March 2011 Archives

R and I had supper at a restaurant which usually gives us 50% discount when we use a certain card*.

However, this time, we only had one main course and one starter and drinks (as I wasn’t feeling too hungry). When the bill came, the waiter told us that he couldn’t give us the 50% discount, as we needed to order two main courses first.

So we ended up with a silly situation: If we paid up then, our meal would have cost about $50; if we ordered an extra main course (at around $20) the meal would have cost $(50+20)/2 = $35

We thought we could order a pizza and bring it home. The waiter said no, we must consume the pizza on the premises (!!!). We decided that we should still order the pizza anyway and eat what we can, because it would save us $15.

Because this waiter stuck so firmly to the rules, his kitchen would have to cook an extra dish which we would barely eat. If the pizza cost $10 to make (ingredients and labour), that would be the restaurant’s loss. If he just gave us the discount without forcing us to order an extra main dish, the kitchen wouldn’t have to cook a new dish, and he would have freed up 2 seats (i.e. the opportunity cost of serving more patrons) instead of making us wait around longer.

To avoid wasting the pizza, we told the couple sitting next to us that they could have some of it too. They seemed happy with that.

However, 30 minutes passed and no pizza arrived, and the couple beside us left. On checking, we were told by the same waiter that the kitchen never received our pizza order. He looked sheepish about it, and offered to give us half price off our existing bill (without the pizza).

Now, it made me think that two things may have happened:

1) The waiter knew he couldn’t bend the rules for this special restaurant card we had. But he did have leeway in giving disgruntled customers a discount. So he let our order lapse, and compensated us with the 50% that we wanted, in the first place. His kitchen didn’t have to make a pizza. Clever!

2) The waiter really was a stickler for the rules, and genuinely forgot our order. We think this is more likely the case.

But still, it’s literally given me food for thought - when should we stick to the standard operating procedures, and when do we close one eye to avoid putting both parties in a worse position?

(* Note: I’m not sure how this discount system works behind the scenes, but think that the card company compensates the restaurant for the discounts given, as the membership fee is pretty high)

There’s plenty of information and commentary on the ongoing crisis in Japan, so I won’t go into that. What I will delve into is what will happen after all this is over. [Disclaimer: I am not a scientist, and hope that my terminology is accurate for the purposes of this post]

Re-assessment of nuclear technology

Nuclear technology is still arguably ‘clean’, but given the human tendency of risk aversion, especially when great catastrophes have recently occurred, Governments would likely put nuclear projects on hold, especially if the reactors are located near fault lines. Citizens in countries like Germany, already opposed to nuclear energy, will protest with an even louder voice, and politicians all around the world will listen to their electorate - especially when elections are near.

Countries and companies that stand to lose out would be the ones that promote and export nuclear technology, such as France. Until current fears abate, the citizenry living within a 3km20 to 30km radius of a nuclear plant may live in uncertainty, and (from a Singaporean perspective!) the land value is unlikely to go up. Obama and his energy secretary will have to review their endorsements of nuclear energy, at least for now.

Rise in other forms of energy generation, particularly green power

The world is growing and needs more energy every day. If nuclear energy is no longer the popular option, then Governments will increasingly turn to alternative sources within their means. Advocates of alternative sources of power will seize this opportunity to sell their solutions. The more educated, well-off and conscience-driven populaces will prefer green power, and companies seeking to hone their corporate social responsibility credentials are likely to capitalise on this.

However, I wonder what less developed countries will do, as their population swells and demands more energy. China is flush with cash and power hungry, but remember that its Beijing residents felt the tremors all the way from Japan. India, with less developed infrastructure, may adopt a different approach. Both countries have not been known for a particularly strong environmental record.

Status quo for countries mainly using nuclear power

It isn’t cheap to set up a nuclear power plant, so countries that are already dependent on nuclear power are unlikely to take down everything and rebuild alternative power plants, even though that could technically be classified as a ‘sunk cost’. At most, extra safety measures will be put in place, with public education and early warning systems. Government agencies will have to inspire confidence among citizens that their nuclear plants are safe and able to withstand natural disasters.

You have to be thankful for the Mosaic Music festival. Decades ago, it was unusual for big acts to come to Singapore as part of a series; now the young generation can take it for granted.

It seemed like that was happening, as R and I looked around us, wondering why one-third of the seats had yet to be filled at 7.30pm (the appointed time of the concert) despite this being a triple Grammy award-winning act.

“Is the jazz scene in Singapore truly dying?” I asked myself, echoing the laments of my jazz piano teacher, Victor Pillay, who himself was a live jazz musician for many years. I didn’t want to believe it. Looking at the chunks of empty seats in the most expensive section, it looked like the price points for tickets were not calibrated well enough. The back row behind us was completely empty as well. Fortunately, more latecomers trickled in throughout the performance so it didn’t look too bad in the end.

Around me were mostly expats and some yuppie Singaporeans - those in their thirties and above. Among the expats were quite a number of grey and white heads, and from their accents, they were probably American. Definitely not representative of the Singapore population, whose tastes, I imagine, are much more mainstream.

Unusually, the concert started late, so that allowed for latecomers to be seated. Finally Charlie Haden and his band appeared on stage. As a relatively casual listener of Charlie Haden’s music (mainly the works done in collaboration with Pat Metheny), I was surprised to see how slowly he moved on stage. As the artiste in residence for this festival, he thanked the Mosaic team for making his stay a good one, and also praised the medical team at Raffles Hospital, who helped remove his kidney stone. [Turns out that he just underwent the procedure the day before - making me appreciate all the more his efforts on stage that night!]

It was announced that this was the band’s 25th year anniversary, which is remarkable. I was reminded again of Haden’s age when he announced that he was performing a song he recorded in 1957. I recalled a writeup which mentioned he played with jazz greats like John Coltrane - long departed.

Haden and his bandmen played First Song, something he wrote for his wife, a calypso, and another piece on what I think was either ‘Hello My Lovely’ or ‘Sophisticated Ladies’, which was the title of his latest CD. There was another piece that meandered into what reminded me of Coltrane’s Ascension, which I didn’t like very much because it gave me prolonged indigestion. But overall, it was a pleasing performance which garnered two standing ovations from most of the audience.

Every now and then, Haden humorously made a sales pitch for his latest CD, which features female singers like Diana Krall and Norah Jones. His spoken humour matched his deliberately offbeat pace on the bass, which gave texture to the music.

What perked me up most were the numbers towards the end - his little ‘surprise’ for us, which turned out to be Miles Davis’ Blue in Green. It began very much like the original, almost as if Coltrane was playing the tenor sax - but of course, Haden’s Quartet infused the rest of the piece with its own style.

Overall, it was pleasant, but now I understand what a fellow jazz lover meant when he told me he was skipping this concert (despite being a serious amateur bassist and fan of Haden). Don’t expect a high-energy visual performance from this quartet - just kick up your heels and listen.

As always, I just wish that this sort of thing could be done in a cosy little jazz cafe, not in a formal concert hall.