Tim Harford (FT Magazine, January 27) says rude waiters will not enhance a restaurant, although he points out that was the signature method of Wong Kei’s, in London’s Chinatown, a popular destination for decades. In the 1980s, I was something of a regular at Wong Kei and it’s true it traded on rudeness, regularly filling three floors with lovers of low-priced noodles and blunt humour. A few samples. Can I sit at the table over there? Bring your own chairs and you can sit anywhere you like. To my wife (in Cantonese): Can’t you find a Chinese man? On receiving an order for another plate: You’ve had your meal, now pay the bill and get out.
Michael Quinlan
Reigate, Surrey, UK
