The Grab Table, Place Order Paradigm

There are two types of people, I thought; those who first grab a table and then walk up to the counter to place their order – in cafés, I mean – then there are those who get their coffee and then bewilderedly realize there are no tables, as everyone in line after them grabbed theirs while you placed your order.

I was of the bewildered ones. And the bewilderment usually turned into suppressed anger. Often I avoided places where there were only a few free tables, and thus a greater chance of them being taken while I pay for my coffee.

Then I realized this might be a cultural thing. Perhaps I was witnessing a paradigm shift where the procedure of place order, grab table was being replaced by grab table, place order? Perhaps the paradigm shift had already happened and I missed it?

If it had happened, it probably did in the winter when people want to get rid of their jackets and coats before ordering. Probably during one of the really cold winters with much snow, when tempers were tested and people entering cafés obstinately threw their jackets at the chair of the first free table, thinking that’s what everyone else does so why shouldn’t I?

Now, I’m convinced I missed the paradigm shift. There’s a little doubt as I grab a table before ordering, but I suppress it as I did the anger at the time when I still clashed with my own culture.

In case anyone makes a fuss, I’ll reply, ‘Oh, you missed the paradigm shift, did you?’