From ST Forums
I AM an ang moh who has been living in Singapore for about eight
years now and wonder if I am the only one who has noticed the
increasingly selective deafness of Singapore waiters in
conversations concerning ice water.
Me: Dear waiter, can I have lots of food and maybe wine at whatever
price you want, plus ice water?
Waiter: Still or sparkling, sir?
Me: Ice water.
Waiter: Would you like ice in your mineral water, sir?
Me: No - regular ice water.
Waiter: We have still and sparkling mineral water, sir.
I notice some are now even refusing point blank to serve regular
ice water. On top of the basic food charges there may well be
service charge, cover charge and all the other add-ons.
I always find those add-ons in themselves irritating. (Why not just
say that a dish cost $10 or $100 instead of saying $9 +++) Mineral
water is simply becoming another Plus Plus Plus Plus Plus and it is
very clear that waiting staff are under firm orders to push the
stuff, in many cases beyond the point of customer irritation.
The real reason, of course, is the fat margins. We are all well
aware of what mineral water is. We know that restaurants have it
and that we can have it if we want to - along with Dom Perignon '55
if we want that!
Personally, I actively dislike sparkling water and even with very
fine wine and cuisine I have never really appreciated fancy still
mineral water over water from the Singapore tap.
My objection is that this unnecessary verbal fencing match with
every waiter in Singapore is a gross disservice and, frankly, rude.
I am very unlikely to have chosen a restaurant on the basis that
the total bill without add-ons will come to 'X' and that with
mineral water it will exceed my budget by a couple of dollars and
therefore I go to McDonald's. The restaurateur can charge more for
the meal if he wants.
I do object to the verbal fencing and someone who is supposed to be
providing a polite service opening an irritating fencing contest
trying to get me to buy something I do not want and not taking 'no'
for an answer. This is especially irritating when you are with a
client or other guest.
Moreover, we are becoming more and more environmentally aware and
there is virtually nothing for me that seems more ecologically
silly and unnecessary than offering plastic, or worse, heavy glass
bottles that have been transported half way round the world and
leaves a plastic or bottle to be buried in a land fill. A
restaurant can for just a few cents a week further filter tap water
if it feels there is still some 'public water taste' that needs to
be got rid of.
I do not really want to interfere with the enjoyment of those who
like a $25 fancy bottle of mineral water with their meal but I do
believe we should resist the pushy waiters and take management to
task when we are pressured in this way.
I often say: 'Look, stop trying to shove environmentally dirty
brown fancy mineral water down my throat - give me good honest
Singapore ice water. If you cannot make a profit without forcing me
to buy mineral water - then increase the price of the food!'
Gordon Anderson
