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I come from a time when toy kits were toy kits and
gol-gappas were gol-gappas, and the difference between the two was
well-understood by one and all. So I’m less than overjoyed when a fast food
joint hands me my plate of chaat in several different packets containing random
quantities of the ingredients, expecting me to assemble the dish myself.
I’m just glad I didn’t order the tandoori chicken: “Here’s your broiler,
sir, and a box of assorted spices. Oh, and some matches to cook it with. Enjoy
your meal, sir. Please mind the feathers.”
“Thank you, fair waiter,” I reply. “Here’s a piece of paper and some
colour pencils. Please sketch yourself a 500 rupee note and keep the change.”
This deplorable practice has a noble origin, it seems. It draws
inspiration from a worldwide greatest hit Burmese dish called Khowsuey. Order a
plate of it from anywhere and you’ll be handed a bowl of noodles in bland gravy
with a couple of dozen things you can add to it in case you want some taste.
It’s a shining example of Forward Delegation that could have been invented by
an MBA. Since the customer is creating the final taste, the chef doesn’t have
to be particularly brilliant. You know what that can mean in wage savings? And
if the customer doesn’t like the dish, who can he blame but himself?! Wikipedia
tells us Khowsuey is closely related to another Burmese noodle dish called Ohn
No Khauk Swe, and speaking as a paying consumer I can guess whom the 'Ohn No'
comes from.
But D-I-Y is the deal of the day, and it’s not just in food. An
investment advisor recently asked a friend of mine something like “Would you
prefer public sector mixed debt instruments or fund based commodity futures in
your portfolio?” My friend is a practical man and he rapidly ejected the
advisor by means of a well-applied boot to the posterior.
I’m no expert. How the hell would I know what’s good for me? Imagine if
doctors did that with your prescription – “Do you think a tad more Tinamotoroil
to soothe your hypertrapezium? Or would you rather go with two aspirin?” Hey,
you’re the chef; you decide how long to bake the foie gras. And how much
custard to drizzle on it. Then if I don’t like it, I can send it back.
We
bought a bunch of computer tables for the office the other day, and they
arrived not in a medium-sized truck like you’d expect, but in little flat boxes
stacked up on a tiny cycle rickshaw. Then two assemblers occupied half the
office for half a day converting planks and screws into noise and tables. It’s
the pizza delivery people who should be doing this – bringing over the
ingredients and serving you a piping hot Cheese Margherita prepared at your
doorstep. A piping hot table, I don’t need.
No, I’m not a big fan of the Assembly Kit approach to product delivery.
Is it too much to expect a ready to consume product when I’m paying full price?
Please don’t send me some cloth and a needle when I buy a shirt. Finish the job
and stand by your product, man.
Or
come and join advertising – the only industry where clients enjoy writing their
own headlines and telling you exactly how big the logo should be and what colour
shoes they'd like the model to wear.
As you can imagine, have cast a similar client as villain in my minorum opus :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, hate the 'assembly required' golgappas handed out by Haldiram's. Had the original thing at Prince at GKI the other day - such bliss!
Am assuming you are Priya. If you're not, my apologies. If you are, is your minorum opus available for Kindle or is Flipkart the way to go?
Deleteever tried any ikea furniture. its the basis of their whole business. globally!
ReplyDeleteI have an Ikea vase - made of glass, one piece. No assembly required :)
DeleteIn India, Ikea would have to send over an assembler three days after your purchase to put the damn thing together.
Awesome!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tazzo T
DeleteSuperb :) as expected. I totally agree. I have the same opinion on all such toys, except maybe building blocks.
ReplyDeleteThanks:) Agree about the building blocks.
DeleteAsk the women, they end up becoming the thele Wala golgappaman at haldiram to appease the others in having a genuine experience!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a sharp observation. Are you one of the women, or one of the others?
ReplyDeleteSidey, why don't you seriously try the piece of paper and crayons for the Rs. 500 note - and the experience of it would make even a better blog....ha haaa really enjoyed the piece! And guess creative guys always bash the client now (thank god servicing was spared)
ReplyDelete