I had just put myself at
the usual table by the window at my cafe this morning, and saw a young
couple coming from the beach across the street and heading directly
towards the cafe. She was in her tiniest bikini, and he in more of a
jockstrap than any known type of swim-wear. They were both barefooted
and dripping wet, obviously having just come out of the water, but are
now entering the premises.
They
took a table and started looking at the breakfast menu. All customers'
eyes were on this couple as soon as they walked in and, I noted with
amusement that most eyes were fixed on him rather than as usual on a
young and not too bad looking woman. Bikinis are common here with the
beach just yards opposite the road, but that 'thong-like' thingy on him
was real eye catching to say the least, with his endowment flimsily
covered by a few inches of wet cloth.
Almost
immediately, the owner of the cafe went up to them and from what I
could guess he was not there to take the order but to ask them to
leave. I couldn't hear every word they exchanged, but could make out
from the couple's faces, and the way they talked waving their arms
about, that they were refusing to go. Voices were raised after that and
the conversation boiled down to, that the owner saying they were not
welcomed with wet swim wear and no shoes, and the couple's argument
that they did not see any warning signs put up to that effect, and they
just wanted breakfast, without bothering anybody. This went on for
another 5 minutes or so, and the owner threatened to call the police,
adding:
"You
could sit until the police come if you must, but you are definitely
not getting any breakfast here." I like him better now, I decided. Well
done, Gregory, the proprietor.
The
couple sat on, no food or service offered, began to look a bit awkward
or uncomfortable. The rest of the customers looked rather amused,
likely thought it was the best entertainment they had for the day. The
police came soon enough, less than 2 minutes I'd say, and whether they
liked it or not, the young couple were 'persuaded' to leave, with the
police. I don't think they would be taken to the police station for
this, probably just to scare them a little by giving them another
talk-to outside.
I
believe in certain protocol of decency of the dress code, even though
unwritten, that there is the right or wrong attire for certain places.
Roses is a tourist spot, a beach town, and it is now the beginning of
summer. But skimpy swim-wear, barefooted and dripping wet entering a
cafe-restaurant is in my eyes lacking respect to the establishment as
well as to the other customers. Nor would I consider it correct to
enter any other kind of buildings or shops.
Strangely,
people who displayed such bad manners are always foreigners and, I am
willing to bet, they would not do so in their own country. Somehow,
many of them reckon they are in a foreign place, not likely to bump
into friends and people who know them, so they throw all manners to the
wind, without the slightest forethought that, such bad behaviour would
contribute to give their own country a bad reputation. Like many drunk
and disorderly or even destructive football hooligans visiting a
foreign country.
