Althouse: Monkeys working in a restaurant.

October 8, 2008

Monkeys working in a restaurant.

"Yatchan and Fukuchan serve customers hot towels and drinks, and are given soya beans as tips."

(Video at the link.)

24 comments:

Sprezzatura said...: Does this happen to all countries after a decade of essentially no growth?

If so, this is one more reason to get ourselves growing again.; 10/8/08, 12:27 AM
Eli Blake said...: Meanwhile, telecommunications companies, banks and other service industry firms are reacting with interest.

They are interested in finding whether they can train monkeys to take customer service calls so they can even fire the $2-a-day workers they found last year in Mumbai to answer your call after you've spent half an hour on hold and give you a stock answer from a flow chart in an accent you can't understand.

Figure the monkeys will do the job cheaply enough, and if the price of soya beans ever makes them too expensive then they can fire the monkeys and hire macaws.; 10/8/08, 12:35 AM
BJM said...: Perhaps monkeys could be taught to write legislation. Think of the savings! Not to speak of a higher quality end result.; 10/8/08, 1:46 AM
XWL said...: "Would you like monkey poo flung into your ramen?"

(arigato); 10/8/08, 1:59 AM
Cousin Bob said...: Man! I wish I'd never seen this. I work in a casino, and you REALLY shouldn't give management ideas.; 10/8/08, 2:35 AM
Anonymous said...: The Japanese will do anything to avoid bringing in immigrant labor. Monkeys, robots.

They are more racist than speciesist.

2:26 LOL.; 10/8/08, 4:48 AM
bearbee said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/8/08, 5:17 AM
bearbee said...: Is employment voluntary?

Japans unemployment rate has been decreasing and is currently at 4%. Are monkeys part of government employment statistics?

Do soybeans meet minimum wage standards?

Are monkeys held to human sanitation standards for cleanliness and for hygiene after using bathroom facilities?

I see hairnets are not required.

Is this the incipient movement to a planet of the apes reality?; 10/8/08, 5:29 AM
KCFleming said...: Japan Times 5OCT08 --
"The MFL-CIO* today announced a work stoppage by the two macaque monkeys employed by the Asakusa restaurant in Osaka. Lawyers for the monkeys indicate a pending lawsuit demanding increased wages, in the form apples and bananas, as well as demands for a pension and more frequent cage cleanings."

*(Monkey Federation of Labor and Chimp Industrial Organizations); 10/8/08, 6:57 AM
Ron said...: WooHoo! I see my future!; 10/8/08, 7:03 AM
bearbee said...: Perhaps monkeys could be taught to write legislation. Think of the savings! Not to speak of a higher quality end result.

I thought monkeys WERE in charge and writing legislation. If not, then there remains hope.

Current status of the Statue of Liberty but sinking rapidly. Does her torch still burn?; 10/8/08, 7:14 AM
Ron said...: I thought monkeys WERE in charge and writing legislation. If not, then there remains hope.

They are in charge and they're the Nolan Ryans of poo-flingers! Be proud!; 10/8/08, 7:27 AM
George M. Spencer said...: First pampered as pets. Then oppressed as servants.

Watch the screen explode as man faces ape in the ultimate revolution.; 10/8/08, 7:50 AM
AllenS said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10/8/08, 7:54 AM
Anonymous said...: For sanitary purposes, I've always preferred my food be untouched by human hands. I'm having to rethink the whole idea.; 10/8/08, 7:55 AM
AllenS said...: Monkeys have come a long way, since I was a kid. I remember when the only job a monkey could get was sitting on top of a hand-driven organ, performing on a street corner. Although King Kong had a substantial spot in a movie.; 10/8/08, 8:02 AM
Unknown said...: My friend Chan says - Fuk U too!; 10/8/08, 8:10 AM
bearbee said...: Today Germany then tomorrow.... THE WORLD!

Ha, ha, ha, ha **maniacal laughter**; 10/8/08, 8:11 AM
David said...: Is this because all the non-monkeys say "I ain't flippin' no tofu . . . ?"; 10/8/08, 8:30 AM
David said...: By the way, for those of you looking for an actual market "Crash," keep your eyes pealed. Japanese index was down 9% overnight. Now, that's monkey business.; 10/8/08, 8:32 AM
David said...: Crash indicator:

Nikkei index 1989: 41,000
Nikkei index this am: 9000 and change; 10/8/08, 8:33 AM
goesh said...: send one to the White House; 10/8/08, 8:46 AM
rhhardin said...: My Doberman Annie always got me the paper, as did Susie before her.

It takes about thirty seconds to teach ``Annie, get the paper.''

It depends on a background of other training however.

Vicki doesn't do it because my new house rule is she's not allowed to get that close to the end of the driveway, the imaginary boundary having been drawn somewhat differently; and also I no longer subscribe to the WSJ, it having gone to the lifestyle news market.

Vicki Hearne comments somewhere that dog people are always maddening the chimp research people by noting that their dog can do that.; 10/8/08, 9:18 AM
Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...: Those monkeys may be even smarter than some college students that work as servers around here...; 10/8/08, 11:23 AM