Where's My Food?

There are, it turns out, reasons that Hong Kong isn't always so awesome. In fact, there are plenty of reasons to get a little down; whether it's the humidity, the random acid attacks, or real estate agents. But nothing is as frustrating as the service in restaurants (for me at least- the people whose faces melted would probably go with the acid attacks).

Like any foreign country, Hong Kong etiquette is different from American etiquette. And by "different" I mean "stupid." In restaurants, this can translate into some interesting behavior. To illustrate, I thought I'd do a quick role play. I'll give myself a prompt, answer first as a typical American restaurant manager, then answer as a Hong Kong restaurant manager.

The Menu

Your new restaurant is about to open, and it's time to finalize the menu. What should go on the menu?

American Restaurant Manager (ARM): I'll list the food and drinks that we serve at the restaurant and nothing else. This seems like a stupid question.

Hong Kong Restaurant Manager (HKRM): I want as many people to come to my restaurant as possible, so I'll just put anything on there, including tons of foods that we don't make and an extensive drink list containing exotic items like "Sprite" that we'll never ever have in stock ever.

Ordering

A customer just ordered the Apple Curry Chicken, an item that's listed as one of the specials but in fact you've never even considered preparing. How do you keep your patron happy?

ARM: Well, this wouldn't happen because I wouldn't put that dish on the menu in the first place. On the occasion that we were out of an item, I'd inform the customer that we were out of that item, apologize, and suggest an alternative meal.

HKRM: Oooh this is bad. I didn't think anyone would order that. Hmmmm. Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll forget that he even ordered it. Yeah, that's the ticket! I should probably charge him for it anyway so he's not confused when the bill comes.

The Bill

Your party of six has just asked for the check. What do you do?

ARM: I give them the check.

HKRM: Well I don't want it to look like I really want them to leave, so I'll wait until they ask me again to make sure that they REALLY want to pay. At the same time, I don't trust that they won't just skip out on the bill, so I'll hover over them while they sort it out. If they're taking a long time, I'll clear my throat to let them know that I'm there. I hope they leave me a big tip.


It's been a really busy week, but hopefully I'll get the apartment tour up tomorrow. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee