The Xeno-Philes XIV: Madame Zingara

It's amazing how people can have a totally different experience of the same thing.

Madame Zingara is one of Pansy's highlights of the year, and yet there are some people who are not so excited about it and find it overrated. How can it be? Pansy decided to awaken her inner social scientist and try to find an explanation for this phenomenon, an explanation that will be able to successfully predict whether someone will find Mme Z hot or not.

Pansy first heard about Mme Z when she read a 2008 review by her favourite restaurant reviewer, Justice Malala. Normally if Justice Malala likes a place, Pansy will like it as well, so in 2009 she booked a table for herself and 3 friends. They had an absolutely awesome time, the food was outstanding. One of the friends was roped in at the last minute to replace another, he really did not want to go, and even he enjoyed it.

So after that wonderful experience, Pansy booked for the 2010 show: Madame Zingara's Love Magic Tour. Again, it was an absolutely wonderful evening. It met and exceeded Pansy's very high expectations. And yet a reader that attended didn't enjoy it so much. How can this be?

Madame Zingara is very popular with corporates and therein lies the crux of Pansy's theory: Madame Zingara is much more enjoyable and magical if you go with personal friends rather than work colleagues.

To illustrate this, Pansy will compare her Mme Z experience with that of a corporate wife.

Pansy had the excitement of frequently surfing the net to find out when Mme Z 2010 would be on. She didn't want to miss the boat when it was booking time because Mme Z sells out very quickly. The corporate spouse doesn't experience this excitement of waiting for the box office to open.
Anticipation: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0.

Pansy had the pleasure of dealing with a knowledgeable call centre booking agent who actually had detailed knowledge of the product she was selling. She could describe the tent very well because she had actually been to a show and she was able to competently answer questions that Pansy had regarding the seating. The corporate spouse doesn't experience this because the company makes the booking.
Booking experience: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0

Pansy bought the ticket with her own money. The sense of worth is not the same if it's a work freebie.
Financial worth: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0

Pansy sat in golden circle. It is amazing to be right next to the stage. You can sense the artiste's intense concentration and your pulse goes up because you are literally feeling the action. The corporate tables are further back. It makes a huge difference to be close to the stage. Also, golden circle gets their food served first :)
Seating: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0

Pansy's table was served by a wonderful waiter called Arnaldo. Having a fantastic waiter makes a huge difference to the meal. Pansy remembers from her waitressing days that corporate tables are generally dreaded by waiters: huge tables where people can't remember what they ordered and they don't tip well. The interaction between a waiter and a huge corporate table will never be as special and intimate as the interaction between a waiter and a smaller table.
Also the vibe at a table of colleagues is different to the vibe at a table of friends.
Arnaldo effect: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0

For Pansy, Madame Zingara is a special night out with special people.
She always dresses up for the occasion. She was so excited on the day that she absolutely couldn't wait until 1715 when it was time to start getting ready. On the other hand, the corporate spouse is thinking, "Ach no man. I never get any quality time with my husband. Honestly he spends the *whole* day with his colleagues and now I must spend an evening with them as well!"
Special night excitement: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0.

Mme Zingara is a special memory for the people with whom Pansy has had this experience. For the corporate wife it's just another night spent with hubby's colleagues.
Special memory: Pansy 1; Corporate wife 0.

Pansy cannot think of enough superlatives to describe how much she enjoyed Mme Zingara. But it takes a lot more than fantastic waiters, decadent food and outstanding theatre acts to make an evening special. Mme Zingara is the perfect setting to create a magical memory with people that have a special place in your heart.