Incidences of VIPs being denied service in city establishments are rarely heard of and if they arise, the management usually work overtime to ensure the issue is resolved and the personalities appeased - lest they get negative publicity.
Such run-ins with the affluent individuals are usually swept under the rag, which is why most are unheard of.
But before the bourgeoisie make it big, before they came into the limelight, they were ordinary people with ordinary experiences.
One such personality is former US President Barack Obama who opened up on such an incident in his memoir, Dreams from My Father.
In his 1995 bestseller – the now-retired president, opened up on the intrigues of race and how he was discriminated against based on his African heritage.
The said episode occurred in Nairobi, at a five-star hotel where waiters refused to serve him and his sister Auma.
Settling in their seats for lunch at the outdoor cafe of the New Stanley Hotel, Obama narrated how he took the opportunity to study the tourists walking in.
"They were everywhere – Germans, Japanese, British, Americans – many of them dressed in safari suits like extras on a movie set," he wrote.
He noted that the tourists lacked self-consciousness and were expressing freedom that neither Auma nor he could ever experience, 'bedrock confidence in their own parochialism, confidence reserved for those born into imperial cultures'.
“Just then, I noticed an American family sit down a few tables from us. Two of the African waiters immediately sprang into action, both of them smiling from one ear to the other.
"Since Auma and I hadn’t yet been served, I began to wave at the two waiters who remained standing by the kitchen, thinking they must have somehow failed to see us," Obama stated.
He added that the waiters actively tried to avoid his glance until an older man with sleepy eyes relented and brought them two menus.
"His manner was resentful, though, and after several more minutes he showed no signs of ever coming back," he recalled.
Obama conveyed that his sister was at this point getting angry by the callous disregard the servers had shown them.
“Auma’s face began to pinch with anger, and again I waved to our waiter, who continued in his silence as he wrote down our orders. At this point, the Americans had already received their food and we still had no place settings… Auma stood up," read a passage from the memoir.
Things got thick when Auma directed Obama, "Let’s go," as she headed for the exit.
That was not the end of it as she then suddenly turned and walked back to the waiter, who was watching the duo with an impassive stare.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," Auma barked at the man with her voice shaking.
