Candy as change

Candy as change

This is in response to the letter from Wendy (of Freiburg,
Germany) who complains of getting candy in lieu of Rp 100 change
at Balinese stores (Cheating in Bali, The Jakarta Post, Dec. 16).

Indeed, your life must be idyllic if something as
insignificant as that has prompted you to write a letter of
complaint to this newspaper.

At the moment the amount of money you are making an issue of
is 0.008 of a euro; an amount so small that you don't even have a
coin in a denomination of 10 times that value. The candy is a
convenience and a courtesy. It is actually worth more than the Rp
100 change you are complaining about.

The Balinese are, in fact, a very religious people and do pray
daily, as you point out. Perhaps it is that devotion to their
religion that prompts them to offer such a lovely gesture over an
amount of money that you wouldn't trouble yourself to bend over
and pick up if you saw it on the street.

PATRICK GUNTENSPERGER
Jakarta