THE SKEPTIC IN ME

At certain times when the whole world or at least majority of the population that existed in my narrow self-invented world are in jubilation, I am at almost the worst of my negativistic attitude. Why so? I cannot explain. It seems to me my instinctual vibes are working to its peak since the newly-opened shops caused a buzz downstairs. I have no idea why but the nega-vibes never stopped even as of this writing.

I carefully analyzed why and just noticed that since the restos opened at the ground floor not a lot of them were selling so much as most Sykesters would prefer the affordable choices at the second and third floor pantries or the Cove or Larsian at night or the other karenderias nearby by day, as opposed to the ceiling-priced food choices in the dining stores within the building. People tend to favor the common household menu served low cost at the comforts of the same floor they work on or the calmly viand stores that offer steaming soups for free with a pack of your choiced viand and hot-off-the stove rice at almost half to a third of the prices at the fancy restaurants in Synergis.

This is probably due to the fact that Sykes came from a humble beginning in KRC and given that most of us live simple cost-efficient yet happy lifestyles, that including our preferences in the food we eat at work, no wonder these fanciful restaurants may only be a passing attraction. Remember John's Diner which used to serve us specially-cooked omelets and sunny-side-ups? Thank goodness the exhaust fan in the kitchen somehow solved the greasy after-effect smell of your dining experience there, or we have much preferred Crystal Cove over it! Then who could forget Nancy's place? That cozy concrete house turned into a conventional karenderia with a second floor dining area to accomodate more of its customers. These are just a few of those small yet patronized kitchenettes around Subangdaku where Sykesters' hearts and appetites used to belong.

Now lodged in a humungous edifice with a handful of choices to satisfy our insatiable need for palatable dishes, Sykesters are a bit overwhelmed at this, tasting the waters and tasting the flavors. There are Japanese, Filipino, Chinese and Fusion cuisines, as well as the breads and sandwiches that go a long way. Prices range from 14 pesos for a special bread to 150 pesos for a set of meal. Then there's the 24-hour convenience store with some chunks of pesos added to the original prices of commodities. How convenient is that? Also that McDonald's and Bo's Coffee had recently opened fronting the ground floor area, I still had a hunch that somehow they might not click or that the other shops inside the building may unfortunately have to cease to operate somehow. It happened this weekend when I noticed some of the shops were closed on a Sunday to my surprise. Was it the competition? I'm starting to see my fears for them realize.

All the while we may not know what the management team of each of those restaurants have in mind, maybe some propaganda to increase customer patronage to what they could offer. We may not know at all.