We had a major blackout last Wednesday. It started at 1am and took out the entire Darwin-Katherine grid. Power wasn't fully restored until about 3pm on Wednesday. People have whined about it since it wasn't weather related but due to something breaking. I got called by work at 7:20am to not come in but be on standby for the office got power. My house got power back at 7:40am. I still hadn't heard anything from work by 11:15am, so I decided to go into the office. The CBD was without any power so I hung around my friends that own a bakery.
My friends had decided to take their BBQ and generator into the bakery and sell bacon & egg sandwiches. The BBQ was set up out the front of the store nearly on the footpath. This would allow them to get rid of stock that might go off and make some money. The menu choice was a bacon & egg, egg & bacon, bacon, or egg sandwich. A few people where didn't like the choice and went looking for something else. Most went for the bacon & egg sandwich but of course there were a couple of SC's.
SC#1 - Allergic to Eggs
I know that people do have serious food allergies but her reactions where over the top.
SC: I am allergic to eggs can I get a bacon sandwich that hasn't been anywhere near the eggs.
Friend: I am sorry but we are cooking everything on a small BBQ and I can't guarantee a egg free sandwich.
SC: But I want a bacon sandwich and I AM ALLERGIC to EGGS.
F: We can't help you as the bacon is right next to the eggs. There is no power inside so we can't prepare just a bacon sandwich that hasn't been near the eggs.
SC: THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
SC was last seen storming down the street complaining about the difficulties of getting food that wasn't contaminated. A lot of people living in the city couldn't even get a hot meal.
SC#2 - You are ripping me off
A couple in a car see the BBQ and people hanging around. The pull over and get told the menu. Then the question of price comes up.
SC: How much for the Bacon & Egg sandwich?
F: $6
SC: How much for just an egg sandwich?
F: $5
SC: And how much would they be if I was here on a normal day?
F: The same price as this is our normal pricing.
SC: I can get a pie for $5 and more work goes into those. An egg sandwich must be cheaper?
F: It is your choice: pay the price or go somewhere else.
SC: YOU ARE RIGHT THAT IT IS MY CHOICE AND I AM GOING TO A PLACE THAT DOESN'T RIP ME OFF.
The SC's wife was looking upset when she discovered that she wasn't getting a sandwich. She had been getting drinks and had missed his rant. In terms of cost of items an individual pie has more ingredients and takes longer to make than a sandwich. The difference is that the bakers can make a hundred pies in the time that it takes to make ten bacon & egg sandwiches.
The nice customers
The customers that were very thankful to get something to eat and thanked the crew for being open.
The guests from the hotels nearby that had been forced to evacuate the buildings early in the morning. They saw the BBQ, wandered over the road and got a sandwich with no complaints or fuss.
The people who would ask politely about the food & drinks and decide to go looking elsewhere with no fuss. Most apologised for not buying something and wandered off with nice goodbye.
My friends calculated that they cooked between 150 to 200 bacon & egg sandwiches. The BBQ allowed about four to be cooked at the same time. Luckily they were able to save most of their food stocks by moving items into freezers and having a generator running a small fridge. They made the TV news as they were the only place that the news crew had found open. Future plans for blackouts include a large BBQ and a bigger generator so they can turn on the coffee machine.
My friends had decided to take their BBQ and generator into the bakery and sell bacon & egg sandwiches. The BBQ was set up out the front of the store nearly on the footpath. This would allow them to get rid of stock that might go off and make some money. The menu choice was a bacon & egg, egg & bacon, bacon, or egg sandwich. A few people where didn't like the choice and went looking for something else. Most went for the bacon & egg sandwich but of course there were a couple of SC's.
SC#1 - Allergic to Eggs
I know that people do have serious food allergies but her reactions where over the top.
SC: I am allergic to eggs can I get a bacon sandwich that hasn't been anywhere near the eggs.
Friend: I am sorry but we are cooking everything on a small BBQ and I can't guarantee a egg free sandwich.
SC: But I want a bacon sandwich and I AM ALLERGIC to EGGS.
F: We can't help you as the bacon is right next to the eggs. There is no power inside so we can't prepare just a bacon sandwich that hasn't been near the eggs.
SC: THAT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
SC was last seen storming down the street complaining about the difficulties of getting food that wasn't contaminated. A lot of people living in the city couldn't even get a hot meal.
SC#2 - You are ripping me off
A couple in a car see the BBQ and people hanging around. The pull over and get told the menu. Then the question of price comes up.
SC: How much for the Bacon & Egg sandwich?
F: $6
SC: How much for just an egg sandwich?
F: $5
SC: And how much would they be if I was here on a normal day?
F: The same price as this is our normal pricing.
SC: I can get a pie for $5 and more work goes into those. An egg sandwich must be cheaper?
F: It is your choice: pay the price or go somewhere else.
SC: YOU ARE RIGHT THAT IT IS MY CHOICE AND I AM GOING TO A PLACE THAT DOESN'T RIP ME OFF.
The SC's wife was looking upset when she discovered that she wasn't getting a sandwich. She had been getting drinks and had missed his rant. In terms of cost of items an individual pie has more ingredients and takes longer to make than a sandwich. The difference is that the bakers can make a hundred pies in the time that it takes to make ten bacon & egg sandwiches.
The nice customers
The customers that were very thankful to get something to eat and thanked the crew for being open.
The guests from the hotels nearby that had been forced to evacuate the buildings early in the morning. They saw the BBQ, wandered over the road and got a sandwich with no complaints or fuss.
The people who would ask politely about the food & drinks and decide to go looking elsewhere with no fuss. Most apologised for not buying something and wandered off with nice goodbye.
My friends calculated that they cooked between 150 to 200 bacon & egg sandwiches. The BBQ allowed about four to be cooked at the same time. Luckily they were able to save most of their food stocks by moving items into freezers and having a generator running a small fridge. They made the TV news as they were the only place that the news crew had found open. Future plans for blackouts include a large BBQ and a bigger generator so they can turn on the coffee machine.
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