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A moveable feast fit for a king, or queen

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

While Beijing strove to ensure the world remember its trademark Peking roast duck during last year's Olympics, Shanghai is ready to treat its guests to local snacks such as hairy crab and soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) for the upcoming expo.

Next year's World Expo is expected to attract 70 million tourists - of which 10 million are expected from overseas - as it presents a festival of cutting-edge technology, national cultures and gastronomic delights.

People will have an opportunity to taste hairy crab, a famous dish in Shanghai, at the 2010 Expo. [China Daily]

Visitors will be able to learn about and feast on China's famous "Eight Cuisines" - regional dishes distinguished by unique characteristics - at the specially-designed food court in the Expo Garden. Fast-food franchises will work alongside world-renowned chefs and touted culinary innovators to bring their passion and flair to the 400,000 daily tourists who are expected to visit the Shanghai Expo.

Expo organizers have promised quick, delicious and affordable dining services while guaranteeing maximum food safety through managed tracking and monitoring systems.

Exotic cuisine

According to the rules set out by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE), which regulates World Expo-related issues, up to 20 percent of each pavilion can be used for commercial activities. This includes selling products and providing dining services.

With about 40 of more than 230 confirmed participating countries and regions electing to build stand-alone pavilions, this translates into a total area of 10,000 sq m - or 1.5 soccer fields - that can be turned into dining space.

Most of the 40 stand-alones will outsource their catering services, said Lin Shengyong, head of the Shanghai Expo's service department for commercial activities. They will target high-end customers with a budget of over 200 yuan ($30) a head, he added.

"About 30 percent of business tourists will choose these upscale dining services for the purpose of public relations or business talks," he said.

France has invited French chefs from upscale Three on the Bund to feed its guests next year. Other countries will borrow top chefs from local five-star hotels.

Public dining

As well as the international cuisine on offer at the stand-alone pavilions, most expo visitors are likely to head to the garden to sample a variety of fast foods, exotic cuisines, cafes and bars stretching over 78,000 sq m.

Foreign brands including KFC, Pizza Hut, Hong Kong Maxim's Group, Starbucks and Manabe are among the first group of licensed catering businesses to sign up for the Shanghai Expo. They are joined by local brands such as Hakuna Matata, a restaurant specializing in African food and culture, Shanghai Old-Town Temple Restaurant, Jardin De Jade and South Beauty.

"Innovation and the blending of cultures are at the heart of the 2010 Expo. This is quite similar to the development trends our company is experiencing now in China," said Eric Han, vice president of Yum! Restaurants China, which operates KFC and Pizza Hut.

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