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Sorry March wasn't Magazine Month, April is!!

 

Birthday Boys and Girls 

 

Alex

Lau

02 APR

Charter

Jessie Ripple - Education - Ithaca Rotary; PE Ramesh Chugani - Kowloon North; PE Ozer Ebrahim - HK Northeast; PP Prakash Kirpalani - Import/Export - Tsim Sha Tsui East; D. Reid - Telecom Design - Canterbury, UK; Rtn Lal Hardasani - Insurance - Peninsula.

Ms Nasreen Ting - Guest of Rtn David and Ms Diana Tam Guest of Rtn Jane

Since Brian only just arrived on time he fined everyone who had arrived before him $20! Give or take a few bob that would have netted $600, not bad come to think of it; it's also a sneaky way of saying that the attendance was about 35. Could be better!!

President Cassidy reported that at the Horse Racing Fellowship,  the previous week, the levy of 10% on winnings had raised $1,220 which seems to indicate that we have some shrewd horse sense among our members. Urchin aka PP Louis then repeated the details of the coming Tree-planting Walkathon. Other Dates to remember:

 Indian Night
7:30 p.m. Friday 6th April 2001
India Club, 25 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon.

Next Major Event: Annual Ball
7:30 p.m. Saturday 26 May 2001
Grand Hyatt Ballroom, Hong Kong. 

41st District Conference - 7th/8th April

Convention Centre

Im not sure whether Urchins ever finish up in the Chinese cooking wok and thus I might have been distracted but I lost the thread of the thesis fairly early on in the proceedings and didn't even enjoy the Chinese meal as much as usual.

Dr Cheung however came to my rescue and let me have the bollowing book flier.

"Chinese food is familiar to people around the globe and Chinese restaurants can be found in almost every city in the world, but there is no simple answer to the question of what is Chinese food.

Does Chinese food taste the same in different parts of the world? What has happened to the Chinese diet in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau? What has affected the foodways of Chinese communities in other Asian countries with large Chinese diasporic communities? What has make Chinese food popular in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan? What has brought about the adoption and adaptation of Western food and changes in Chinese diets in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Peking?

By considering the practice of globalization, Mr David YH Wu's and Dr Sidney CH Cheung's volume of essays by well-known anthropologists from many locales in Asia, discribes changes, variations and innovations to Chinese food in many parts of the world, paying particular attention to questions related to how foods are introduced, maintained, localised and re-invented according to changing lifestyles and social tastes.

The book reviews and broadent classic social science theories about ethnic identity and social identity formation through the examination of Chinese food and eating habits in many locations. It reveals surprising changes and provides a powerful testimony to the impact of late 20th century globalization."

Phew!!! Well all I can say is "Shaang Tsoi So Chau, Sik Tsoi Heung Kong!"

Rtn Alex then thanked the speaker with another speech. Two for the price of one indeed. 

 Mr. Nury Vittachi
(a.k.a. the notorious Spice Trader!)
on "The Secrets of Thriving in Hong Kong" 

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Born in Germany, I traveled for most of my childhood and teenage life, both in Europe and Asia. 

Arts and Crafts, was one of the many subjects I enjoyed and excelled in during my educational years.  At first I thought my calling was toward the artistic.  On thinking about it though, I decided that because I had enjoyed cooking from an early age, I would be able to use my artistic talents as well as my joy of cooking better, as a chef.

I started the long and sometimes arduous, but mostly enjoyable journey into the world of hospitality as a trainee Hotel Fachfrau, which is a three year training covering all sectors of the Hotel industry.  It was a very interesting experience, which made me realize that I enjoyed the customer service aspect very much.

I progressed from Restaurant through Sommelier, Chef, F&B, Accounts, Reception, Banqueting, Sales and Marketing to General Management.  After managing a group of privately owned Hotels, I thought it was time to do my own thing.  This I did successfully until my partner and I decided to go our separate ways, and by now I had had enough of Germany and felt it was time to go back to the UK.  No sooner said than done.

On arriving in the UK I thought it might be time for a change, like, have the occasional weekend off or even a public holiday for once in my life.  Given the choice of managing a hotel or joining Regus Business Centres, Regus won.  After running a centre for a short time I was able to progress into what interested me more, training.  On applying to come to Asia, I was here after just two weeks and have had a great time traveling around the region getting to know the cultures and training people in several countries, which has taught me a tremendous amount.  I will be based more permanently in Hong Kong within the next few months, which will enable me to concentrate on…My next step, which will be, to set up my own Quality Consultancy backed by training programs for all aspects of hospitality and customer service.  There is a great need and I very much hope to be of assistance to many.

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