乌克兰人在重庆见证五星酒店行业的飞速发展

□ 文/本刊记者 李静

乌克兰人在重庆见证五星酒店行业的飞速发展

□ 文/本刊记者 李静

近年来，随着重庆经济的快速发展，越来越多的五星级外资酒店入驻重庆， 越来越多的外籍酒店管理人才也纷纷来到重庆，欧内斯特·库瑞西便是其中一位。关于重庆，他有很多话要说。

库瑞西算是在重庆生活为数不多的乌克兰人之一。三年前，他因为工作调动来到重庆，现在在一家五星酒店担任餐饮经理。“在被派到这里工作前，我就已经听说过重庆，知道这里是一座‘火炉’，夏天非常炎热”。库瑞西回想自己第一次来重庆时，正好是夏天，40多摄氏度的高温，让他很不适应。库瑞西告诉我，在乌克兰没有风，气候潮湿，也很少有天气晴朗的时候。乌克兰春秋两季非常短，这点和重庆很相似，但夏天不会非常热。所以刚来重庆就见识了这座城市的“热情”，库瑞西有点“受宠若惊”。

因为留学海外，也曾在美国、瑞士等国家工作过，库瑞西深刻体会到，适应不同国家的风俗习惯非常重要。他工作时常常会遇见一些来自不同国家的顾客，他们也会因为风俗习惯差异而提出不同的要求；又或者他与当地的同事一起工作时，会因为文化差异而产生分歧。

对此，库瑞西表示自己在来重庆工作前，对东方文化的陌生让他有点担心不能很好地融入这个工作环境。比如在中国，人们喜欢以冷、热菜的顺序上菜；而在西方国家则以前菜、主食、甜品的顺序上菜。虽然只是一个简单的细节问题，却体现出东西方餐饮文化的差异。当然，库瑞西感到欣慰的是，第一天上班，中国的同事们都对他非常热情，主动和他打招呼，这让他打消了之前的疑虑和担忧。“在欧美与亚洲国家工作会有很大的不同，我需要主动平衡其中的异同，在尊重当地的文化的同时适当地引入自己的一些文化习惯，让两者能够更好地相互融合，这样才能让工作更有效率。”库瑞西说到。虽然库瑞西并不会说中文，但是一些简单英语和肢体语言，让他和同事们之间的交流更简单。

在见到库瑞西之前，我一直听说乌克兰人个性坚强却又待人温和，工作时严肃，闲暇之余也有开朗的一面。的确如此。平日里，库瑞西喜欢和太太、女儿一起去探索重庆这座城市，有时候去市中心逛逛，有时候去郊外踏青，游游南山，逛逛瓷器口。一家人还去游览了一直向往的长江三峡。他表示，在重庆多姿多彩的生活让他认识了更多志同道合的朋友，丰富了自己的朋友圈，和重庆人的交流也越来越顺畅。这让他有更多的机会从与顾客的交谈中发现许多有趣的故事，得知他们不一样的生活经历，“有时候倾听别人的故事也是丰富自己人生的一种方式。”库瑞西告诉我。

除此以外，库瑞西还加入了重庆本地的足球联盟。他每周末都去踢足球，结识了许多兴趣相投的朋友。虽然球队的队员们来自不同的国家，在重庆从事不同的工作，但库瑞西会经常邀请他们来家里做客，还会请教重庆的朋友们如何做川菜。他表示，在乌克兰，饮食习惯与东欧国家差异并不大，以面食，稻米为主食，人们喜欢吃面包，及腌制的食品，口味偏重甜、酸，对油腻和微辣食物也能适应。乌克兰人还特别喜欢吃一种热气腾腾的甜馅饺子，和中国的饺子有点相似，所以有时候大家会一起切磋厨艺，尝试不一样的饺子风味。库瑞西称，自己最喜欢的川菜便是宫保鸡丁，还有火锅。他也喜欢尝试不同的菜式，重庆是一个美食之都，在这里就是要带着开放的心态，尝遍各种美食，“我从朋友那儿不仅学会了几道中国菜，还感受到中国传统的家庭观念的重要性。”库瑞西略有感慨。

在提到对重庆城市发展的建议时，库瑞西认为，重庆是一座发展迅猛的城市，更新的速度快到连当地人都难以适应，而这对于酒店行业更是一个巨大的挑战。“重庆经济这几年快速发展，很多世界五百强入驻重庆，旅游、商贸、会展都发展得很好，这本身就是五星级酒店发展的资源。”库瑞西称，尤其是重庆会展的快速发展，为星级酒店业带来了新的发展机遇。因为市场需要，也会需要更多国际化的人才来到这里，而自己有幸作为其中一名外籍人士来到这样一座充满潜力的城市工作，是人生中一次颇有意义的经历。同时，他也希望重庆在发展商业的同时，政府也能注重民生休闲，修建更多的公园、步道，供孩子们玩耍，让大家在紧张的工作之余有放松娱乐的空间。

采访结束时，库瑞西告诉记者，希望将自己在欧洲学习的酒店文化和理念与重庆本土的行业发展相结合，更好地发展重庆的五星酒店行业，互相传授经验，他表示，既要入乡随俗，也要中西结合、取长补短，打造具有重庆特色的外资五星酒店。。

Ernest Kurish is a Ukrainian now living in Chongqing. Kurish was transferred to Chongqing three years ago to work as a Food and Beverage Manager in a five star hotel. “I had heard a lot about Chongqing before I came here. I was told it is ‘like an oven’, very hot.” When he first came here, it happened to be in the summer, when the temperature was over 40 degrees, which he still recalls as one of his most unforgettable experiences. Kurish told me there is no wind in the Ukraine, with very wet weather, but rarely sunny. The spring and autumn seasons are short, similar to Chongqing, but the summer weather is not very hot. Kurish felt a bit overwhelmed when he first experienced the enthusiasm of this city.

Because of his studies abroad and working in the United States, Switzerland and other countries, Kurish understands the importance of adapting to differences in cultures of various countries. Sometimes he would meet customers from different countries at his work, where they would request different requirements; or would have disagreements with local colleagues due to cultural differences.

He shared with us the concerns he had when he first came here, that he wouldn’t fit well in the working environment due to his lack of awareness of Asian culture. For example, in a Chinese restaurant, people like to be served hot dishes first, followed by cold dishes, while westerners prefer to be served in courses, like appetizer, soup, salad, entrée and dessert. Although it is a simple detail, it reveals the differences in food culture between the East and the West. He was relieved that on his first day of work, his Chinese colleagues were very helpful, which definitely dispelled his concerns. “There is a big difference between working in Europe, America and Asian countries. What I needed to do was balance the differences, have respect for the local culture, while properly introducing a foreign culture and combining both to make work more efficient.” Kurish said,“Although there are language barriers and very little English is spoken, simple body language makes communication possible.”

We have heard that Ukraine people have a strong character, are gentle and serious workers, but they also know how to enjoy life. On weekends, Kurish likes to go out with his wife and daughter to explore the city, go to downtown areas, go hiking on Nan Shan, visit Ciqikou. They have also been to the Three Gorges Dam. He has made many friends in Chongqing and has learned many interesting stories from talking with customers about their life experiences, “Listening to other people’s stories is also a way to enrich my life experience,” Kurish told me.

Kurish has also joined the local Football League in Chongqing, playing football every weekend and making many new friends. Even though they come from different countries and have different occupations, he will often invite friends to his home for dinner. Now he is learning how to cook Chinese food. He said that in the Ukraine, dietary customs are similar to Eastern European countries, with rice and noodles as a main dish, with bread, pickled food, sweet and sour tastes. They also like some greasy food and a little spicy food. The local residents enjoy a steamed sweet stuffed dumpling, somewhat similar to Chinese dumplings, so sometimes he and his friends enjoy exchanging cooking skills, trying different dumpling fl avors. Kurish said that his favorite Chongqing dish is the Kung Pao chicken and hot pot. “Chongqing is the capital of great food, where you need to taste all kinds of food with an open mind. Not only can I learn a few Chinese dishes from friends, but I can also get to understand the importance of the concept of family in China,” he said.

When asked about his ideas for the city’s development, Kurish believes Chongqing is a fast growing city that is upgrading so quickly, even the locals have difficulty adapting. It is a huge challenge for the hotel industry. “Chongqing’s economy has been growing rapidly in recent years. Many of the world’s top 500 companies have opened offi ces in Chongqing. Tourism, trade conventions are all done very well, which are all resources for the development of additional five star hotels. Kurish said that especially the rapid development of conventions in Chongqing has brought new opportunities to the hotel industry. There will be more and more talented international people coming here because of market demands. He feels privileged as a foreigner to work in a city so full of potential, which is a meaningful experience in his life. He hopes the government can pay more attention to the people’s livelihood and entertainment, building more parks and areas for children to play, so everyone can relax in their spare time after a long day’s work.

As the interview was ending, Kurish told me he wants to combine what he has studied in Europe about hotel culture and philosophy with the local industry for better development of the five star hotel industry in Chongqing, “We should do as the Romans do, but also learn from each other, sharing experiences and creating foreign owned five star hotels with Chongqing characteristics..

A Ukrainian in Chongqing Part of The Rapid Development of Five Star Hotels

□ Written by Li Jing