INTERNSHIPS
Reports
Food Culture and Lifestyle in Chengdu
2019-09-20
黃念恩
Preesa SAE WONG
成都數聯銘品科技有限公司
Business Big Data
成都
Chengdu
Being a foodie, eating, in particular, trying out local food, is always on top of my must-do list when visiting a culturally different place. International food chains that could be found back home, on the other hand, are dull and unappealing. Talking with the locals about their lifestyle while eating also makes dining out experience more special than ordering takeaways and it allows me to learn about a different culture.
By courtesy of Business Big Data (BBD), the senior staff welcomed us with the legendary Sichuan spicy hotpot in a high-end, two-story high restaurant in the first week of our arrival.
.png)
Figure 1 Typical Sichuan ma-la hotpot setting
Hotpot is a communal dinner and one of the commonest forms of social gathering in Chengdu and is basically a must-eat for anyone visiting the city. Sichuan Ma-La Hotpot distinguishes itself from other types of Chinese hotpots by its sheer volume of red chilies and rich peppercorns in the spiced oil soup base. Chengdu hotpot meal sets are also regionally distinct as they are typically served with a small tin of fragrant oil.
There was also a buffet station on the ground floor to provide customers with a buffet-like food selection experience. A wide range of local foods were elegantly displayed there.
.png)
Figure 2 Meat and fish balls put on a mini spiral staircase with bamboo centerpiece
The company representatives and we had a casual but fruitful exchange over various topics, including Hong Kong education and medical system and Chengdu dining culture. They also shared with us the dream and ambition of the Chinese millennials.
Chengdu is also renowned for its Chuan Chuan or skewer hotpot. Chuan Chuan restaurants are often packed with locals during off-hours in workday evenings. The locals like putting bite-sized meat and vegetable on long skewers into a simmering hot pot. The bill is calculated by weighing the skewers on a scale. This way of eating is indeed indigenous to Chengdu.
.png)
Figure 3 Having Chengdu skewer hotpot as a farewell dinner with other interns
Spicy food is dominant in Sichuan province, including Chengdu, and so it could be effortful for non-spicy eaters like me to find something that suits my appetite. To my surprise, the local non-spicy food could, however, be as flavorful as the spicy one. My favorite is grilled lamb on skewers from Xun Xiao Huan where my mainland Chinese friend had dinner with me on my last night in Chengdu. It costs only about RMB$5 for a skewer. One can never enjoy a few bites of juicy lamb in Hong Kong at this price and this is why it is so attractive to me.
.png)
Figure 4 Grilled lamb on skewers and other skewered food from Xun Xiao Huan
The lifestyle in Chengdu varies considerably from that in Hong Kong. Compared with Hong Kong, Chengdu locals lead a slower-paced and cozy lifestyle. Chengdu people enjoy the privilege of getting off work on time. Our company’s workers leave the office at 18:30 sharp. Most of my colleagues are gone by 18:45. Few people have to work extra hours at weekends.
Many local workers there start their regular workdays with steamed buns, assorted porridge that come in a sealed plastic cup or deep-fried Chinese dough sticks with soy milk bought from local vendors near the bus stops.
.png)
Figure 5 A vendor selling typical Chengdu breakfast next to a bus stop
At my internship company, a seminar about technical knowledge and statistical concepts in data science is held on every Friday afternoon. Seminar speakers shared what they learned from research papers and some practical work skills with colleagues from all departments.
.png)
Figure 6 BBD seminars on Fridays
Overall, I have learned so much about the food culture and lifestyle in Chengdu. I also have a taste of what a big data company provides and how it operates.