A Newer, Better Con

A friend was once asked by some poor American from Chicago about whether working men in Singapore wear ties. I think it was unfortunate because:

(a) the American did not know that my friend just had 3 beers; and

(b) my friend did not know that the American was getting this information for a speech, to be spoken before his colleagues from Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Yeah. Life is full of sad coincidences like that.

Anyway, he told the American that no, men in Singapore don't wear ties to work. In fact, the weather is so hot that they don't even wear shirts. That's why they need to go to the gym, so that their bodies are buff and they look good in front of clients. Do they wear pants? Yes, they do. But only short pants. Short waistpants with proper leather church shoes and black socks.

Isn't it chilly in the car with air conditioning? No - most people don't drive cars in Singapore. They still use horses. That's why mornings are so hectic - everyone's getting their horse ready for the long ride, with the feeding of the horse and the brushing of its mane. It's a lot of work.

And so it came to be that my friend was sitting next to the head of the Hong Kong office at the firm's dinner and dance when she choked on her champagne, at about the time the American was getting into his speech about how lawyers constantly need to overcome the challenges of work and practice in order to deliver good product to their clients.

"Take our colleagues in Singapore for example. Do you know how long it takes to groom a horse in the morning?"