Chapter 8 Join beggars to beg for food

Our father and son were treated to a buffet meal in a big restaurant. I lined up with my father and handed a porcelain plate to him. My father sighed—— "Shanghai people don't eat buffets." Dad said. "Why?" I asked. "Only beggars are so despondent." Pa said. "Ah! Like this!" I felt a chill down my spine. Suddenly, a cold wind blew in the gorgeous lobby of the hotel, just like in the cartoon of Maruko-chan, grandpa and Maruko-chan were sucked into the vortex by a cruel word. My father and I, who were carrying the plates, could almost see the snow falling mercilessly up.

In fact, Shanghainese naturally have their own way of eating a "buffet" meal: When I was a child, there was a "Maggie Hotel" that used a cart to push each dish to the guest's table, and asked the guest one by one: "Oxtail How are you?" "How about flatfish?" Just use your chin to order the dishes you want, and the waiter will help you put the dishes you choose on your plate. This is of course more "unlike a beggar". However, the term "like a beggar" did not stop the "Shanghai gang" old people from joining the buffet line. Every time a new tourist restaurant launches a buffet in the lobby, there will often be five or six people who comb their buns and cheongsam too much. The wives on their knees, some with their nurses and some with their wives, chattered and lined up to choose dishes.

Occasionally, I serve the occasion when I am prosperous, and sometimes I serve Mrs. Liu, who was once the wife of the commander-in-chief, and that is the most interesting. This Mrs. Liu is very, very small, and her lenses are very, very thick. Her criteria for choosing dishes is not to look at them, but to smell them. Get it under her nose and let her smell it. If she nods, then help her take some.If she shook her head, she would have to "return" the dish. Of course, this is not very "like a beggar", I am afraid it is more like a health check. Many people say that Shanghai people pay attention to style, but I never heard my father mention the word "style" since I was a child.

When I saw his way of treating guests, I thought it was the "uniform" way of hospitality all over the world.When you grow up, you will be surprised when you meet owners with different styles. For example, when entertaining guests, the way the host "orders food" can certainly show the host's skills and how considerate the guests are. If the host blindly orders some sea cucumbers, abalones, and fins for the sake of showing off, it may be because of sincerity, but it is really "angry". Every time Dad treats guests and wants to decide on the menu, he will always explain a few sentences to our children: "The tendons here are all skin, don't order it", "This fish is too big for six guests", "Order the whole shrimp. Yes, don't order minced ones, they may not be fresh."

A child like me who grew up in a subtropical city has no sense of the seasons at all. He often only listens to the restaurant manager reminding his father when he is ordering: "The fresh flat tip is gone", "It's just right to eat crabs now"... … Every time I hear this kind of explanation, I can feel a little bit the insignificance of human beings, the majesty of seasonal migration, and the harshness of survival in nature. The rhythm of ordering a table of meat and vegetables, and the depth of friendship with the chef are the exclusive fun that you can bring to your friends when you treat guests.

Sometimes when I meet someone for a treat, I am still not used to the fact that I, the guest, is asked to choose the restaurant and order the dishes.It feels like "going out on a mission", not like being treated. Ninety percent of the jokes my father told were told at the dinner table. When I get along with my family in private, my father said very little, so I can see my father's jokes, thanks to the fact that I have often "attended" family dinners since I was a child. And "the host wants to make the guests happy", I also take it for granted.After I started working, I went on some TV shows and met some hosts, which made the guests very nervous and couldn't be happy at all. I couldn't help thinking: Their father, who was not in front of them, often performed to amuse the guests. Be happy.