won't you be my neighbor?

from InMadrid, a local english language "newspaper:"

"poor old VIPS! after a meal at their restaurant near the rastro, around 200 members of a gypsy clan rose to their feet practically in unison and wandered off without paying, leaving helpless staff agog and police from a neighbouring comisaria unable to act. the result? a new record for the biggest "sinpa" (sin pagar) spain has ever seen"

for those of you unfamiliar with my neighborhood, the dine-and-ditchers in question are none other than the local rifraf: the gypsies who hang out on the corners with their long greasy hair, three-inch heels, hooker ensembles, and unsupervised and numerous children. they often frequent denny's-like chain VIPS, where they've been known to cause a ruckus, especially on popular 2-for-1 sunday nights. i've seen toddlers running amok lighting things on fire, impromptu flamenco dancing between booths and outfits worthy of a white-trash prom.

i've often thought that the VIPS in our neighborhood must be one of the worst to work at; i've imagined managers of other locations chiding late-to-work employees that if they don't start turning up on time they'll be sent to the rastro VIPS to deal with the gypsies. and the employee begging, promising: "anything but that!" i envison long regretful sighs from the steadfast waitstaff as large groups of gypsies enter...the scent of hairspray preceding their noisy arrival.

so i guess it doesn't surprise me that this rowdy bunch orchestrated a junior highschool-level prank of record-breaking proportions. of some concern, however, is that InMadrid listed this news item in the "in" column of their "in/out" feature. now granted, InMadrid isn't exactly the go-to publication for ethical journalism, not exactly the watchdog of our spanish society, to put it lightly. but, still.

but why am i reading this damn paper anyway? the final episode of project runway just finished downloading, i hope michael wins!
related: michael kors, great project runway judge, sure. but, great american designer?

today's question: is dine-and-ditch ever ok? i think not...