烏克蘭人在重慶見證五星酒店行業的飛速發展

□ 文/本刊記者 李靜

烏克蘭人在重慶見證五星酒店行業的飛速發展

□ 文/本刊記者 李靜

近年來，隨著重慶經濟的快速發展，越來越多的五星級外資酒店入駐重慶， 越來越多的外籍酒店管理人才也紛紛來到重慶，歐內斯特·庫瑞西便是其中一位。關于重慶，他有很多話要說。

庫瑞西算是在重慶生活為數不多的烏克蘭人之一。三年前，他因為工作調動來到重慶，現在在一家五星酒店擔任餐飲經理。“在被派到這里工作前，我就已經聽說過重慶，知道這里是一座‘火爐’，夏天非常炎熱”。庫瑞西回想自己第一次來重慶時，正好是夏天，40多攝氏度的高溫，讓他很不適應。庫瑞西告訴我，在烏克蘭沒有風，氣候潮濕，也很少有天氣晴朗的時候。烏克蘭春秋兩季非常短，這點和重慶很相似，但夏天不會非常熱。所以剛來重慶就見識了這座城市的“熱情”，庫瑞西有點“受寵若驚”。

因為留學海外，也曾在美國、瑞士等國家工作過，庫瑞西深刻體會到，適應不同國家的風俗習慣非常重要。他工作時常常會遇見一些來自不同國家的顧客，他們也會因為風俗習慣差異而提出不同的要求；又或者他與當地的同事一起工作時，會因為文化差異而產生分歧。

對此，庫瑞西表示自己在來重慶工作前，對東方文化的陌生讓他有點擔心不能很好地融入這個工作環境。比如在中國，人們喜歡以冷、熱菜的順序上菜；而在西方國家則以前菜、主食、甜品的順序上菜。雖然只是一個簡單的細節問題，卻體現出東西方餐飲文化的差異。當然，庫瑞西感到欣慰的是，第一天上班，中國的同事們都對他非常熱情，主動和他打招呼，這讓他打消了之前的疑慮和擔憂。“在歐美與亞洲國家工作會有很大的不同，我需要主動平衡其中的異同，在尊重當地的文化的同時適當地引入自己的一些文化習慣，讓兩者能夠更好地相互融合，這樣才能讓工作更有效率。”庫瑞西說到。雖然庫瑞西并不會說中文，但是一些簡單英語和肢體語言，讓他和同事們之間的交流更簡單。

在見到庫瑞西之前，我一直聽說烏克蘭人個性堅強卻又待人溫和，工作時嚴肅，閑暇之余也有開朗的一面。的確如此。平日里，庫瑞西喜歡和太太、女兒一起去探索重慶這座城市，有時候去市中心逛逛，有時候去郊外踏青，游游南山，逛逛瓷器口。一家人還去游覽了一直向往的長江三峽。他表示，在重慶多姿多彩的生活讓他認識了更多志同道合的朋友，豐富了自己的朋友圈，和重慶人的交流也越來越順暢。這讓他有更多的機會從與顧客的交談中發現許多有趣的故事，得知他們不一樣的生活經歷，“有時候傾聽別人的故事也是豐富自己人生的一種方式。”庫瑞西告訴我。

除此以外，庫瑞西還加入了重慶本地的足球聯盟。他每周末都去踢足球，結識了許多興趣相投的朋友。雖然球隊的隊員們來自不同的國家，在重慶從事不同的工作，但庫瑞西會經常邀請他們來家里做客，還會請教重慶的朋友們如何做川菜。他表示，在烏克蘭，飲食習慣與東歐國家差異并不大，以面食，稻米為主食，人們喜歡吃面包，及腌制的食品，口味偏重甜、酸，對油膩和微辣食物也能適應。烏克蘭人還特別喜歡吃一種熱氣騰騰的甜餡餃子，和中國的餃子有點相似，所以有時候大家會一起切磋廚藝，嘗試不一樣的餃子風味。庫瑞西稱，自己最喜歡的川菜便是宮保雞丁，還有火鍋。他也喜歡嘗試不同的菜式，重慶是一個美食之都，在這里就是要帶著開放的心態，嘗遍各種美食，“我從朋友那兒不僅學會了幾道中國菜，還感受到中國傳統的家庭觀念的重要性。”庫瑞西略有感慨。

在提到對重慶城市發展的建議時，庫瑞西認為，重慶是一座發展迅猛的城市，更新的速度快到連當地人都難以適應，而這對于酒店行業更是一個巨大的挑戰。“重慶經濟這幾年快速發展，很多世界五百強入駐重慶，旅游、商貿、會展都發展得很好，這本身就是五星級酒店發展的資源。”庫瑞西稱，尤其是重慶會展的快速發展，為星級酒店業帶來了新的發展機遇。因為市場需要，也會需要更多國際化的人才來到這里，而自己有幸作為其中一名外籍人士來到這樣一座充滿潛力的城市工作，是人生中一次頗有意義的經歷。同時，他也希望重慶在發展商業的同時，政府也能注重民生休閑，修建更多的公園、步道，供孩子們玩耍，讓大家在緊張的工作之余有放松娛樂的空間。

采訪結束時，庫瑞西告訴記者，希望將自己在歐洲學習的酒店文化和理念與重慶本土的行業發展相結合，更好地發展重慶的五星酒店行業，互相傳授經驗，他表示，既要入鄉隨俗，也要中西結合、取長補短，打造具有重慶特色的外資五星酒店。。

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