Floor Dinner

Today we had our Floor Dinner! We tried to find a time for most of the floormates to be able to have dinner at the same time. Not all of us could make it (14/26), but with such a big group that's normal. Some people had to cancel at the last minute since their meetings took more time than planned.

We had the dinner at the Smithfield Cooked Food Center which is located quite near our hall. On the 2nd floor there's many small restaurants and all clients eat at the hall in the center. This is definitely not any fine dining place but quite cheap and has good food.

I'm going to make some comments about the the eating habits in this post. I'm not an expert and haven't asked the locals about it, so these all are based on my observations and asumptions.

@ Smithfield Cooked Food Center

When getting the table and all glasses, bowls and chopsticks you'll get a bigger bowl with hot water. The idea is to clean the utensils by yourself. Don't worry, they are not left there after others have used them, but it's just a custom here and I guess it makes it sure that they are clean. Glasses are cleaned with hot tea. You can see the "leftover glass" later in the pictures in the center plate.

Washing the utensils

So we ate a lot Chinese food and it was again good! I even ate frog legs, which didn't taste that special... Just some meat really. :) There were also shrimps which were ment to put in mouth with the core on as all the spices are on it. You could then spit the core away. As the last dish we got hotpot.

Chicken pot

Tofu something on left, shrimps in the middle and frog legs on the right.

Hot pot with various ingredients.

How to eat with Hong Kong style. Does not work in fine restaurants, but with smaller restaurants or at food court restaurants like the one we were at. So basically you will have:

1. one bowl for rice (if you choose to order it)
2. one bowl for eating
3. chopsticks & spoon
4. tea

Some meat dishes have bones in it, but the leftovers aren't left in your small eating bowl. Instead you put them on the table.

When eating with a larger group, people usually share the dishes. Dishes are put in the middle of the table, which sometimes has the spin plate (quite convenient!). You don't have to stretch out for the dish you want, you can just spin the plate.

How to eat...

10/f!