Related discussion
Why PostgreSQL doesn't have query hints
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2179433 (60 comments, 2011)
The official stance from the Postgres wiki https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/OptimizerHintsDiscussion:
> We are not interested in implementing hints in the exact ways they are commonly implemented on other databases.
> Problems with existing Hint systems: Poor application code maintainability, Interference with upgrades, Encouraging bad DBA habits, Does not scale with data size
I don't fault their stance, but it's frustrating when Postgres picks a stupid plan and can't be convinced to do something reasonable.