Table for Five?

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Monday, November 24, 2003 | TIMOTHY MAPES

[presidio9]

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Puspo Wardoyo made a fortune setting up a chain of grilled-chicken restaurants across this vast archipelago. Now he's building a franchise in something closer to home: wives.

Mr. Puspo, 47 years old, says Muslim men should live "according to true Islamic teachings," by taking at least a second wife, and preferably four -- as he has. The restaurateur has turned himself into one of Indonesia's most prominent pitchmen for a practice long frowned upon here.

[Dead Corpse]

My only thought on this would be:

This man is a glutton for punishment. Upsetting one wife is bad enough, imagine FOUR!

Polygamy would work for some, not for others. To each their own....

[ppaul]

"It's a beautiful and happy concept."

Wait a minute, haven't we heard this before?

[xzins]

Wow, these are international cultural standards.

Someone call Sandra Day O'Conner and cc the Mass. Supreme Court.

[EggsAckley]

Mr. Puspo gathered his wives and 10 children at his third wife's lime-green ranch house in Jakarta

Ah, I see. Mr. Puss-po's third wife is wealthy. Hmmmmm.

Legalized adultery.

[livius]

"My wife realized that she could not monopolize me. She had a responsibility to share," he says.

What a jerk.

[FirstPrinciple]

I think this guy is what we call in this country, a playa. Of course, as a playa hayta I deplore this gross mistreatment of women.

[armadale]

To each their own, you say???

Where are you on the Gay Marriage threads....!

[Paulus Invictus]

Mormon bashing, even in this subtle way, is still Mormon-bashing. Give it a rest! I would never bash your religion, even if I did not approve of your church's tenets, and certainly never in print or on the web. The LDS Church does not, repeat, does not approve of polygamy and has not for 100 + years!

[Dead Corpse]

Right here...

I've been kinda busy at work lately.

[ppaul]

Why so sensitive?

[Only1choice____Freedom]

"Polygamy is not something horrible and hurtful,"

Until you start having Ex-wives. Imagine the alomony payments he will have to make. Not to mention in-laws!

[dwd1]

In the end, these guys are like everyone else... Their primary concern is getting laid and getting paid....

[TrebleRebel]

"Men are polygamous by nature," he says, relaxing before the taping. "It's a legal way for them to have affairs."

Women grow long nails, by nature. It's our way of dealing with jerks.

[dwd1]

I wonder if there is a woman with a "built for comfort" physique who feels that one man is simply not adequate for her needs... She has inherited from her father great wealth... She is well educated and has the resources to provide for her boy toys... Will she be allowed to procure supplemental companionship through marriage?

[dwd1]

I wonder what Don Tyson is going to think about this.... HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!! :-)

[dwd1]

More accurate would be that we want to sleep with multiple partners but we want them to stay faithful to us... "By nature, of course!"

[weegee]

Muslim men have long been allowed to take as many as four wives in Indonesia, a custom descended from the prophet Muhammad and practiced elsewhere in the Islamic world.

Mohammed had a child bride and consumated the marriage with physical intercourse before she turned 10 years old. Shouldn't this be accepted in the marriage tradition as well (at least for muslims)? < /sarcasm >

[Shermy]

Mr. Puspo lists "Polygamy Juice" -- a mixture of four tropical fruits -- and "Polygamy Fried Vegetables" -- a four-vegetable combo -- alongside the drumsticks and wings at his 31 "Wong Solo" restaurants.

[You Dirty Rats]

We may soon see an influx of Muslims and Mormons into the Bay State.

Seriesly, polygamy makes sense in societies where the male population is significantly lower than the female (such as in societies that fight a lot of wars), and where females needs protection (unattached females in war-torn areas are easy prey).

I don't think it's necessary these days, where there isn't a shortage of males. Still, I do think that Man was intended to have two wives -- one for each ear (and that's too painful to think about for very long!)