Wait and see in China

Why not try the Chinese restaurant rather than opt for the safe and easy international buffet? I was, after all, in Beijing. The restaurant, which offered Cantonese and Hunan cuisine, looked a bit empty for a Saturday evening. When I asked for a table for one the girl at the desk hesitated and I wondered why.

Was it too late? I had read that the Chinese like to eat quite early.

Or was it taboo to eat alone? I knew that eating in a group is very important for the Chinese.

Maybe she didn’t understand my English. Anyway, I repeated the request and she led me to a table. Perhaps I had just spoken too quickly.

Chinese food: delicious, but filling

Then the sedate atmosphere suddenly changed dramatically. Teams of staff started wheeling in huge round tables around the room; chairs were covered in bright pink drapes and a stage was constructed. Technicians tested the lighting. Enormous flower arrangements were set up. The few other guests left the restaurant and I sat alone waiting for my missing dish. I decided that the two other dishes were more than enough and started to hope that they wouldn’t bring the third after all. My motto was "‘wait and see".

When they brought a plate of fresh fruit, I realized that we were reaching the end of the meal. When I asked for the bill, I thought I would have to complain about having to pay for something that had never arrived but was relieved to see there was no mention of it.

Why had the dim sum never arrived? Had they not understood my order? Unlikely, as the waitress repeated what I had said. Had they forgotten? Had they had too much else to do? Or had the Chinese waiters secretly known that I would not be able to eat it all and discreetly omitted to bring it as they wanted to save me from losing face?

At breakfast the next morning, I thought it would be a good idea to try to talk to Mr Wang, the conference manager, to check my requirements for the workshop which I was going to run at the beginning of the week. Heading for the reception, I came to the conclusion that it would not be such a good idea. A wedding party was just arriving. A stream of Audi limousines drew up and the bride and groom stepped out to explosions of confetti from firecrackers. I figured out that Mr Wang would have better things to do than to talk to me about seating arrangements and flipcharts. Again I decided to "wait and see".

Just as I returned to my room to write down my thoughts, the phone rang. It was Mr Wang, calling to check the arrangements for my workshop the next day.