In one of the facilities that Floyd manages, the staff have a tradition of collecting money to save up for a special event together. Every staff member donates as they can and it is tracked. About once a year they use the money for a special lunch or dinner together. If a girl put in more than what the meal costs, she can get her extra money back or donate to help someone that didn't put in enough. If someone didn't participate in giving through the year, they can just pay the cost of their meal. And, they can all choose to bring family members or guests.
Last weekend was the special day for this year. On Saturday, the facility was closed so everyone had the day off and a reservation was made at a nice buffet type restaurant. The staff really like to do a buffet because it is more expensive than your typical meal and they really enjoy the time together. The buffet does have unlimited food but it's not exactly like a traditional buffet in America (I wouldn't be surprised if these exist somewhere in the US). Of course, I was Floyd's plus one for lunch. It was fun to see everyone enjoying a meal with friends and family.
We didn't take pictures of people for the usual reasons but I did get some great pics of the buffet. I think you'll find that just as interesting, if not even more than some pics of people.
To help you understand the pics, here's a little description. Tables are arranged in columns. Every two columns are connected by a conveyor belt running between them. On the conveyor belt, small dishes pass by containing various types of raw foods. The waiter asks you to choose two types of soup and they are put in the center of your table. The center of the table actually has something like a hot plate under it, so the soup gets hot, actually boiling after a little while. You choose whatever foods you want from the conveyor belt and put them into the soup. They cook in the soup, so the flavor of the soup will incorporate into what you put in it.
There is also a buffet bar that has fried foods such as spring rolls, noodles, and rice. Of course, there is also dessert on that bar as well.
Last weekend was the special day for this year. On Saturday, the facility was closed so everyone had the day off and a reservation was made at a nice buffet type restaurant. The staff really like to do a buffet because it is more expensive than your typical meal and they really enjoy the time together. The buffet does have unlimited food but it's not exactly like a traditional buffet in America (I wouldn't be surprised if these exist somewhere in the US). Of course, I was Floyd's plus one for lunch. It was fun to see everyone enjoying a meal with friends and family.
We didn't take pictures of people for the usual reasons but I did get some great pics of the buffet. I think you'll find that just as interesting, if not even more than some pics of people.
To help you understand the pics, here's a little description. Tables are arranged in columns. Every two columns are connected by a conveyor belt running between them. On the conveyor belt, small dishes pass by containing various types of raw foods. The waiter asks you to choose two types of soup and they are put in the center of your table. The center of the table actually has something like a hot plate under it, so the soup gets hot, actually boiling after a little while. You choose whatever foods you want from the conveyor belt and put them into the soup. They cook in the soup, so the flavor of the soup will incorporate into what you put in it.
There is also a buffet bar that has fried foods such as spring rolls, noodles, and rice. Of course, there is also dessert on that bar as well.
Yes, those are raw eggs that you can hard boil in your soup. And on the other side are some different types of meat balls, rice balls, and dumplings.
Some uncooked noodles. I thought the Ramen type packet was a bit amusing. It just seemed a little out of place. :)
Some shrimp and other types of fish.
Thin slices of pork and beef and a glimpse of the veggies on the other side.
Raw fish. Doesn't everyone eat the fish head???
This is what the table looks like. The servers come by regularly to collect the empty plates because they can stack up pretty fast. The tables seat 4-6 people easily.
These are some huge prawns cooking in our soup. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them raw.
And here is one after cooking in the soup. That is a normal size bowl, so you can imagine its size. I didn't think it tasted as good as the normal size shrimp.
It was a fun experience for us! Good food, good company, and lots of new things to try.
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