There was a Korean period drama series that started airing in 2003, called 대장금／大長今 Dae Janggeum, with the plot set in 16th century Korea, mostly in the palace.
I noticed that people didn’t just leave their outdoor shoes outside at the door, they also left them facing outwards, so that when it came to leaving the premises, they just had to slip into the shoes without having to turn the shoes or themselves around.
This reminds me of a Singaporean’s advice on parking (they are so practical and efficient, Singaporeans!): don’t drive head first into the car space but reverse into it. This means that when it comes to leaving, you can simply drive away, without having to inch your car out backwards, craning your neck to see what cars there might be behind or approaching. (Particularly good advice as well if you were going to rob a bank, I suppose…. Think Bonnie and Clyde.)
I have since adopted this modus operandi when eating out. Restaurant staff at places slightly posher than cheap and cheerful will offer to take your coat and hang it up somewhere. This means that you will need to get them to retrieve it when you’re ready to leave (or go and get it yourself), which might not be time-efficient if you need to dash off. So, I always hang on to my coat if I can.
This quick getaway scenario did actually pop up on one occasion in the 80s when I was having dinner with a group of people in a Russian restaurant round the corner from Harrods.
We’d just finished the meal when the police suddenly came in and asked us to leave the premises, pronto. Almost like a fire drill, except that it was conducted by the police: we had no time for anything else, just had to up and go. I didn’t have to worry about leaving without my coat, as it’d stayed with me right from the start.
Outside the restaurant, we could see the street cordoned off, with policemen and police cars everywhere.
It turned out to be some kind of bomb scare, which was quite common in the 80s with IRA activities.
We hung around, then went to a nearby pub for a drink, after which we returned to the restaurant to pay. The manager was so grateful we didn’t take the opportunity to vamoose. The bill for six people who’d eaten a three-course meal was not small.
Poor man. Having a bomb scare was scary enough, but he must’ve had kittens*, helplessly watching his diners walk out without paying, unstoppable for once.
* For those who might need help: “to have kittens” = (slang) to be very worried, upset, or angry about something:
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