Brunch That Costs a Month’s Salary: Is The Langham X Tom N Toms Aiken Christmas Feast Pure Hedonism or Just an Aesthetic Scam?
I stood in The Langham Jakarta’s lobby, where the scent of expensive perfume hits harder than the city’s smog. This Christmas, they teamed up with Tom N Toms Aiken for a brunch feast priced at a point that made my bank account scream in agony. The question is simple: is a brunch that costs a month’s salary a truly transcendental experience, or are we all just falling for a well-packaged marketing trap?
High Society on a Porcelain Plate
The moment you walk in, you feel like a character from Succession. The Christmas decor is top-notch, highly curated, and clearly designed to make you look like "old money" on your Instagram Story. The collaboration with Tom N Toms Aiken brings a touch of specialty coffee and pastries that are undeniably delightful. But let’s be real—does a piece of croissant and premium wagyu steak really justify 30 days of corporate slavery?
I tasted the main course. The meat was melting, the seasoning was perfect, and the presentation was immaculate. But with every chew, I was thinking about my unpaid electricity bills and Netflix subscription. You’re not just buying food here; you’re buying the access to feel superior to the "average civilian" for a few hours. It’s a class performance, and The Langham is the stage.
Cultural Impact: FOMO vs Reality
Luxury brunch culture in Jakarta has become the most intoxicating form of social validation for Gen Z and Millennials. We’re willing to starve mid-month just for one afternoon that looks perfect on social media. This collaboration knows exactly how to trigger our emotions. They know we crave exclusivity.
The problem is, once your plate is empty and the check arrives, reality hits you like a freight train. Was it tasty? Absolutely. Was the service world-class? Definitely. But if you have to eat instant noodles for the rest of the month, something is fundamentally wrong with how we celebrate holidays. Christmas is supposed to be about togetherness, but here, it feels like a competition for who gets the most likes.
