The Half-Life of a Papadum

In this, my second (and probably last) food-based business lesson, I will investigate the strange thing about popadums.

A papadum is a thin, crispy Indian flatbread that goes well with a whole range of Indian chutneys and a pint of Kingfisher. But the really interesting thing about a papadum (and this can only be discovered through close ethnographic studies in Indian restaurants) is that a papdum has a half-life.

Nobody at the table ever takes more than half of a papadum. They start off about the size of a dinner plate - before you smash them into pieces and people start eating. For a while everyone gorges but at some point - usually towards the end of the popadum course - you get down to just one piece left in the basket. This is where the strange psychology of the popadum half-life starts to occur.

No matter how small that single piece gets - with people breaking bits off for a nibble - nobody EVER takes more than half of it. To take more than half would be greedy, uncaring and unsharing. Other diners would be resentful. It's like the single piece of popadum is screaming to stay alive - fighting for its life - refusing to give up until it is too small to be divided again (about the size of a large coin) and it is either left alone completely or some late-comer to the table eats it out of their own desperation and hunger.

The number of interesting business ideas that I've learned from the half-life of the popadum are almost as numerous as the choice of chutneys (4) at my local Balti:

1. Get stuck in early. You are entitled to half a piece - no matter how large the papadum starts out. The early grab gets you a massive amount of value for your half.

2. Don't leave it late. Come into the papadum market at the end at your either get a tiny half - or you end up with the scrap that's had everyone's fingers on it.

3. When you are trying to sell a proposition, double up what you really want to sell because the half-life principals apply. People will almost always bite off about half of what you can do.

Now it's your turn.

You know how you can only fold a piece of paper in half 8 times - no matter how large it started out? I wonder how many times a papadum can be halved before you get to the fingery end-piece. Answers on a postcard please.