Hong Kong waiters
January 26th, 2006 by quaisiIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
The thing that struck me the most about Hong Kong, and I presume this applies to China as well, is how different the level of service in restaurants is. In Japan waiters practically bend over backwards to ensure that everything is satisfactory to you. In Hong Kong, it seems as if your entire presence is a burden to them. They throw down menus and plates as if to scare you away, queries are answered with a “Ha?” and then their questions are barked at you.
I don`t know if it`s their hardworking desire to get on with their job as quickly as possible, disdain for all customers (tourists?), or par for the course in a Chinese society. I suspect it`s the latter but it was a shock after the customer centred Japanese approach.
See also Kottke`s excellent description of Hong Kong
Tags: Japan, Osaka, Asia, Quaisi, Kansai, Expat, English, Hong Kong, Waiter
Posted in Culture Shock, Hong Kong |
January 27th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
> Japan waiters practically bend over backwards
I think I’ve seen a Gentleman’s Recreational Film along those lines…
January 28th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
wow google ads at the end of each post. How annoying.
January 28th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
If the ads bother you may I recommend the RSS feed?
January 29th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I’m not sure I feel Japanese waitstaff are particularly obessessed about being accommodating, but the service model is a bit different. The tipping model in the US can encourage some above-and-beyond service, whereas, for example, unusual requests can leave most Japanese waitstaff a bit perplexed. Polite and efficient, of course, but not particularly extravagant.
I’m not quite sure about poor service in Hong Kong or in Beijing, because I tended to be accompanied by Chinese-speaking folks, even if they didn’t speak Cantonese; nearly every staff interaction seemed fairly pleasant.
However, in Beijing, the availability of cheap labor sometimes means that service can be a bit overwhelming. We went to one restaurant with about 12 waitstaff that descended upon us (helpfully, to be fair) as we entered the restaurant.
I suppose some niceties may be lost in translation, though. Restaurants in Hong Kong tend to be efficient, so perhaps some of that hurriedness comes off as a bit gruff.
August 18th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
I think you were going to that type of restaurant that only pay the waiter/ess for only USD3 - USD3.5/hour. The poor service largely, because of the low pay and they were depressed.
August 19th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Very possibly!