Manners, Attitude and Etiquete in Qantas Lounges

[JohnK]

I am currently sitting in BNE Domestic Business Lounge waiting for my flight to SYD.

Grabbed a diet coke and went to the cold food/salad side and grabbed a plate and put some olives, ham and salami on it. The person behind mealso grabbed a plate and started getting cheese with his hands/fingers and the Business Lounge staff saw him. He looks like the business type and a right royal DYKWIA if I have ever saw one.

A short conversation followed which went something like this. I think you get the idea.

Qantas Lounge staff: Sir, please use the tongs provided
DYKWIA: Huh! (Starts mumbling and sounds grumpy)
Qantas Lounge staff: Sir, they are the rules
DYKWIA: Whatever....

I felt like saying something to him as well. There is no way I wast to eat something that has been touched by total strangers. (Off topic but one of my friends grabs hot chips from the plate that are furthest from him by touching as many as possible before grabbing a couple to put in him mouth. It is gross but I put up with it because he is a friend).

Anyway this person was a total cretin and it really does goes to show that can have them in the business lounges as well.

 

[serfty]

Have a look at this site ... Etiquette Hell

 

[crum]

Saw some bogan recently in the BKK QP pick up a chicken wing at the serving bar, eat it while standing there and then put the bone back down on the same plate (with other chicken wings on it) and walk off, leaving the Thai staff there looking dumbfounded.

It's times like these I'm glad I'm vegetarian.

 

[anat0l]

JohnK what you witnessed is abominable.

Not only is that poor form/manners/attitude/etiquette, it is clearly against health regulation regulations.

Unfortunately, it's probably not something you can indict someone on unless it can be proven to have ill effects, e.g. someone gets sick, and probably by the time that happens the blame will be on the QP, not the individual, even if it could be traced back as such. Then again, there was that case of that old granny that littered rat poison or something like that at Sizzlers (not sure what happened to it, I think she was acquitted on mental problems).

You're quite tempered not to have raised your voice let alone concerns against the cretin. I know that if I had witnessed that I would tell that person just how sick and appalled I'd be.


Funny enough, it begs to reason that sometimes lounges around the world don't put out tongs for certain items. Not wet stuff - or even things like cheese - but more like for bread rolls or biscuits. Also, someone explain to me how do you accurately pick off some muscatels from the cheese selection without using your hands and / or other utensils apart from the supplied tongs and possibly knife?

 

[medhead]

The cheese is so easy to pick up with the tongs, I can't imagine why you'd use fingers.

But I do have trouble with some of the food. With bread I'll usually use the tongs to separate my slices, raise them a few cm and the pick them up with my other hand. Being careful to not touch the other bread or the tongs. Pizza, sometimes I separate a slice with the tongs and then pick it up with hands. The flan, I find slides around, so again use one hand to push the slice on the cake slice lifter thing. The liquorice allsorts I pick up with the tongs and then drop into my other hand. Are these bad? Should I change?

 

[ejb]

... Are these bad? Should I change?

You seem quite normal, please don't change.

It is just rude to handle food that others are going to eat.

ejb

 

[Travel Guru]

It's times like these I'm glad I'm vegetarian.

I'll second that!

TG

 

[markj23]

But I do have trouble with some of the food.

Your not the only one there ... I really do blame the tongs - the force required to use them sometimes is just crazy, especially if you are just trying to grab one or two slices of salami

 

[Isochronous]

I support a zero tolerance policy - if you get spotted breaching the QP etiquette, you get booted. The staff should enforce this vigorously.

 

[LiamR]

I support a zero tolerance policy - if you get spotted breaching the QP etiquette, you get booted. The staff should enforce this vigorously.

+1 to that. Etiquete in the lounges would increase dramatically. You could send out an email making people aware of this, as well as placing a reminder in the foyer of the lounge.

 

[samiam]

Also, someone explain to me how do you accurately pick off some muscatels from the cheese selection without using your hands and / or other utensils apart from the supplied tongs and possibly knife?

Fair question - you kind of have to anchor them to give them a good tug - I don't see it as worth the effort, and assume that someone has fingered them already - so I go grapeless

 

[samiam]

+1 to that. Etiquete in the lounges would increase dramatically. You could send out an email making people aware of this, as well as placing a reminder in the foyer of the lounge.

Whilst I don't disagree with the sentiment, the definition of etiquette is quite broad (as depicted by the examples in this and other threads) and unless we pulled in Mrs Harbord & Mrs Shrager to adjudicate, it could get messy!

 

[Fifa]

and assume that someone has fingered them already - so I go grapeless

Oh no! And I thought I was being so smart cutting them with a (plastic) knife and fork!
Hadn't imagined everyone else may have had a pick at them first
What was I thinking???

 

[Fantic125]

Fair question - you kind of have to anchor them to give them a good tug - I don't see it as worth the effort, and assume that someone has fingered them already - so I go grapeless

There are so many sexual conotations in the above statement, that I'll ignore them.

My question is - the person who's touched them before you - did they wash their hands after going to the toilet?

 

[samiam]

My question is - the person who's touched them before you - did they wash their hands after going to the toilet?

Exactly.. a bit like nibbling on communal nuts - much safer to just give them a miss

 

[Isochronous]

Perhaps we could, alternatively, run it like an old gentlemen's club and require multiple references from existing members before being allowed entry!

 

[samiam]

Perhaps we could, alternatively, run it like an old gentlemen's club and require multiple references from existing members before being allowed entry!

Why let a reference check get in front of $840 cold hard cash?

 

[munitalP]

Im in T2 QP now JK - good catch up - no problems in T2, it must be a BNE thing


munitalP

 

[oz_mark]

Whilst I don't disagree with the sentiment, the definition of etiquette is quite broad (as depicted by the examples in this and other threads) and unless we pulled in Mrs Harbord & Mrs Shrager to adjudicate, it could get messy!

Well, how about just worry about the food service - use the utensils or out you go.

 

[Fantic125]

Exactly.. a bit like nibbling on communal nuts - much safer to just give them a miss

Of course you could always consider my personal 3 point check, conducted each morning;

1. Am I alive?
2. If so, what I did yesterday didn't kill me then it must have made me stronger,
3. What's my challenge for today?