A moveable feast fit for a king, or queen

By Wang Zhenghua (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-15 10:46

Lin said Chinese fast food will probably account for 30 to 40 percent of catering services at the garden. "Chinese brands are now ready to take on their foreign counterparts in direct competition," he added.

Hong Kong Maxim's Group, which established its reputation at the Aichi Expo in 2005 in Japan, has acquired an area of 1,900 sq m in the garden. It will recruit chefs from Hong Kong to unshackle their imaginations and arrange creative menus, said a spokesperson for the group.

With 12 months to go, Shanghai Expo organizers are already working furiously to enlist the second batch of catering businesses.

Chinese staples

At the center of the expo site, a 16,000-sq-m food court will be created to present China's eight regional cuisines (Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Anhui, Hunan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu). Visitors will have an opportunity to taste authentic tangyuan, or stuffed dumplings made of glutinous rice flour served in soup, as the Sichuan Laitangyuan Food Co. will present this traditional dish at the event. Each provincial food will be supervised by a company from that particular region.

Genuine Taiwanese dishes will also be available as negotiations are under way to introduce the island's signature dishes at the garden, said Lin. Muslim foods will also be available, he added.

Fast and cheap

Answering concerns about whether food in the garden will be too pricey or entail long waits on the part of hungry visitors, organizers promised that service will be fast and cheap.

Shanghai has accepted bids from Western fast-food chains with the aim of keeping prices down generally throughout the garden. This differs from the policy of the Aichi Expo in Japan, when similar chains were shut out and prices soared, according to Lin.

"The dishes served at the Shanghai Expo Garden are expected to be relatively inexpensive as many outlets will need to stay competitive (with the fast-food chains)," Lin said. "Otherwise they will lose their market share."

Organizers said they will strive to cut the average waiting time to less than 10 minutes.

Shanghai Expo visitors will also be able to enjoy their meals in more comfortable and spacious surroundings than was possible at the previous World's Fair. Whereas in Aichi, every 1,000 visitors were crammed into an average space of 109 sq m, this area space will almost double to 200 sq m in Shanghai.

To further speed things up, organizers plan on planting numerous convenience stores in the garden while prodding food businesses to deliver dishes in as timely a manner as possible.

Tourists will also have free access to potable water at the 5.28-sq-km garden's numerous faucets.

Food hygiene

To ensure food safety, organizers have imposed a high threshold for catering businesses looking to operate at the site and inspectors will monitor how they perform. Only businesses with a clean record under their local food safety watchdogs can apply for a license. Furthermore, food inspectors will roam the garden at random to track information at each dining site.

Organizers will also take notes from veteran expo host Japan by hiring Japanese companies well-versed on catering for exhibitions and trade fairs to provide the highest-quality service.

"The Japanese have a lot of experience," said Lin. "They tend to provide dishes that are processed at high temperatures, such as barbecues, rather than deal in raw salmon, sushi and foods that are hard to preserve."

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