Economics lesson and free entertainment

This is how the system works. It is April 30 and in this part of the world, traditionally a time to "dance into the May". It's a nice custom handed over through the generations and only slightly modified to match the needs and requirements of the 21st century.

So, there is a bar in town, probably the largest, with a rather large beer garden at the back. As it is a business, the primary purpose of its existence is to ensure the owners a comfortable and profitable life in drink.

Of course, even if they are Turkish, they have adapted to local customs and taken up the tradition of the May dance. That it ensures a nice little profit is a mere positive added value. It simply wants to serve the needs of its customers.

This is where the requirements of the 21st century come in. The main tool to ensure that tradition is maintained is the need for music. This is where the story gets a little muddy and we all know, tastes differ. But we also have been taught to be tolerant, especially as the younger generation will have the utmost pleasure of supporting us when we toddle along in our zimmer frames mumbling platitudes about the good old days, desperately trying to keep our dentures in our mouths.

The term "music" is therefore really only a generalization. Some will claim that what passes as music today is really an assortment of quavers quivering to get out of the loud speakers because it's even louder inside them then outside where they can be a version of suicide bombers, annoying anybody in their dying seconds.

The other component is "loud". The medium is also important. In this case it was DJ Chris hosting the "Monday Fever Night" across the road. Starting at 9pm. Free entry. There was some small print as well.

Experience had taught us that, traditionally, the show would be over by 1am. Perhaps a little disturbing, but nothing too dramatic. Being of the open minded, tolerant set, we could live with it.

When the mind numbing boom boom boom of an overexcited bass loudspeaker, cheerfully spurned on by an hyperactive "Chris" coaching the future mass of humanity to somehow decipher a clear musical note in suicide bombers and then move to it, began to drill itself into the interior of my brain, I seriously began to question the benefits of this traditional economic system. By now it was 01.45 am, so Smiler, (our name for the owner of the bar), must have, in the interests of social responsibility for the young, the needs of DJ Chris, for the sake of tradition, not to mention his own entrepreneurial aspirations, successfully acquired an extension from some local authority. No doubt he was severely pressured by his own offspring with some persuasive argument.

Mercifully, it was over by 02:15am, Chris croaking a jubilant "merci et salut" into the microphone until reserve of suicide bomber notes had been used up. The consolation is, I suppose, that Smiler will have had about as much sleep as we did and he is already out there running the show to traditionally welcome the herds of wilderbeast and motor bikers about to descend today.

Ah... tradition. Its good we have it.

I flee to Zurich this afternoon.