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Filipino finds work and lifestyle pleasures in food and providing service with a smile
August 25, 2012, Saturday
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GOOD food and good times go together, and in pursuing that belief, Filipino Cyril Marquez has found his place in Minhang.
Marquez, 40, is a captain waiter at the Spanish-style Las Tapas restaurant on Laowaijie (Foreigners' Street) in Hongqiao town.
He had been working in Shanghai in the restaurant industry for five years before settling in Hongqiao nearly two months ago. Though a newcomer, he has come to love his new home.
"My knowledge of the district is restricted to Hongmei Road for now," he said. "But I have made some new friends, and people here are very nice."
Marquez speaks English and some basic Chinese, so he doesn't feel handicapped by language in his new surroundings. He not only serves customers but also trains waiters and waitresses on how to give service with a smile and deal with foreign patrons.
He's helped by a college major in hospitality management.
"I have worked in several restaurants in Shanghai," said Marquez. "But I always do the same work, and I feel content. I meet new people every day, and it gives me great satisfaction to make them smile and watch them enjoy the pleasures of dining on delicious food."
Before coming to China, he worked in restaurants in Brunei and Saudi Arabia. China, to him, was always the "land of the future," so he steered his career track to the mainland.
"The economic boom provides great opportunities for people who want to realize their dreams," he said. "And among all the places I've been on the mainland, I find Shanghai is the best. I tried working in other cities, but it didn't work out. Maybe it's just me."
Marquez has worked in Shanghai restaurants in Lujiazui and on Huaihai Road, where he once managed a restaurant. When that eatery changed its style from foreign to Chinese cuisine, he moved on to Las Tapas.
Of all the restaurants on Laowaijie, a street that specializes in the cuisines of more than 10 countries, Marquez preferred Las Tapas because of his familiarity with Spanish food.
"The Philippines was colonized by Spain for a long time, so my home culture was deeply influenced by that," he said. "Personally, I love ham croquettes the best, and the dish is available in Las Tapas."
Outside of work, Marquez said he doesn't have much spare time. He sometimes goes out for drinks with Chinese friends, he said.
"The Chinese really can drink," he joked. "And they're very good at making you drink!"
He sometimes invites friends to his home to dine, affording him the opportunity to use his cooking talents.
"I never studied cooking formally, but I can cook both Filipino and Chinese cuisines very well," he said. "When I'm in the kitchen, everything just comes out naturally."
Marquez said sometimes he watches cooking programs on TV, and he can duplicate dishes he sees without taking any notes.
"Some of my friends said I should become a cook rather than a waiter, but I prefer what I am doing," he said. "I think it's more fun meeting people than being stuck in a kitchen all day."
Marquez said he hopes his present lifestyle will continue for some time. He admits that he and his wife sometimes get homesick for the Philippines, where their three sons live with grandparents, but he doesn't have plans to leave China in the near future.
"For the past five years, I have gone home only for one week because of the high cost of traveling," he said.
His three sons come to visit their parents once a year, around Christmas time. Marquez said the family sometimes travels around China.
"The children are happy about that," he said. "After all, traveling broadens their minds, and it gives them plenty to talk about with their little friends when they're back home in the Philippines."
Marquez said his next destination will be Beijing, where he wants to fulfill a childhood dream. "I remember reading and seeing pictures of the Great Wall in a textbook, and I told myself that one day I would climb it," he said. "I hope that's very soon."
Cyril Marquez, 40, from The PhilippinesProfession: Captain waiter at Las Tapas
Impression about Minhang:
As a newcomer, so far I find the place just fine. The Laowaijie on Hongmei Road is a bit like Xintiandi.
Funniest experience in Minhang:
Working everyday in the restaurant is very fun.
Favorite place in Minhang:
Hongmei Road
Favorite cuisine:
Spanish
Suggestions for developing Minhang:
So far haven't found anything to improve.
Motto for Life:
Be happy and smile every day.
Advice for newcomers:
As a newcomer myself, I just enjoy my life here and it's good.
Marquez, 40, is a captain waiter at the Spanish-style Las Tapas restaurant on Laowaijie (Foreigners' Street) in Hongqiao town.
He had been working in Shanghai in the restaurant industry for five years before settling in Hongqiao nearly two months ago. Though a newcomer, he has come to love his new home.
"My knowledge of the district is restricted to Hongmei Road for now," he said. "But I have made some new friends, and people here are very nice."
Marquez speaks English and some basic Chinese, so he doesn't feel handicapped by language in his new surroundings. He not only serves customers but also trains waiters and waitresses on how to give service with a smile and deal with foreign patrons.
He's helped by a college major in hospitality management.
"I have worked in several restaurants in Shanghai," said Marquez. "But I always do the same work, and I feel content. I meet new people every day, and it gives me great satisfaction to make them smile and watch them enjoy the pleasures of dining on delicious food."
Before coming to China, he worked in restaurants in Brunei and Saudi Arabia. China, to him, was always the "land of the future," so he steered his career track to the mainland.
"The economic boom provides great opportunities for people who want to realize their dreams," he said. "And among all the places I've been on the mainland, I find Shanghai is the best. I tried working in other cities, but it didn't work out. Maybe it's just me."
Marquez has worked in Shanghai restaurants in Lujiazui and on Huaihai Road, where he once managed a restaurant. When that eatery changed its style from foreign to Chinese cuisine, he moved on to Las Tapas.
Of all the restaurants on Laowaijie, a street that specializes in the cuisines of more than 10 countries, Marquez preferred Las Tapas because of his familiarity with Spanish food.
"The Philippines was colonized by Spain for a long time, so my home culture was deeply influenced by that," he said. "Personally, I love ham croquettes the best, and the dish is available in Las Tapas."
Outside of work, Marquez said he doesn't have much spare time. He sometimes goes out for drinks with Chinese friends, he said.
"The Chinese really can drink," he joked. "And they're very good at making you drink!"
He sometimes invites friends to his home to dine, affording him the opportunity to use his cooking talents.
"I never studied cooking formally, but I can cook both Filipino and Chinese cuisines very well," he said. "When I'm in the kitchen, everything just comes out naturally."
Marquez said sometimes he watches cooking programs on TV, and he can duplicate dishes he sees without taking any notes.
"Some of my friends said I should become a cook rather than a waiter, but I prefer what I am doing," he said. "I think it's more fun meeting people than being stuck in a kitchen all day."
Marquez said he hopes his present lifestyle will continue for some time. He admits that he and his wife sometimes get homesick for the Philippines, where their three sons live with grandparents, but he doesn't have plans to leave China in the near future.
"For the past five years, I have gone home only for one week because of the high cost of traveling," he said.
His three sons come to visit their parents once a year, around Christmas time. Marquez said the family sometimes travels around China.
"The children are happy about that," he said. "After all, traveling broadens their minds, and it gives them plenty to talk about with their little friends when they're back home in the Philippines."
Marquez said his next destination will be Beijing, where he wants to fulfill a childhood dream. "I remember reading and seeing pictures of the Great Wall in a textbook, and I told myself that one day I would climb it," he said. "I hope that's very soon."
Cyril Marquez, 40, from The PhilippinesProfession: Captain waiter at Las Tapas
Impression about Minhang:
As a newcomer, so far I find the place just fine. The Laowaijie on Hongmei Road is a bit like Xintiandi.
Funniest experience in Minhang:
Working everyday in the restaurant is very fun.
Favorite place in Minhang:
Hongmei Road
Favorite cuisine:
Spanish
Suggestions for developing Minhang:
So far haven't found anything to improve.
Motto for Life:
Be happy and smile every day.
Advice for newcomers:
As a newcomer myself, I just enjoy my life here and it's good.
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