Unusual male culture in local upmarket restaurant

[Rowena23]

A couple enter a restaurant. As they walk past the bar on the way to the restaurant area, three men at the bar begin to talk about the woman's perfume, speculating on what brand it is.

A waiter seats the the couple at a table. Almost immediately, one of the three men goes up to the woman, and asks her about her perfume. She answers and the man slips away. When the waiter next appears at the table, the woman, still baffled (to say the least) asks him who the man is. He replies that the man is not a member of staff, but a regular customer.

It turns out that the manager of the restaurant was one of the three men speculating about the woman's perfume.

As a witness to this event, what should I have done? Should my reaction be coloured by the knowledge that the daughter of a friend had found it extremely difficult to get rid of this man some years ago, to the extent that she had to threaten to go to the police?

Professionally Offended by Rowena.

Precious Young Lady....... By Sinead O'Connor.

They were invading the woman's space. I bet they do it often. Sort of like a 'game' they were playing because they have nothing better to do than hang around the bar cadging free drinks and generally being a pain in the neck to all concerned.

'Invading the woman's space'

'Playing games'

'Cadging free drinks'

Sorry, have I missed an update from the OP?

This thread is now officially more bonkers than it was to begin with.

'Inserting himself between them'

I love this thread

Making shit up - by Mumsnet

Worra

Well there are certain Cafes like what More Beta said. I used to work in Bayswater and i was going every evening to buy that kebab-what is called? the arabic one.
I believe it.
But it was for the woman and her man to be or not to bEoffended. I wouldn't find it weird if they did.
But a third person?

He obviously should have gone up to perfume woman's male partner and asked HIM what perfume she was wearing. Strange men, talking to women, shocking. (Notice the restrained lack of exclamation mark)

Love the parish newsletter style thread title. Reminds me of how the Aberdeen Press and Journal reported the sinking of the Titanic:

'North East man drowns at sea'

(Probably untrue but I still love it)

The phrase "What do you want to know that for?" repeated, is made for this. Creeps get phased out by it, normal just slink away.

It would be my suspicion that the restaurant owner and his friends hang around the restaurant to eye up women and get a thrill out of asking them slightly personal questions in a setting where they are forced to answer out of courtesy.

I would be suspicious that he has an odd attitude towards women and not surprised to learn that he has a history of doing slightly unsettling things with regards to them, such as following them.

Neurotic - no, not unless it unreasonably affects my own behaviour. There are plenty of creeps about. Statistically there is an stable element of psychological disorders in humans, and social mores tends to hold them back from committing crime unless certain trigger factors are pressed - this is pretty standard criminological theory.

What would I do? Not use the restaurant again, but being me, if I hadn't questioned the man as to why he was asking me stupid questions (he doesn't need to know what perfume I'm wearing when I'm on a romantic date with another man, its invasive) then I might have phoned up the restaurant specially to say why. I'm nasty like that.

I love it too, it proves everything I already believe about most of the population.

Or ohwhatfuckery not asked at all? Would you really go up to a couple sitting down to a meal to question the bloke on his cologne?

Unusual male culture too....

Asking about a perfume and three men chatting = unsual male culture.

If this isnt s joke thread (I'm really not sure forgive me) then the OP needs to address her issues with the 'creepy' man re her friends DD.

Blimey, I've approached strangers and asked where they got their top/aftershave/perfume/shoes from because I like whatever it is.

Then you are a social pariah, Stinklebell.

How dare a group of men talk about perfume.

Shouldn't they be comparing spanners and nails and other symbols of manliness like that?

Veggie my tongue was firmly in my cheek there.

WhoULukinAT? by Kerry Katona

where these "unusual males" forriners ? < sharp intake of breath >

this is nothing, OP

my dd used to work at a restaurant, y'know when of them forrin ones... where they were openly dealing drugs in the back room

beat that

were

You working for HQ now, AF?

it is where

Er, you don't need to anything. Unless I have missed something.

I suspect we have all missed the point of the OP. polly

I thought that as soon as i read "I was a witness to the event", I had to scroll back and try and work out what the "event" was.
I still do not know.

Yeah, marm, I'm on a special secret mission