Hotel breakfasts was something I couldn’t afford in terms of time when I used to travel for business. It was a novelty I didn’t have because I was always rushing off to a conference or to the regional office, where official work hours begin at half past 8.
Sussing out the breakfast buffet spread is something I look forward to when staying in hotels, especially if it happens to be a good hotel chain. I was at a hotel breakfast recently where a regional convention was on-going, so most of the delegates were dining at the restaurant along with rif and myself.
We were there by 7.30am and because he had to rush off to work, I was left behind at 8am where two ladies took up a table next to mine. Both were of senior management level I presume, based on their discussion about revenue and business acquisitions. I could be wrong about their job tier, but I can’t possibly be wrong about the designer handbag they carried.
I was secretly impressed. The career-driven part of me really wanted to climb the corporate ranks and be just like them. Between spoonfuls of my frozen yogurt, I silently badgered myself for calling it quits in the corporate world, because I would have been in their shoes in a year or two.
As one of the ladies got up to get more food, the corner of my eye (no, I wasn’t spying) caught the lady who was seated swiftly taking the two hardboiled eggs she had on her plate and tucking them into her designer handbag. I didn’t know whether to stare in disbelief or laugh out loud.
The latter was more of how I felt, because despite how well-groomed she was, there’s till something “imperfect” about her. I suspect she was either ‘kiasu’ or thrifty, or maybe a bit of both. She then proceeded to get herself another hardboiled egg from the buffet to eat, before paying close to RM20 for a latte to go because the initial lady ordered one to go as well.
I guess it’s a tough world out there and if anything, those two hardboiled eggs she took away would have served her well during lunch. Someone should offer to sponsor her a Tupperware that fits nicely in her handbag. So she wouldn’t risk ruining the insides. 😛