Como en Casa Watch Your Purse

[mbw]

There are three Como en Casa restaurants in my neighborhood. While the food is good, I don't go them very often because the service is usually bad. The wait staff congregate together - usually by the door - and are too busy chatting with each other to see the customers frantically waving for service. I was reminded of this again when I met some expat friends at the Avenida Quintana location. It was the same drill with a long wait for someone to take our order and non-existent checks to see if we needed anything. At one point in the lunch, I felt my purse nudged - it was on the floor under my seat, securely lodged between my feet. When it was nudged, I turned around to a nicely dressed middle aged man sitting behind me. He smiled at me and I smiled. Instinctively, I shoved my purse further under my seat. Obviously, it was not enough to stop a thief. Later, when I wanted to pay my bill, I discovered that my purse was gone. Whoever took it was a very good thief because it was not an easy grab. I made my loss known to the wait staff. They saw nothing and seemed perplexed. They did comp my meal which was nice since I had no money.
I know this could happen anywhere. Just another warning to watch your belongings.

 

[Davidglen77]

On Monday I was walking on Paraguay and Libertad, at about 9:30 in the morning. In broad daylight, 2 guys, one with a gun in his hand came up behind a man of about 60 years old, each one put a hand in his pocket grabbed what he had, ripped the cell phone off his belt and ran into the plaza right at the corner. I was about 5 meters away from this incident and ran when I saw the gun. People stopped and looked, helped the guy up off the ground and just went about their business after the theives ran away. Robbery is now so common here people just act normal now when it happens. It's a really sad commentary on the state of personal freedom and I see nothing being done to stop it.

 

[steveinbsas]

On Monday I was walking on Paraguay and Libertad, at about 9:30 in the morning. In broad daylight, 2 guys, one with a gun in his hand came up behind a man of about 60 years old, each one put a hand in his pocket grabbed what he had, ripped the cell phone off his belt and ran into the plaza right at the corner. I was about 5 meters away from this incident and ran when I saw the gun. People stopped and looked, helped the guy up off the ground and just went about their business after the theives ran away. Robbery is now so common here people just act normal now when it happens. It's a really sad commentary on the state of personal freedom and I see nothing being done to stop it.

Thank God I'm a country boy (geezer).

I'd much rather live alone (with my dogs) in the province than deal with or ever even worry about this happening to me...or any of my neighbors.

 

[steveinbsas]

Instinctively, I shoved my purse further under my seat. Obviously, it was not enough to stop a thief. Later, when I wanted to pay my bill, I discovered that my purse was gone.

I'm sorry this happened, but this only proves that human beings don't have instincts.

Your volitional (though somewhat thoughtless) action only made it easier for the smiling man behind you to steal your purse.

The floor and the back of a chair are the worst places to leave a purse in a restaurant, even while you are sitting there.

Why else would a purse ever be referred to as a clutch?

 

[fifs2]

Sadly it proves we do have instincts but we have learnt to supress the when people (thieves) smile or confuse us with pleasing behaviour....we should return to gut instincts, rude or not..

 

[NYC2BA]

Hey...sorry to hear that happened but thanks for posting; I'm in that 'Como en Casa' location all the time since my friend lives around the corner.

I'm a former NY-er and have walked around East Harlem at 2AM with less anxiety that what I feel walking around here at noon on any given day, so somethings gotta change.

Oh and I'm a HUGE fan of the purse hook, which you can get at any bazaar these days. I hang my purse on the table hook, between my legs wherever I go. Sad but true.

Hope a bit of cash was all they got and thanks again.

 

[steveinbsas]

Sadly it proves we do have instincts but we have learnt to supress the when people (thieves) smile or confuse us with pleasing behaviour....we should return to gut instincts, rude or not..

Like a banger in Chicago stabbing you to death when you didn't return their gang sign?

Couldn't that be called a gut instinct?

Perhaps "intuition" would have been a better choice of words than "instinct" which result in the involuntary (or automatic) actions of all other animals...who cannot make the same choices as humans.


The theif made a choice to steal the purse. His actions were not based on any instinct.

There's a difference between instinctual and volitional behavior.

It isn't rubbish. It's logic.

And only human beings are capable of it.

 

[Galatina]

On Monday I was walking on Paraguay and Libertad, at about 9:30 in the morning. In broad daylight, 2 guys, one with a gun in his hand came up behind a man of about 60 years old, each one put a hand in his pocket grabbed what he had, ripped the cell phone off his belt and ran into the plaza right at the corner. I was about 5 meters away from this incident and ran when I saw the gun. People stopped and looked, helped the guy up off the ground and just went about their business after the theives ran away. Robbery is now so common here people just act normal now when it happens. It's a really sad commentary on the state of personal freedom and I see nothing being done to stop it.

thank you for sharing this incident,
I have had a different experience this morning.
I was on the Subte, and a woman got pocket picked as the tram stopped and the doors opened. She intercepted him and shouted and a man grabbed the the theif but he released himself and ran out of the train. however, ( I am not exaggerating ) about 10-15 men ran after him and grabbed him and one of them punched him!
Not all hope is lost!

Ps. To the lady who started this thread, I'm sorry you had this experience... I hope you did not have much money on you...

 

[gpop]

Sadly it proves we do have instincts but we have learnt to supress the when people (thieves) smile or confuse us with pleasing behaviour....we should return to gut instincts, rude or not..

Humans are the only species that smile.
When an animal bares its teeth it is always seen as a sign of aggression.

human + smile = greeting
animal + smile = aggression

ergo:
thief is not human

 

[AngelinBA]

On Monday I was walking on Paraguay and Libertad, at about 9:30 in the morning. In broad daylight, 2 guys, one with a gun in his hand came up behind a man of about 60 years old, each one put a hand in his pocket grabbed what he had, ripped the cell phone off his belt and ran into the plaza right at the corner.

A few days after Christmas we were crossing the 9 de Julio at the Marcelo T. de Alvear end of that same plaza and 3 very scruffy looking youths came up to our son (8 yrs old) and gave him a real looking plastic gun and said ¨Merry Christmas¨. He was over the moon and could NOT understand why his mum and dad threw the gun into the very next rubbishbin we could find. I wonder if it´s the same guys?