An important part of Chinese business culture is the social interaction and personal relationships built up, I’ve been told.
These relationships are often developed over dinner, and it’s here where negotiations can be sealed or lost.
So it was with a little trepidation I went to a business banquet the other day.
Walking into the room, there was a giant turntable, which was soon to be loaded with all kinds of food.
Each diner edged it along gently to get to the tastiest morsel, until I was left facing what looked like some overcooked black olives.
I put some onto my plate (if someone else does it for you that means you are really friends for life), and tried a little.
It didn’t taste of too much, and ventured on to the next few dishes of genuine seaweed, pork, and squid.
It was only later I was told I had in fact eaten sea slug, a particular delicacy in Shandong Province.
Apparently each one has to be soaked for so many weeks to ensure they were clean, and although they weren’t actually offensive, their taste was so non descript I had to wonder why anyone bothered.
Still any lingering fear about what the unusual food could be doing to my insides was reduced by the three toasts that were held.
The senior local official dedicated various toasts, and we all sank a small glass of Bai Jo- a local type of rice wine.
The stuff is about 60 per cent proof (at least) and probably destroyed any lingering bugs in my stomach.
The stuff tasted more like TCP and I decided to bail out of the third toast by cunning filling my glass with green tea (so not to as offend anyone).
And with that happy thought we moved onto the penultimate dish – rice.
Rather than stuffing themselves with rice at the beginning of the meal like the British the Chinese eat it before hitting the fresh fruit for desert.
No diplomatic incidents occurred during the dinner, and the 30 or so people crowded around the table retired to their hotel, tired, but happy.