Pretty good attendance

Despite last minute cancellations – several people sick, the Old China Hands Lunch 3 January 2025 had 21 participants, not bad as many people were still away.
The menu, see the pictures:

• vegetable quiche OR Morel’s chef salad (ham, blue cheese and pan-fried chicken, beef on lettuce) OR fresh smoked  salmon croquettes  OR fresh daily soup
• beef tenderloin stroganoff served with market vegetables and steamed rice OR meatloaf with black pepper sauce served with market vegetables and mashed potatoes OR red snapper provençale style served with vegetables and mashed potatoes
• daily desert

Thanks to Khee Liang for the extra pictures.
It was our first lunch in 2025. Next lunch is on Friday 7 February at the start of the Year of the Snake. Chinese New Year is on 29 January, public holiday is from 28 January to 3 February.

The benefits of our monthly lunch

Our lunch combats a change in society that affects Americans, as well as other nations. See here copy of interesting article. Our lunches bring people together – again.
In The Atlantic‘s latest cover story, “The Anti-Social Century” Derek Thompson illuminates America’s loneliness epidemic.
The big thought: Loneliness is no longer a temporary problem in America. Staying home and being alone has become a way of life.
Some eye-popping stats:

• Americans’ time spent socializing in person dropped 20% between 2003 and 2023, per the American Time Use Survey. Among people younger than 25, it plummeted more than 35%.
• In that same time, the share of U.S. adults having dinner or drinks with friends on a given night has declined 30%. And the National Restaurant Association says that 74% of 2023 restaurant traffic came from takeout and delivery.
• A typical teen spends 270 minutes on weekdays and 380 minutes on weekends looking at a phone screen, according to Digital Parenthood Initiative. That’s about 30% of the time they’re awake.

The bottom line: “Practically the entire economy has reoriented itself to allow Americans to stay within their four walls,” Thompson writes. “This phenomenon cannot be reduced to remote work. It is something far more totalizing — something more like remote life.”

Bye bye summer

Our Old China Hands Lunch 6 September 2024 had 27 participants to celebrate the end of summer. Still a lot of people busy.
The menu (see some in the pics):
– tomato stuffed with fish salad OR cooked ham roll stuffed with Russian potato salad OR fresh daily soup
– farmer’s pork sausage with onion sauce served with red cabbage and fried potatoes OR chicken cordon bleu served with daily vegetables and pan-fried potatoes OR pan-fried snapper Meunière served with daily vegetables and boiled potatoes
– daily dessert

As always all enjoyed the food and lively conversation!
The next lunch is on 4 October, yes in the “Golden Week”, so no excuse you need to work!

The chef has to check it

Renaat Morel regularly has to check the quality of the dishes, what a job!

But it also helps Susan to shoot her Douyin clips.

A customer returns

A Dutch lady, Maaike, was in Morel’s on 11 April 2000 while pregnant with her son. Her husband got a speed lesson from Renaat to make a nice steak, so he could spoil his wife.

On 20 September 2024 she came back to the restaurant with the son who said “I was here before!” (in his mother belly!). Another super-tall Dutch boy!