Yesterday was a great Sunday, safe for the part when I had to bury a kitten. I got there first, obviously, so I had a double espresso and a Coke Light. Ovi and Andreea had been rollerskating earlier, so they got there ready-tired and thirsty. I did not notice how long I had waited for the waiter to ask me what I wanted, but my two friends really did when it was their turn. Especially since Ovi had a bottle of water in his backpack. Did I mention they were really thirsty? Naturally, one doesn't drink stuff that's not from the bar while at said bar, but this was special. They must have waited for some fifteen minutes, and the waiter was not giving any signs that he'd be coming soon. At that point, Ovi took the bottle out of his backpack and had a long drink. That drink was so long, that the waiter got around to coming to our table before Ovi could finish. Other than having to wait to be waited on, Porto Arte is pretty cool, and they played four Tool tracks while I was there. Quadruple thumbsup! However, while we stood there, waiting, Ovi jokingly said that he'd take out an hourglass and if the waiter wouldn't be there by the time the sand was up, he'd take out his bottle of water. That was some way to have a certifiable excuse. I say this should be made into a rule. Written or not, this would really help the customer, in more ways than one. Let's say, every table gets an hourglass and a menu. You get 2 minutes to decide what you want and another ten until a waiter must arrive and take your order. These twelve minutes should be enough for any bar or restaurant. If, by the time the hourglass runs out, no waiter shows up, you get a discount. Now the way the discount is calculated is based on the time you wait after the ten minutes that came after the two you took to make up your mind about what you're going to have. If you wait an extra minute, that's 10% of the ten minutes, so you get a 10% discount on your first order — so make it count. The fun part about this is that if you have to wait long enough (ten minutes for those that really suck at math), you get a drink on the house. The bad part is that it only applies to the first order, but I think you can live with that. This way, people like you and me get drinks for free, or the patrons take steps to prevent this kind of money loss and enforce strict policies for their staff. In the end, what we get is either free, or at least cheaper, drinks or instant service. I call that a good win-win. And, before I forget, if you're going to order a shot of Jägermeister at Porto Arte, like Andreea did, brace yourself, because you're getting two shots. The bad part is you have to pay for both.