Every morning at nine o'clock sharp, the chefs and head waiters of this local seafood restaurant line up on the footpath outside the front doors for their morning ritual. Aprons are smoothed and re-tied, hair is neatly combed, and toques are straightened. First, a serious talking-to by the head chef, urging the staff to recognise their shortcomings, do their best, and correct their mistakes. Criticism is a form of camaraderie in China.
This is followed by some calisthenics to music (mostly standing still and waving arms in different directions), and then finally a heartfelt rendition of the restaurant song. The head chef takes his chances amongst the traffic to ignite everyone's enthusiasm for a frantic day ahead of fish-gutting and deep-frying. The whole thing takes about fifteen minutes, everyone applauds themselves, then off to work.
Labels: restaurants, Shanghai
