Form: Short Note

CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS : WEIRDNESS

I thought it was just nonsense, but yes, they run prostitutes out of one of the best coffee shops in town.

It took me a long time to tell the difference between ordinary ukrainian fashion and prostitute-dress but you CAN tell the difference after a while. lol

In Bellevue, the over 40 crowd is hounded by older and rather sophisticated working girls at one of the steak restaurants. (I got a lot of flack last time I said this in public) but it’s both common knowledge and really obvious. And there is something sort of ‘ok’ about servicing the over-40 crowed in bars in steak restaurants. It’s not like it’s a family thing.

But at this rather elegant coffee shop, which is a decidedly family affair, with little blonde children all over the place, the whole working girl thing just seems both out of place and terribly ‘uncool’. Especially in a country where it’s not exactly an uncommon or disreputable profession.

As usual, I was just sitting in this particular street side cafe/coffee shop, trying to figure out the business model, because they dont turn high enough checks, I just assumed that it was labor costs. Now I understand that they have multiple profit centers running out of that location. And the high profit business subsidizes the lower profit business.

When Roman told me I though he was just kidding. But then over the course of the day, the ‘mismatch’ between ‘dates’ became obvious. And the inability of the men to dress themselves explains why they must pay for what is readily available for free.

Just… weird.