China bound

22 Nov 08, 11.20am
Their passports, visas and toothbrushes are packed. Steve & Tom from our display department will soon be China-bound, searching out new and exciting effects for Fantastic Fireworks' 2009 showcase. Next week they will be posting regular blogs as they visit six factories, travelling from the sub-zero temperatures of northern China to the warmth of the south. Our Chinese hosts are always eager to please, most courteous and generous with their hospitality. In a country that has to feed more than a billion mouths one thing you soon discover is that few creatures escape the dinner table. However the Chinese are sensible to Western tastes even if, just occasionally, you have to avert your eyes when you spot the odd beak poking out of a dish! Which reminds me of a terrible joke one of our firers told me recently. A group of people go into a Chinese restaurant and place their order. When the dish arrives, to their horror they see the lid lift slightly and a watery eye looking out at them. Quickly they slam the slid down and summon the waiter. 'What's the problem' he asks. 'Well take a look,' they say. The lid lifts again and there is the eye looking out. The waiter swears. Then he summons his chef and shouts 'They order Chicken Chow Mein. This Peeking Duck.'