Last night we were bought a meal by Toni’s sister to celebrate her Name Day: she was in Terrassa, and we in Castelldefels. So, we ordered a meal from our Saturday regular restaurant and she paid for it via Bizum.
How shaming is it to admit that before yesterday I had never heard of Bizum as a way of getting payments from one person to another without revealing your bank details? As far as I am aware Bizum is located in Spain, or at least it is connected with Spanish banks – or is this just a further example of my electronic ignorance and Bizum is worldwide and it has just happened to pass me by?
Whatever, that was used to pay for our meal, or at least to re-imburse us for our using hard cash to give to the motorcycle driver who delivered (the wrong) meal.
It does seem strange this far into a lockdown, or restrictions, that a system that is administratively computer driven with clear print outs to attach to each bag of food to be delivered should be so faulty. Correct labelling should be second nature at this stage of the struggle of a food supplier to stay afloat. And the restaurant is foremost a delivery service rather than the other way around. Still, wrong the meal was, but a quick telephone call and within a couple of minutes the bike rider reappeared and, speaking perfect English (years in London) gave us our ordered meal.
If we are looking towards the summer of next year to get the vaccine down to our level of user, then ordering meals is likely to become something of a rule rather than exception. I have noticed that restaurants are offering a take-out service now when they have never done it previously.
My birthday is going to be another opportunity to find out how good our systems are as we were going to go to a restaurant for lunch – but all the restaurants are closed so take-away (or do it yourself) is the only option. As my birthday is on a Saturday, there is not the chance of a menu del dia – but the restaurant that failed in the order yesterday, does do a reasonably priced (and usually tasty) version. So, we will have to consider our options. And wallets!
We have another White Goods Crisis. I turned on the microwave and the lights went out. Something is wrong. But, talking of opportunity, it does give me yet another excuse to spend money!
But no.
False alarm. The fault was not in the microwave, but in the plug. So that is one expense that I will not be incurring.
In the old, unregenerate financial days, I have to admit that my reasoning would have gone along the “that saved expense ‘frees’ money to be spent on something else” – but I’m more grown up now and I merely feel a sense of relief and get on with my life. Although I did buy (from the on-line shop) the catalogue to a new exhibition in El Prado that I thought was interesting. Not quite the price of a microwave but still reassuringly expensive – and full colour illustrations too!
