ON Saturday August 6 some friends and I decided to visit the Jump bar and restaurant in Causeway Bay. Unfortunately we were refused entry on the grounds that one of the girls in our group was wearing sports shoes. It was pointed out to the gentleman at the door that another patron standing nearby was also wearing sports shoes. Ah, came the reply, he is wearing plimsolls (the light canvas shoes with rubber soles). But, another in our group was also wearing sports shoes. No problem here as the shoes were black; therefore entry was allowed. Hence the colour of the shoe was also of paramount importance. The plot thickened when we noticed some patrons wearing sports shoes of not only the same type as those worn by the girl refused entry but also the same colour. Ah, came the erudite answer, they have been eating so they can stay. At last we realised how silly we had been - all we needed to do was order some food and the question of footwear became irrelevant. Not quite, for we needed to order a minimum of $150 per head. There were seven of us but, as some of us were not very hungry, we pointed out that we would be spending much more at the bar anyway. Alas this form of logic did not prevail and we left the Jump, with its clearly defined set of rules on entry, and preceded to another establishment, where entry was offered unconditionally. For the benefit of those who do not understand the guidelines, maybe someone at the Jump could explain. This would obviously save time (and money) when choosing footwear in the future. IAN HENDRY Happy Valley
