Cheers

If it’s Wednesday then most of us have probably recovered from Saturday’s christening of the Len’s “Bar Bar in Dan Dan.” The joint has a distinctly American flavor; it’s decorated in the nostalgic automotive theme that is popular with a lot of stateside restaurants and bars. Some Mexican zest also comes courtesy of two-dollar Corona beers. Two bucks? A bargain.

The recent demise of Rudolpho’s bar and restaurant threatened to be a royal party-pooper, but Saipan’s happy hour circuit has actually cranked up the voltage recently. One-dollar tacos, the culinary Mecca of many a statesider, can now be had at Ritzy’s restaurant in Garapan on Thursdays and at the Oleai Beach bar and grill on Fridays and Sundays.

We have, indeed, received taco redemption, and you won’t hear me lamenting our lack of a Taco Bell anymore. Taco Bell used to be my first stop in Guam, where a 49-cent taco costs 99-cents. There’s no way around it, a 49-cent taco is a 49-cent taco. Period. It’s a universal absolute, just as, say, a gallon of water is the same volume in Calcutta or in Paris. I’m not going to pay 99 cents for a 49-cent taco ever again.

Saipan’s dollar tacos, by contrast, are good, honest, dollar tacos. I don’t think anyone can even squeak out a profit selling them; the goal must be to make a bit on the drinks and such that go along with them, and to attract a loyal clientele.

Meanwhile, while the taco situation continues to improve, yet another player has joined the happy hour crew: the Hole in the Wall bar. It bills itself (accurately or otherwise) as “tastefully topless.” Uh, well…you’re on your own on that one and I’ll remain tastefully silent on such racy topics, puritan that I am.

In any event, though the economy remains in the tank, there’s some investment activity going on. And why not? The tavern business isn’t as sensitive to economic falls as most other businesses are. In econ-o-speak, taverns offer an “inferior good.” There’s no pejorative flavor to the term “inferior” in this context, by the way.
What it means is that the percentage change in tavern business will not go down as much as the percentage change in incomes has. Other industries in this category include pawn shops, used car dealers, and discount shops. Industries clearly not in this category (the “superior goods”) would include luxury stores, new car dealers, and travel agencies.

While we’re eyeballing falling income levels here, Uncle Sam is eyeballing rising incomes over there…and, believe it or not, it’s causing worries. The big idea is that booming industry is drying up the labor pool, and that rising wage rates will cause inflation. Which is fair enough, but maybe someone ought to point out that rising wages will also put more spending power in the hands of consumers, which would be a benefit to industry, though it would also be inflationary.

We’ve got the opposite problem here, of course. Facing falling incomes and tight economic times, at least we’ve got affordable tacos and some beers to wash them down with. It’s a consolation to many, and a taste of home for a few.