photo credit: Ocha-Neko on flickr

I wrote earlier how things are transitioning from a service market to an experience market.  Consumers aren’t just looking for great service anymore, but want the entire experience from the first point of contact to the last to feel authentic to whatever it is supposed to be.  I found this wonderfully true at the spa I chose in Phuket, where the website, building interior and exterior, and all their services combined for a wonderful sense of tranquility.  That’s exactly how it should be and I’ll definitely go to them when I return someday.

As I was searching for a dim sum place to eat at in Hong Kong, I read about one place that apparently is one of the few restaurants that still served dim sum on carts that are pushed around.  Of course that was the very one I chose, since dim sum just isn’t as fun when you order it off a menu.  It was surprising to me that they’d be phasing this out, since it’s a great part of the experience and that’s what truly makes it unique.  Without that, where is the fun?  Restaurants would do well to keep that tradition alive, or else the dishes become nothing more than some appetizers on their menu.

Sadly, when I got to City Hall to locate the restaurant, I found it is under renovation, so I was redirected to a place called Jasmine in the La Jardine building nearby.  It turned out to be one of those fancy places that I hardly frequent, offering bird’s nest and albacore or something like that.  I don’t really care for high class food, but I was desperately hungry and wanted dim sum, so I went anyway.  The food itself was tasty and they still served them in the bamboo containers, but it was so unceremonious it made me sad.  No lady pushing a cart, touting her choices.  No cutting the food in front of me or adding soy sauce and other last-minute touches.  No sheet filling up with stamps to indicate the dishes I’d eaten.  Just a waitress placing my orders on the table.

I can’t wait to go back to the dim sum place I eat at in Alhambra and have a nice hearty brunch with some friends.  That’s another thing – eating dim sum alone is extremely boring!  You can only order so many dishes before you don’t know what to do with yourself.  It’s far better to have more people sharing the dishes so everyone can get a little taste of each yummy item.  So I guess my craving for the dim sum experience will have to wait at least another week.