I was sat in a coffee shop in downtown Tokyo with my son. A girl came in, took out her $1500 MacBook and placed it on an empty table. She then went to the toilet, then to the bar and returned to her table with her coffee. Took about 15 minutes in all.
I was gobsmacked. If that had been London the MacBook would have been gone in a flash.
My son says that that is perfectly normal and the way you reserve your place. He doesn't do it though.
Culture is a weird thing.
Je suis Charlie. Je suis Ahmed. Je suis Juif. Je suis Parisien. I am Mancunian. I am Brum. I am London. Olen Suomi Soy Barcelona. I am Ukraine.
"Science adjusts it's views based on what's observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved."
- Tim Minchin, in his beat poem, Storm.