H Shaped Kitchen Island That Make A Big Impact
By Dr. Chandana (Chandi) Jayawardena DPhil
President – Chandi J. Associates Inc. Consulting, Canada
Founder & Administrator – All-around Accommodation Forum
Hong Kong – A Accurate Jungle
As the Administrator – Operations for the auberge aggregation in the accumulated appointment of John Keells Group, 1981 was a active year for me. As I was appropriate to leave for Hong Kong for three weeks, at abbreviate notice, I bound placed abounding of my projects on a aback burner or delegated those to associates of my team. Aural two canicule afterwards I was assigned the appointment of assuming a appropriate role of the Bedfellow Executive Chef for a two-week continued Sri Lankan and Maldivian aliment festival, I accustomed at the Auberge Furama Inter-Continental in Hong Kong. Compared to what I had apparent during my bound across campaign before, Hong Kong Island addled me as the first, crawling accurate boscage I had visited.
The Furama Hotel, with 33 storeys, had opened in 1973 and was taken over for administration by the InterContinental Hotels three years later. During my quick acclimatization by a Swiss German, Peter Luedi, the Executive Chef of the host hotel, I was best afflicted with their revolving restaurant on the top attic alleged ‘La Ronda’. “This is our arch restaurant. Your aliment anniversary will be captivated actuality for cafeteria and banquet over two weeks. Our sales and business administration has answer the anniversary actual able-bodied and we apprehend all buffets to be awash out. Let me acquaint the three Chinese cooks who will address to you during that absolute period”, Chef Luedi ushered me to the roof top kitchen. I was admiring that he was actual optimistic, accessible and positive.
Cooking and PR
My added (non-cooking) canicule afore the anniversary were spent on accident planning, fine-tuning the card planning, appropriate grocery arcade in bounded markets, beforehand preparations, accessible relations and promotional events. The aliment anniversary was a big success. By the end of the two weeks, I was beat from affable about all of the dishes for sold-out buffets. My three Hong Kong Chinese administration additionally formed actual adamantine accouterment me with support, but they were absolutely abased on my aliment requisitioning, aliment condiment and the final cooking. I was additionally amenable for best of the cafe align and decorations. Afterwards my final affable for anniversary meal and a quick shower, I appeared abaft the cafe tables to explain the dishes to hundreds of diners.
I had bristles chargeless canicule in Hong Kong afterwards the anniversary was over. The day afterwards the festival, I planned to blow the accomplished day, but I was woken aboriginal in the morning by the Accessible Relations Officer of the hotel. “Chef Chandana, you charge to get accessible quickly. We assuredly managed to align a atom for you to arise on the best accepted TV appearance in Hong Kong, this morning!”, she said agilely over the telephone. “What time is the interview?” I asked. “In three hours. I will drive you to the TV studio. The account will booty abode accompanying while you baker the best accepted Sri Lankan dishes for TV. Let’s get ready!” she said in an aflame voice.
I accomplished that this was the aboriginal time over a actor Hong Kong TV admirers would see how accepted Sri Lankan dishes were prepared. I bound got accessible and ran to the auberge aliment to adapt the capacity I bare for my appointment at the TV studio. I was a bit adequate to apprehend that the appearance would be a pre-recorded program. Aback I accustomed at the flat for the aliment demonstration, I was advised like an exotic, celebrity chef and an agent for Sri Lankan cuisine. I took that mini appointment actual actively and enjoyed my appointment in advanced of the camera.
A Day-tripper in Hong Kong
After that active day, I took time to analyze day-tripper sites of Hong Kong Island which was a actual baby breadth of 29 aboveboard miles. While Hong Kong Island again had about a division of a absolute citizenry of over bristles actor (five actor citizenry (today over 7.5 million). Kowloon and New Kowloon areas had bisected of the citizenry of Hong Kong. Hong Kong had a aerial citizenry density.
My bout adviser explained that Hong Kong in Cantonese beggarly ‘Fragrant Harbour’. Hong Kong had been inhabited aback the Old Stone Age three actor years ago. Later, it had become a allotment of the Chinese empire, starting out as a fishing, agriculture and alkali bearing village. Again it had gradually become an important, chargeless anchorage and eventually a major, all-embracing banking centre.
This baby island anchored off the south-eastern bank of the Kwangtung Arena of China had been beneath the British aphorism for 139 years, aback the Qing dynasty ceded Hong Kong to the British Empire in 1842 through the treaty of Nanjing, catastrophe the First Opium War. Hong Kong again became a British crown colony.
Japan active Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945 during the Second Apple War, and by the end of the war in 1945, Hong Kong Island had been absolved by collective British and Chinese troops and alternate to the British rule. Hong Kong abundantly added its citizenry with the refugees from Acreage China, decidedly during the Korean War. In 1981 I sensed that in general, Hong Kong association acquainted aflutter and ambiguous of their approaching if and aback the breadth goes aback to Chinese aphorism in 16 years’ time.
My bout of Hong Kong was actual interesting. I enjoyed the bank breadth of Repulse Bay, fishing towns and aliment streets. The across-the-board appearance of Victoria Burghal and its harbour from Victoria Peak, 1,800 anxiety aloft sea-level, was breath-taking. Aback I asked the bout adviser about the beautiful, dejected hills arresting from a distance, he said, “That’s Kowloon and beyond.” Again he suggested, “You should accompany me tomorrow on a appropriate day-long bout to Kowloon and New Territories.” I did not crave abundant alignment to accompany that tour.
Kowloon and New Territories
After acceptable the Additional Opium War, Kowloon had been ceded to the acceptable side, the British, by China in 1860. The New Territories had been busy by the Chinese to the British for 99 years in 1898. While accepting accessible for my additional tour, I accidently bumped into a few British tourists who acclimated to appointment Auberge Swanee frequently, aback I was the Administrator there. They were my accompany and insisted on hosting me for banquet at their hotel. They additionally took me on a long, arcade airing on the acclaimed Hankow Road.
Kowloon (meaning nine dragons) was altered from the Hong Kong Island. Ample ‘H’ shaped blocks of flats in resettlement estates were active by bags of Chinese refugees who fled from the Communist China. As we travelled to the New Territories, added agronomical communities were visible. We additionally had a glimpse of the Shumchun River, the accustomed abuttals amid the British antecedents and the China. Afterwards that tour, I was bent to cantankerous that airy ‘Bamboo Curtain’. I anticipation of my father’s admonition to me to appointment China, and appointed a two-day bout to Macau and Southern China.
Macau – Smoke-filled Casinos
The abutting day aboriginal in the morning, I larboard Hong Kong in a hovercraft baiter to Macau. This actual baby (two aboveboard miles) island and the abutting by acreage areas of the breadth added up to aloof six aboveboard miles. Macao had been beneath Portuguese aphorism for over 400 years. Although 95% of its citizenry were Chinese, the official accent was Portuguese.
The bout accumulation which was predominantly British and Australian, enjoyed visiting abounding celebrated ruins, area and casinos. This was my aboriginal time visiting a casino, but because of the totally, smoked-filled atmosphere, it was not pleasant. For me, the best memorable affair I did in Macau was visiting the canonizing house of Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The bout adviser explained to us that Dr. Sun Yat Sen was advised as the ‘Father of Modern China’ and the ‘Forerunner of the Revolution’ in acceptance of his active role in the abolish of the Qing dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution in 1911.
Southern China – Unprepared for Tourism
After visiting Macau we were taken in two bout buses to the south of the Pearl River Delta in the Cantonese-speaking arena of Guangdong, for two nights. Wherever we went locals paid some absorption to me as they were not acclimated to seeing non-white tourists in China in 1981. We visited the burghal of Zhuhai which had been articular in 1980 as one of the aboriginal four special bread-and-butter zones, as able-bodied as potentially one of China’s arch day-tripper destinations, actuality alleged the Chinese Riviera. Again we proceeded to the burghal of Zhongshan which is one of a actual few cities in China alleged afterwards a person. It was alleged afterwards Dr. Sun Yat Sen (who is accepted in Mandarin as Sun Zhongshan).
Compared to Hong Kong, Southern China appeared to be absolutely arrested in 1981.
Nevertheless, I admired the acquaintance of actuality one of the aboriginal tourists in modern-day China. In acceding of tourism in 1981, China was at a actual aboriginal adorning stage, abundant abaft baby countries such as Sri Lanka. Aback he heard that I visited China, my ancestor was admiring that I had commenced afterward his footsteps in acceptable a common all-around traveller.
In 1981, it was difficult for me to brainstorm how China would become one of the four top day-tripper destinations in the apple aural 35 years. It is artlessly an amazing success story. In the year 2019, the Apple Tourism Organization additionally articular China as the # 1 antecedent country in day-tripper spending for the year 2019.
Back in Hong Kong
I alternate to Hong Kong aloof in time to appear a adieu banquet for the Sri Lankan and Maldivian assembly who abounding the tourism advance events. Auberge Furama Inter-Continental was beholden for my appointment as the Bedfellow Executive Chef. I was beholden for their accommodation and support. The aliment anniversary was advised a abundant success in acceding of publicity, aliment quality, booth satisfaction, acquirement and profits.
The acquaintance I acquired in Hong Kong in 1981 was accessible in afterwards years, aback I organized four added ample Sri Lankan aliment and ability festivals in Singapore (1982), Oman (1988), Guyana (1994) and Jamaica (1996), as the Bedfellow Executive Chef and Accident Coordinator. I advised acclimation a ample aliment anniversary in addition country as the ultimate claiming in alfresco catering. Based on my acquaintance in Hong Kong, I able a abundant account for acclimation aliment festivals, which I aggregate with my aggregation as able-bodied as with acceptance of the Ceylon Auberge School area I was requested to bear a alternation of bedfellow lectures on my acknowledgment to Sri Lanka.
Over the abutting brace of decades, I alternate to Hong Kong a few times.
In 1991, I was able to align a Administration Observer aeon at again the best auberge in the apple – the Regent of Hong Kong. I was appreciative to apprehend that the citizen bandage of this abundant auberge was the acclaimed Sri Lankan band, The Jetliners. My accompany Tony Fernando and Mignonne Fernando (band administrator and the advance accompanist of the Jetliners) abiding my assignment.
In 1992, I alternate to Hong Kong to present a case abstraction from Sri Lanka at the Pacific Asia Regional Tourism Education Forum, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Apple Tourism Organisation. I was appreciative to accommodated two Sri Lankans arch PATA at that time – Lakshman Ratnapala, President & CEO and Renton De Alwis, Vice President – Asia.
In 2001, I alternate to Hong Kong, to present a case abstraction from the Caribbean. This was at the All-embracing Accommodation Industry Evolution Conference, organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Cornell University, USA. On that fourth visit, I acquainted the alteration political altitude of Hong Kong, beneath the Chinese rule.
In 2010, l was asked by my again employer, George Brown College, Toronto, Canada (where I formed as a dean), to absorb three weeks in China to advance appointment assignments. Two associates of my aggregation of advisers accompanied me. Our appointment was mainly at the Guilin University of Technology, with whom, George Brown College had an educational alleyway agreement. During that cruise I spent absorbing periods in Guilin, Beijing and Shanghai.
In time to come, I will characterize belief about these memorable acknowledgment trips to Hong Kong and China, in this column.
