I Just Don't Get It!

Now, for anyone who has spent more than a day in Japan, the small portion problem can be more than a little annoying. But for someone who has been here almost 10 years it has become par for the course and with a little use of 'evade' skills can be thwarted, and when it does occur; these days gets little more than a sigh.
I was however dumbfounded by this one. Sitting on the new rooftop restaurant at Keio department store in Shinjuku and felt like a coffee. 350 yen, about average for a department store cafe. I could smell the fries so perused the menu and saw they were 400 yen (about $4.50). I knew they would be a little small but decided that it was worth the risk.
As the old dude brought them over and placed them on the table (complete with toothpicks?) Inson and I simultaneously stared agape at them and then at the guy before he trundled back into his kitchen. Now it may not be clear from the picture but that is a saucer not a plate and as photos can be deceptive I put my hand next to it for scale. The sauce sachet is the giveaway. There are 13 chips, at least 4 of which are just crusty bits. Lets say 8 good solid chips. That makes them about 60 cents each. I remember looking at the old dude thinking, 'Wipe that smurk off your face you old git. Don't make me come over there!' How can someone with any dignity actually bring themselves to take an order like this to a table. This wasn't a flash cafe. It was like those outdoor beach snack shops with a few tables and a tarp to keep out the rain and sun. The place had just re-opened after rennovation too. As expected there were very few patrons but about 30 tables so the manager obviously expected lots of people.
What really gets me though is trying to picture the meeting of manager and owner deciding the menu and portions.
Manager brings out his idea of a good serving of chips,'Now I think we can really impress the new clientele by giving them 14 small chips for 400 yen. What do you think Mr Sato?'
Sato san scratches his combover staring at the saucer of chips. He walks around it once fingering his stubble, one hand in the pocket of his Aoki suit. He crouches down to view it from the fries' perspective, 'You say the cost to us of making this dish will be about 30 yen? Can't we shave a bit more off. The margin's too small for my liking.'
The Manager, now sweating a little tries another tack,' Well we could make 5 of the chips just the crunchy bits that congeal around the filter of the deep-frier?'
'Hmm. I like that, I like it a lot but I would be much more comfortable with one less chip as well as your inspired suggestion.', says the Owner.
The manager nervously adds, 'It would, of course, probably cause any who order it to never come back to our establishment and thus cause us to have absolutely no good-will or reputation and cost us millions more than the 20 extra yen it would cost us to make a meal people would come back for and hence pay our salaries and make you wealthy.'
'Yes you have a good point there. To spend a minute amount more would surely create a vast amount of patronage for many years to come and a early retirement for me and an executive position at the department store for you....but that extra chip has me ill at ease. Lose the chip, or you lose your job.'
And so David sits staring at his meagre rations wondering if Inson is going to steal one and if so will it be the big one on the right.


And on another note, Do you think the singer Shania Twain knows how to import images from her scanner to photoshop?