Shovel Service

[liuzhou]

A recent trend in some restaurants In China involves not you shoveling up your dinner, but the wait staff shoveling it at you.

 

It only seems to apply to seafood restaurants, as far as I can see but would work with other things, I guess. Here are a few cell phone shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does this happen anywhere else?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by liuzhou (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Why? How very unappealing.

[BeeZee]

Agreed. First reaction was "yuck", but I guess in the Social Media Age, novelty is King.

[liuzhou]

9 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

Why? How very unappealing.

 

They're always looking for a new gimmick, to stand out from the competition.  I don't think it's so bad and anyway, it's the taste that counts.

 

It will pass, as did the Bareheaded Sichuan restaurant where the wait staff, male and female all shaved their heads.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17 by liuzhou (log)

[ElsieD]

Gross.

[blue_dolphin]

It doesn't look all that different from various seafood boils I've seen dumped onto picnic tables covered with cloth or paper in US southern states.  And, as in those boils, I see that @liuzhou's favorite vegetable is also represented in the Chinese versions he shared. 

Here's a photo from Serious Eats:

 

[TicTac]

Disgusting. 

 

ETA till they start eating from a communal troft!?

[liuzhou]

I am mystified as to what is "disgusting" or "gross". This is not significantly different from taking a dish from a commercial wok with a large wok scoop and plating it. All that is going on is that they plate it in front of you and the scoop is a little bigger.

 

It is also normal for most Asians to eat family style. Food is rarely served as individual meals for each diner. No troughs involved.

 

 

Edited May 18 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

5 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

And, as in those boils, I see that @liuzhou's favorite vegetable is also represented in the Chinese versions he shared.

 

They put that in everything!

 

 

[liuzhou]

Here is a similar meal, but they've cut out the shovel and instead tip the food straight from the wok onto what looks like a parchmment or greaseproof paper lined sheet pan.

 

The end result is the same.