Tuesday 19 July 2011

The swing doors (London)


I had a recurring problem with my classical Chinese teacher, Mr. George Weys (d. 2019), within my first few weeks (already!) at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), until we eventually — and reluctantly — arrived at a compromise for the sake of the bystanders. 

Whenever we happened to arrive at the same time at a set of swing doors en route to the classroom for our lessons, I’d push open my half to let him through first, because he was my teacher, older and male (in that order, note!). 

As a European gentleman of a certain generational upbringing, he’d always walk on the outside of the pavement, which made it awkward whenever we turned corners as he’d keep switching sides, sometimes almost colliding with me in his haste to be on the correct side.

At the swing doors, he’d hold his half of the swing doors open for me to go through before him, on the Ladies First principle.  

As we deferred and haggled, a long queue would build up behind us.  In the end, we had to come to a compromise: go through the swing doors together.


(London, 1978)

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