “stole” my seat.
Seat In Flights
You know the routine right? You check-in your heavy luggage, get your seat number on the boarding pass (if you are lucky, you can even choose your preferred seats), you get ready for boarding and once you have boarded, you quickly make your way to your seat and sit in for timely departure.
But then again, nothing is too perfect.
On my very first flight to Dubai, I boarded the plane and found a big sized Arab seating on my seat along with his friend (who was seating on my friend’s seat). We gave the buggers an angry look and showed our boarding pass but the Arabs after looking at us, gave that “go seat somewhere else” look.
I told my friend (in a loud voice) – “it looks like we have idiots sitting on our seats” and that gave a wake-up call to the Arabs and they finally moved when the stewardess overhead us, came to investigate and asked them to return to their original seats.
My friends who fly often have encountered the same problem (not all the time but it does happen). One bugger decided that his family need to seat together in a very packed flight so he took over other people seats.
There was a big commotion where tired passengers embarked and found themselves without empty seats as stated on their boarding pass.
My friend, Anil had the same problem on his flight back from Iran and the bugger who was sitting with his family refused to move.
The stewardess (somehow powerless to argue with this idiot) asked my friend to seat somewhere else but after several times moving, he had enough and complaint about losing his original seat. The stewardess, in the end, decided to move in him to Business Class for free.
People taking up your seats are akin to queue jumpers who take up your spot in the queue. They may be our close relatives or they may be highly educated person and most of the times, they are nice people but the problem is when they take up our seats, they end up looking selfish, inconsiderate and self-centred.
Ain’t some Malaysians as well as some Singaporeans too, an incorrigible lot? I have been to many formal dinners, weddings especially, where the hosts were trying to be meticulous and insisted on guests to confirm their attendance including the number of people they want to bring with them long before the occasion date but on the day, guests came with more people than they had indicated, especially relatives. My wife and I were denied seats many times after confirming our attendance at formal weddings because some guests brought their children and did not inform the host earlier. It was quite embarrassing, for me and for the host as well.
The other thing I notice often is that some Malaysians and some Singaporeans too, do not know how to dress properly when attending dinners even after the host specifically states in their invitation cards the proper attire.
So, whenever I become a host, I always make ready some spare tables and food, just in case and will keep on reminding the guests what to wear for the occasion.
Thank you.
hak55
Hak55, agree – we are still far from understanding what is proper to do and wear when we go for formal dinners. We miss that in the education system and from the parents who suppose to guide the younger generation, hence the repeat of the cycle in future.
The other thing is that most Malaysians, be it Chinese, Malays, Indians or others, do not know how to eat properly and one can often see people spitting out food everywhere; worst still, at formal dinners, including some politicians, ministers and ex-minsters, mind you!
When will they ever change for the better?
The spitting part is the worse!