In Pakistani self serving restaurants, why can't we clean our own table?

[Major]

I have always seen this thing in Pakistani Kfc's, BK, McDonalds or any fastfood restaurant, that once we get our food on a tray, after we are done eating, we dont bother to take the waste to the bins and clean the table and tray by ourselves.

Infact, people often just leave their garbage on the table, some make an effort of shifting the trash on table to the tray and hope for the restaurants cleaning boys to take their trash to the bin.

Even these fastfood joints hired cleaners whos only job is to take a tray from the table to the bin.

Has our culture failed us to teach us about doing cleaning by ourselves.

 

[Pakistanian]

The subcontinent has a deeply classist culture, people think cleaning is beneath them. They either think it's unmanly or something for the socalled "lower castes" to do.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

I have always seen this thing in Pakistani Kfc's, BK, McDonalds or any fastfood restaurant, that once we get our food on a tray, after we are done eating, we dont bother to take the waste to the bins and clean the table and tray by ourselves.

Infact, people often just leave their garbage on the table, some make an effort of shifting the trash on table to the tray and hope for the restaurants cleaning boys to take their trash to the bin.

Even these fastfood joints hired cleaners whos only job is to take a tray from the table to the bin.

Has our culture failed us to teach us about doing cleaning by ourselves.

Answer this question honestly ..... Do you clear up the dinner table after food at home?

 

[Pakistanian]

Answer this question honestly ..... Do you clear up the dinner table after food at home?

Lmao Who doesn't? Unless you got servants, every adult cleans up after themselves.

 

[Major]

Answer this question honestly ..... Do you clear up the dinner table after food at home?

offcourse, or else it becomes a big mess in the room.

 

[Suleiman]

It's the same in gulf countries where the wealthy egotistical arabs leave their trays on the table and then the immigrant janitor has to do it for them. Over there if you actually completely finish your food you are laughed at because it means you're poor.

Guess the arabization is happening in more way than one.

So much emphasis is put on praying 5 times daily, reading Quran, fasting, yet none is put on being a good human being even though that is also called for in the religion.

 

[Major]

It's the same in gulf countries where the wealthy egotistical arabs leave their trays on the table and then the immigrant janitor has to do it for them. Over there if you actually completely finish your food you are laughed at because it means you're poor.

Guess the arabization is happening in more way than one.

So much emphasis is put on praying 5 times daily, reading Quran, fasting, yet none is put on being a good human being even though that is also called for in the religion.

are you serious? Food is leftover on purpose?

 

[Major]

i've even witness people who have inferiority complex that they dont want to be seen taking their tray to the trash bin as others are not doing this.

 

[Suleiman]

are you serious? Food is leftover on purpose?

Yeah happens all the time in food courts over there. I questioned quite a few of my Qatari friends on this and they were like yeah it's a pride thing, thought the one guy was joking, but then heard it a few times.

 

[Pakistanian]

It's the same in gulf countries where the wealthy egotistical arabs leave their trays on the table and then the immigrant janitor has to do it for them. Over there if you actually completely finish your food you are laughed at because it means you're poor.

Guess the arabization is happening in more way than one.

So much emphasis is put on praying 5 times daily, reading Quran, fasting, yet none is put on being a good human being even though that is also called for in the religion.

That's funny cause Gulf countries are some of the fattest in thr world
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news...t-people-world-highest-rate-stomach-stapling/

 

[Eagle_Eye]

offcourse, or else it becomes a big mess in the room.

So when you sit round for a family meal.... it's you and not your servant, or sisters or mother who clear up?

Do you think most Pakistani men clear up after a family meal?

 

[Major]

So when you sit round for a family meal.... it's you and not your servant, or sisters or mother who clear up?

Do you think most Pakistani men clear up after a family meal?

i only live with my mom and often eat in my room. Thus, when done i take it to the kitchen. I dont have servant

 

[Major]

So when you sit round for a family meal.... it's you and not your servant, or sisters or mother who clear up?

Do you think most Pakistani men clear up after a family meal?

I think even in non pakistani families men dont really clear the dishes, its usually the chores that are given to the children......

SO your saying that if you dont clear your table at home, you cant expect them to clear them at a restaurant?

 

[Suleiman]

That's funny cause Gulf countries are some of the fattest in thr world
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/news...t-people-world-highest-rate-stomach-stapling/

Ofc, they have many meals during the day, imagine all the trays..

 

[Eagle_Eye]

I think even in non pakistani families men dont really clear the dishes, its usually the chores that are given to the children......

SO your saying that if you dont clear your table at home, you cant expect them to clear them at a restaurant?

These things you learn at home.... if you never do it at home, you won't do it outside.

You are an apt example, you clear up after yourself, and this it seems really strange and odd to you that why aren't people taking their trays to the bin.

 

[Major]

These things you learn at home.... if you never do it at home, you won't do it outside.

You are an apt example, you clear up after yourself, and this it seems really strange and odd to you that why aren't people taking their trays to the bin.

nope, this is not something you learn at home.

My dad din't clear himself at home, but did so at restaurants. I cleared out at restaurants because by learning how my dad would do it at restaurants.

I remember during school cafeteria how we were suppose to throw our garbage in the bin and not leave it on the table.

 

[Syed1]

Some Pakistanis even bring this jahil mentality over to North America. I distinctly remember back in uni I was at this cheap pizza spot with friends and a group of burger Pakistani guys walked in, ordered their meal, ate it and got up to leave without clearing their table. The owner called them out "hey hey hey come back ain't nobody going to clean your trash"... They had that khisyani billi look to them for having to clean after themselves. I for one couldn't stop grinning at their misery.

 

[Slog]

Lmao this reminds me when I was returning to Pakistan once after a gap of almost two and a half years

We'd gone to kfc and once we were done I habitually picked my tray and took it to the bin to dispose the trash. And the rest of the people with me had the look of "WTH is wrong with him?"

But if you think a bit more then I don't think it's a big issue, OP. KFC or McDonalds charge in Pakistan at a much higher rate on a relative basis than what they do in the west. In the US McDonalds is considered straight up homeless people or drunk people food whereas in Pakistan it was at one point considered upper middle class joint (thankfully isn't the case as much anymore). So you shouldn't expect to do same thing there

Finally. It's not in the culture and is specifically why these places hire people to clean up and it's not considered a big deal

 

[Varun]

I think it's fair to conclude that [MENTION=44089]Eagle_Eye[/MENTION] doesn't clean up after himself.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Too much self hating going on. This urban wadera culture is only going to change with the change in leadership. Pakistan has got the right man at the top, only a matter of time that the virtues trickle down to the masses.

 

[Jin Chacha]

While there is a cultural element, this is more of an economic issue. People have no option but to work menial jobs at low wages due to the unemployment and poverty. It is the same reason we have a group of people working at every petrol pump whose only job is to put petrol in your car, another person who just wipes your windshield and a supervisor who just collects money from everyone. Most middle class households in Pakistan have at least some domestic help in one from or another which is a luxury in developed countries. For foreign fast food chains which as previously mentioned cater to middle/upper middle class customers in Pakistan the cost of hiring a few people to clean up is negligible. The cost of hiring the same people in a developed country is much more significant. Of course I am not denying that culture isn't a part of it but I think the culture would evolve in the right direction once the economic issues are solved and the cost of having someone else do your work rises.

 

[King-Misbah]

Its not only Pakistanis but people in general can be horrible. I worked in retail and some idiots would come in and their sole purpose would be to irritate me. I have a lot stories; relevent to this thread is how people use the fitting rooms and then dump the clothes after they tried them in the fitting room or at me. So imagine it's a busy shift, store is under staffed; life becomes a nightmare to say the least.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

It is a pathetic behavior indeed.

Place where I live we've had a major fiesta last night.

City council put big containers in EACH street: for people to throw cans and bottles. Yet, containers are empty and street is full of garbage

The irony is that to clean all this garbage taxpayers' money will be used.

I guess humans are like that

 

[Eagle_Eye]

nope, this is not something you learn at home.

My dad din't clear himself at home, but did so at restaurants. I cleared out at restaurants because by learning how my dad would do it at restaurants.

I remember during school cafeteria how we were suppose to throw our garbage in the bin and not leave it on the table.

I wouldn't classify a KFC as a restaurant.

Restaurants hire staff to bring your food and clear up, and in return you pay them a certain percentage of your total bill.....

 

[Eagle_Eye]

I think it's fair to conclude that [MENTION=44089]Eagle_Eye[/MENTION] doesn't clean up after himself.

No.

My point is that you are a product of your environment.

 

[Fahdi]

I think this isn't as big a deal as the OP and some others are making it out to be. I along with my siblings always set the dining table at home and then clean it up after the meal. I expect most people do the same but I am aware of some people who don't because they think the female members of the household are supposed to take care of it. The point is many people aren't opposed to cleaning after themselves.

The difference lies in the economic situations and the social norms mostly. Up until a few months ago I honestly did not know that in foreign countries one is expected to clear out his table after the meal in fast food restaurants. And the thing is the restaurant staff doesn't expect the customers to do so as well. My friend came from abroad and got up to empty the tray in the bin and one of the employees came rushing and said,"please sir leave the tray, I'll take care of it". They have staff hired for this very purpose. What you have to understand is that this behaviour is the social norm in Pakistan and no one sees anything wrong with it.

Abroad in Europe and USA etc. the social norms are obviously different. These norms develop as a result of the socio-economic circumstances of the country. The labor is expensive and these self serving restaurants try to cut down on staff to keep the prices low. This leads the culture of cleaning after yourself in self serving restaurants. Now if the situation is explained to someone and he still doesn't follow along then that individual has obviously lived a pampered life which has spoiled him and needs a strict lesson in mannerisms.

And just to reinforce my earlier arguments try going to one of the local tandoor "hotels"(Pakistanis refer to crudely built restaurants which mostly cater to the common labor as hotels) and roadside dhabbas. Even the owners of those shanty dhabbas and "hotels" can afford staff to clean up after the customers and the poor labourers mostly leave their cups and plates on the table. And just so you know you do see people leave their dishes (usually just empty tea cups) at a section of the counter to help clear out the table quickly.

 

[kingusama92]

Some Pakistanis even bring this jahil mentality over to North America. I distinctly remember back in uni I was at this cheap pizza spot with friends and a group of burger Pakistani guys walked in, ordered their meal, ate it and got up to leave without clearing their table. The owner called them out "hey hey hey come back ain't nobody going to clean your trash"... They had that khisyani billi look to them for having to clean after themselves. I for one couldn't stop grinning at their misery.

Yeah, I've noticed the same.

Incredibly odd to see such a complete lack of awareness when everyone else is tossing their garbage out.

At least in Pakistan, they can say everyone else is doing it but in Canada/USA you have to be in your own bubble to leave a mess.

 

[Greenstorm]

Its good in a way as it creates more jobs.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

If you clean up after yourself at KFC isn't really a big deal, as people have said, there are people paid to do that. But I suppose you could say it is a reflection of the culture, in that the subcontinent is often seen as a place where garbage is left rotting in the streets and then you get people upset that only the slums are shown in the Avengers film.

As a rule, you generally find even in the poor areas of the first world, people tend to have an attitude of not cleaning up, and their community areas reflect it. It really is a class thing, and of course class is often a reflection of financial status.