Whether you've been to Hong Kong or not, Hong Kong always has a unique sense of mystery that invites everyone to explore.
Some people think that Hong Kong is too fast-paced, some people like the bustle of Hong Kong, and some people love Hong Kong's authentic food.
However, in Hong Kong, you must understand the "rules" when you eat food, tip for meals, add tea table fees to drink, and charge corkage fees for bringing your own alcohol...
Hong Kong's food is often hidden in the "Burrow" in the downtown area, where the so-called aroma of wine is not afraid of deep alleys and delicious food is not afraid of street stalls.
Hong Kong's 60-year-old Lan Fong Yuan, a food stall on Junction Street in Central, is simply decorated, but many people come here just to eat a pork chop bun and drink a cup of milk tea.
Tsim Sha Tsui Lan Fong Garden is often full, and many tourists come to taste it. Photo by China News Agency
Small shops, but with their own unique operational characteristics, cheap and rich set meals. Perhaps because of the affordability, there will always be a long queue for such small shops.
Drinking tea is not that simple
Milk tea should be drunk, tea should also be drunk, but Hong Kong-style tea drinking is not so simple!
When it comes to Hong Kong-style tea drinking, everyone may think that dim sum is the protagonist, but "tea" is the soul of Hong Kong-style tea drinking.
When you go to a traditional tea house in Hong Kong to drink tea, the waiter will always ask: "What kind of tea do you drink?" ”
In Hong Kong, where everything is fast, it is best to choose the tea you want to drink as soon as possible, otherwise you may be blinded by the waiter.
Nowadays, Hong Kong-style tea drinking has slowly become a dining mode, not limited to traditional tea houses, but also delicious refreshments can be enjoyed in restaurants (Cantonese restaurants).
Generally speaking, the catering service of the restaurant is better, and the waiter will provide dim sum paper, just check your favorite dim sum.
Many people come to Hong Kong to follow a slogan: I go shopping when others eat, and I eat when others go shopping. Point solution?
Because at non-meal points, there are preferential meal prices.
Meals during these times tend to be the cheapest and most cost-effective. Generally, tea restaurants will change the price to 1/3 of the normal price, and afternoon tea in high-end hotels will be correspondingly discounted by 3 to 50% compared to the main meal.
Knowing the "rules" is not embarrassing
Hong Kong is expensive, the rent is expensive, the public dining environment is often very crowded, in the street restaurant, basically impossible to one person per table, narrow small table, but also have to set up two or two tables.
Interestingly, the two people who come together will generally sit side by side, not because of the embarrassment of facing each other, but to avoid financial disputes if they sit too close, and at the same time facilitate access. However, if the restaurant "card slot" is busy, there will also be an embarrassing situation of sitting opposite strangers.
And the embarrassment of ordering food is hilarious in the classic clip of the movie "Congratulations Bapo". When the starring Yang Qianwei ordered food in the tea restaurant, she was angrily shouted by Lin Xue "Speak English", and when Yang finished ordering in English, how did Lin remind that the English she spoke was only A, B, C, D packages, which made people laugh.
In fact, most of the tea restaurant menus have long been matched.
Restaurants in Hong Kong serve food really fast. Especially in the tea restaurant, several signature dishes and drinks may be prepared in the kitchen in advance, and if the guest is ready to cook, the waiter can turn around and serve it.
At the same time, the removal of plates is also fast. If the waiter comes to clean up the dishes and chopsticks, it is a tactful way to tell you: it's time to go. At this time, it is time to consciously check out.
Although many tea restaurants in Hong Kong can now scan the code to order, they still have to go to the cashier at the door to pay after eating.
Some unwritten dining "rules"
There are also some unwritten "rules" when it comes to bringing your own drinks and other meals.
Many restaurants in Hong Kong do not allow guests to bring their own alcohol, especially star hotels, which is explained to be an international practice in the international hotel industry.
Charging a corkage fee is also a routine and seems to be a matter of course.
Restaurants in Hong Kong that sell alcohol are subject to a separate license. That said, you can't buy alcohol at any restaurant.
In addition, the cost of applying for a liquor license is not small, and the cost of renting a house is extremely high, so it seems that the corkage fee charged by restaurants has become a default option.
Therefore, if you want to bring your own alcohol, the corkage fee is indispensable.
Moreover, tipping culture is also prevalent in Hong Kong.
Most restaurants charge a service charge on the basis of low prices, from high-end restaurants to buffets, Western restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and most restaurants will always have the familiar phrase "plus one service charge" (i.e. add a 10% tip) on the menu.
Most of the better Chinese restaurants clearly stipulate the "minimum consumption", which generally refers to the amount of the dish, excluding miscellaneous items such as drinks, service charges, and corkage fees. Outsiders will find it a complete overlord clause, which is difficult to accept.
Therefore, when you see tens or hundreds of dollars in the bill for no reason when paying for meals, please do not doubt, because the tip has long been conventionally included in the bill.
Most medium-sized restaurants will charge a 10% service charge, other tea restaurants and fast food restaurants do not have a tip but charge tea table money (except for low-end tea restaurants), the tea table fee is generally less than 10 yuan.
If you want to go to large catering groups such as Meixin and Daoxiang to "drink tea", you may have to pay two more money, in addition to the tea table money, there is also "plus a service fee".
Some hot pot restaurants, taking soy sauce, sugar and garlic, etc., have to charge additional money, but the tea table fee for regular customers will be completely waived, and some will also give fruit plates.
Well, after understanding these "unspoken rules", is it more convenient to come to Hong Kong to eat?
Editor: Saichi
Cover: Yang Liang
Review: Jin Xia
Reviewed: Oriole Jiang Lu
Some images are from the Internet
(For more information, please pay attention to the Hong Kong Commercial Daily APP)