Sometimes a fly likes to take time out from frequenting the fine bars of this city to spend some time in the fine cinemas of this city. But when one buzzes into a cinema foyer, one does not expect to find that one has walked into a staff meeting, especially when one is in the posh section of the cinema - the part that charges $31.50 a ticket. Yet there I was, trying to procure tickets to Mamma Mia for me and mi amore, when I found myself the unintentional audience of a manager who was loudly announcing some important news to staff: the posh $31.50 tickets would soon no longer come with free popcorn and soft drink. That's loco, crazy-insane, I thought. Popcorn and soft drink cost cents to make - surely they can afford to give it away to customers paying $31.50 a ticket. The problem was, the manager explained to his charges, that punters were filling up on the free popcorn and drinks and not buying any of the food offered on the menu. It was, after all, a business that needed to make a profit. And not, one presumes, a food bank. Now I don't want to go reading too much into this, but I can't help but wonder if management is taking the wrong approach here. I suggest they start with not holding staff meetings in public areas, and then consider how many people just take the free food because it's there, rather than because they're hungry/thirsty. I was planning a romantic night at the posh lounge cinema seeing the Dark Knight, but instead I'm switching to some nibbles at Sweet Mother's Kitchen, followed by a private screening of the 1966 Batman movie ($9.99 from the Warehouse). Photo courtesy of Aim and Shoot!'s Flickr photostream.