Summer is here

We were worried about a low turnout for the Old China Hands Lunch 5 July 2024 but we still had 31 participants, Many people start leaving Beijing for their holidays, next lunch 2 August might be a challenge, also being the hottest week normally…
Renaat was away but still kept an eye on us through the CCTV system… Susan made sure all went well.

The menu was great as usual. See some pics of the dishes. The choice:

• pancake stuffed with ham & mushroom in cheese sauce OR Monaco eggs salad OR Morel’s chef salad (ham, blue cheese, pan-fried chicken, beef on lettuce OR fresh daily soup
• veal sausage with curry sauce served with salad and Belgian frites OR sliced cold roast beef served with potatoes and mixed salad OR red snapper Provençale style served with daily vegetables and mashed potatoes
• fresh daily dessert

A great loss

One of our regular OCH has passed away. Peter Hogg was a real gentleman and loved by all. We often talked about the Aussie Bar he supported, later closed due to COVID. RIP my friend, we are so saddened by the loss.

See two pictures of Peter attending our OCH, June and September 2023.
Read more on this Facebook page. You can leave there your condolences.
Camilla Adele wrote:

“On Wednesday 26th June, Daddy died. We have few words to describe the last six months since his fall in Beijing although have so much gratitude and love for all who supported him and us through those dark days. Through it all he showed such tenacity. Since his return in April to the UK whilst he remained in hospital, he regained his twinkling smile, love of puddings, reuniting with friends & spending time with family, and most importantly in spite of everything he was content.
Daddy was easily spotted in a crowd due to his love of colourful clothes, flamboyant eyebrows, loud hearty laugh and ability to respond to any situation with a silly face. He was often the first on a dance floor, generous to a fault with a wry sarcastic sense of humour! With friends from around the world he was as international as he was a true English gentleman.
A supporter and confidant to us and so many others and in turn an amazing father, friend, colleague, manager, and mentor.  He is so very loved, and so very missed. We are so thankful for all the many adventures we had together. He is reunited with his parents and friends who have gone before and we hope he is up there dancing away.”

Good attendance

Despite the heavy rain the Old China Hands lunch 7 June 2024 scored a total of 34 attendants, old friends and new faces. As usual lively chat over good food.

See here the impressive menu, see most of the dishes in the pictures:

• Russian egg salad OR salad Niçoise OR fresh daily soup
• pork piccata Provencal style served with grilled tomato and pan fried potatoes OR thin sliced beef tenderloin with wine merchant sauce served with market vegetables and Belgian frites OR pan fried snapper with mustard sauce served with daily vegetables and mashed potatoes
• daily dessert

Included: one drink and coffee or tea.

Focus of the month

The focus is this time the incredible performance of the Morel team during the Official Opening of the New Belgian Embassy on 1 June.
The team: Renaat, me, Gordon, Miriam, Corinne and Sophie.

From 1 pm till late night we served Belgian fries in the afternoon to some 2,000 people and Belgian fries with Belgian Beef Stew and Pork Meat Balls in the evening to some 500 people.
We served 2,500 people using 252 Kg of fries, many liters of ketchup, mayonnaise and sauce andalouse. That makes like 100 g of fries per portion.
Sauce andalouse is a Belgian condiment commonly served with Belgian fries. The sauce is also popular and widely used throughout France and Luxembourg. It consists of mayonnaise, tomato paste, and peppers, such as pimientos or roasted bell peppers.

We were exhausted but it was a great and successful experience. Our team while small was extremely efficient!

Holidays

Once again our Old China Hands lunch 3 May 2024 was right in the middle of a holiday week, for Labor Day. Many people on travel or busy with family. Anyway we still had a grand total of 26 and a very lively lunch.

Food was great as usual, see the menu for our group by Morel’s Restaurant:

• sliced smoked salmon stuffed with seafood and garden greens OR Morel’s chef salad (ham, blue cheese, and pan-fried chicken on lettuce) OR poached eggs with wine merchant sauce OR Flemish tomato vegetable soup
• thin sliced tenderloin with black pepper sauce served with vegetable and new potatoes OR fricandeau of beef served with hot cherry and mashed potatoes OR red snapper Mediterranean style served with daily vegetable and mashed potatoes
• daily dessert (île flottante)
• coffee or tea

I had the poached eggs, soooo delicious!

Birthday

Our Dutch friend Khee Liang celebrated his birthday with his extended family at another table but came over to receive the best wishes of all of us. According to Dutch traditions he distributed the famous sweet Rademakers Hopjes to us.

Hopjes are a type of Dutch sweets with a slight coffee and caramel flavor that originated in the 18th century. The hopje is named after Baron Hendrik Hop. The link tells the whole story.
The following lunch is planned for Friday 7 June 2024.

Never mind Tomb Sweeping Holiday

And yes, the Old China Hands lunch 5 April 2024 was actually during the holidays. Some people had family obligations, other did not have to work. We still ended up with 30 participants who enjoyed the food and the company. We had some last minute cancellations, somehow welcome as the restaurant was fully booked! The restaurant had to ask the last ones to leave at 5 pm as other clients were coming…

The menu, see also the pictures:
– chicken curry salad OR Morel’s chef salad (ham, blue cheese, and pan-fried chicken on lettuce) OR fresh daily soup
– farmers pork sausage with onion sauce served with red cabbage and hotchpotch vegetable potatoes OR mini steak minute with blue cheese sauce served with daily vegetables and French fries OR pan-fried snapper with mustard sauce served with vegetables and mashed potatoes
– daily dessert
– coffee or tea

The next lunch is on 3 May, again during a holiday period.

This time the spotlight is on me!

See this article in theBeijinger dated 13 April 2024: “Gilbert Van Kerckhove: Beijing Expat & Food Vlog Extraordinaire”.
Here is the link.

It says:

If you’ve been on Dianping and WeChat Channels as much as we are – trust me, we’re on there quite a bit – you’ll have noticed videos posted by a rather lively elderly gentleman, trying all there is to try in Beijing’s culinary scene.
Gilbert Van Kerckhove is more than just an old-timer in Beijing, though. Having called China home for over 40 years, this Belgian expat first arrived in Beijing in 1980, when his expertise as an electrical engineer was needed to help establish a representative office for a power plant project.
Although he’s retired, Van Kerckhove has found many ways to keep busy in Beijing
Van Kerckhove ended up staying in China and assisted in the development of a few major projects in Shanghai – including the city’s Line 3 metro line and Jin Mao Tower. He later served as a senior consultant to the Beijing city government from 2000 onwards, even finding himself as the only foreigner on the city’s Development Planning Commission tasked with planning the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
Even though Van Kerckhove retired eight years ago, he’s still as busy as ever. Along with making foodie videos for Dianping, WeChat Channels, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu he also travels the country helping with various educational and other projects.

Read the rest online!