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Kylie Knott

Ming Court in Hong Kong has carved out an enviable reputation among diners thanks to dishes such as deep-fried crispy fish maw with caviar, and sautéed Miyazaki wagyu beef in wasabi soy sauce.
At the restaurant’s Wan Chai branch, the elegant Gong Mei private room shifts the dining experience up a few notches, hosting up to 16 guests and boasting sweeping views of Victoria Harbour.
But what really steals the show is the Lazy Susan, the circular, rotating, platter-like centrepiece that sits on top of a table to help with the distribution of food.
With a diameter of two metres (7ft) and weighing about 75kg (165lbs), it is more than just a piece of furniture.

And while Lazy Susans are often made of wood, plastic, glass or stainless steel, this one has been shaped from four separate pieces of white marble from China, says the restaurant’s general manager, Gary Kwok.
And it is, well, a bit lazier than most.
“This marble Lazy Susan is electrically motorised, which means its direction and speed can be controlled with a remote,” Kwok says.
Lazy Susans are a staple of Chinese restaurants around the world, their rotating role in bringing food to the diner in a calm and orderly manner widely appreciated. They also spare the waiters from having to walk all the way round an often very large table.
But one nagging question lingers. Who is Susan and why is she so sluggish?
The answer is pretty murky, with the exact details of the name’s etymology lost to history. There are, however, many theories swirling about its origins.
Lazy Susan, the cleverest waitress in the world, at your service
A 1917 ad in Vanity Fair magazine for Lazy Susans
While swivelling serving trays have roots in various cultures, the first known mention of a Chinese revolving table was found in the 700-year-old Book of Agriculture by Wang Zhen, a Chinese official and inventor.
He pioneered a movable type of table but the contraption was used for printing, not in the dining room.
It seems the Susan link most likely started in the United States, where it was a common name in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Some say the Lazy Susan was invented by American founding father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence.
The story goes that he invented the device to serve his daughter Susan. But this seems to be more myth than fact; none of his many children were called Susan.
Historians have also traced the Lazy Susan back to 18th-century France, where a swivel tray called an étagère was used to serve. It was then introduced to Britain, where it became known as the dumb waiter.
Some historians say the term Lazy Susan could have been a disparaging reference to household servants in the 18th century who were considered lazy, much as “dumb” was used when referring to not-so-smart waiters. Both have the same role: to “replace” household staff.

In 1891, Elizabeth Howell, an inventor from the US state of Missouri filed a patent for a self-waiting table. Hers had a movable portion supported by rollers and mounted on a central pivot.
There is also a connection to Malaysian doctor Wu Lien-teh who, from his studies of pneumonia and tuberculosis outbreaks, wrote in 1915 about the use of a “hygienic dining tray” – much like a Lazy Susan – as a way to curb the spread of germs.
As for the first verified mention of a “Lazy Susan”, that was found in the pages of the December 1917 issue of American magazine Vanity Fair. One was pictured among other items in a two-page advert for now-closed New York store Ovington’s – famous for selling fine china, porcelain and tableware.
The ad was for a 16-inch rotating mahogany tray. “US$8.50 forever seems an impossibly low wage for a good servant; and yet here you are; Lazy Susan, the cleverest waitress in the world, at your service!” it read.
An 18-inch version was also for sale for US$10.
Spin forward to the mid-20th century and Lazy Susans were familiar sights in Chinese-American restaurants – which were increasingly popping up across the US.
If the food is placed in front of you, you might want to spin the Lazy Susan so someone else has first pick
Food columnist Susan Jung on Lazy Susan etiquette
Some reports say soy sauce maker George Hall – a partner in some Chinese restaurants in the San Francisco area – helped boost the profile of Lazy Susans when he reintroduced tabletop turntables to his restaurants in the 1950s.
Susan Jung, the former food editor of the South China Morning Post, harbours animosity towards Lazy Susans, thanks to the shared name.
“When I was a kid, we had dinner every Saturday at my grandmother’s place and every Saturday she would say, ‘put the Lazy Susan on the table’. And every Saturday, someone would pick me up and put me on the table. This got old fast.”
Jung, a columnist for Vogue HK and author of fried chicken cookbook Kung Pao & Beyond, says some rules apply when sitting around a Lazy Susan.
The first rule for modern times, she says, is camera eats first.
“Let everyone take photos before digging in. But take photos quickly because you don’t want the food to get cold,” Jung says. Skip the photo taking if it is an important or very formal event, she adds. “People are more important than photos.”

If the food is placed in front of you, always spin the Lazy Susan towards the oldest/most important person at the table, because they should have first pick of the food, she says.
“If they’re being modest, they’ll protest and try to let someone else have first pick, but that person should spin the Lazy Susan back to the oldest/most important person and insist they choose.
“If you’re among peers, you can skip this but still, if the food is placed in front of you, you might – to be polite – want to spin the Lazy Susan so someone else has first pick. Or, if you want to be really polite, serve the people on either side of you first, before helping yourself.
“When food is first placed on a Lazy Susan, spin it in the same direction so that everyone around the table has the chance to take something from the dish, before helping yourself to a second portion of it – if you want it.”
What you do not do, Jung says, is try to turn the Lazy Susan while someone else is choosing from a dish.
Away from the dining table, adapted versions of the Lazy Susan are now used in fridges for easy access to condiments, and in pantries to store canned food.
US-based artist Adam Kurtz has quite literally put a fun modern spin on the classic Lazy Susan.

Kurtz created the Indecisive Lazy Susan, which has “Yes”, “No”, “IDK” and “Maybe” painted on its bamboo tray.
“When it comes to food, I can never decide what to eat. I hate ordering off the menu,” says Kurtz from his home in Hawaii.
“I always hope someone else will make the choices and then everyone shares ‘family style’,” he says, adding that he grew up with Lazy Susans.
“I encountered them in a few situations, especially when sharing a large meal at dim sum restaurants,” he says.
“When I moved to Hawaii, my mother-in-law had one on her kitchen table at all times. My fun Lazy Susan is inspired by hers.”
Kurtz adds that his unusual design is “just a fun conversation starter on the table, something recognisable to anyone who can relate to indecision (or superstition!) in their daily life”.
“I love the idea of leaving things up to chance. Spin the wheel and find out.”


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Food and Drinks

Dim sum on a Lazy Susan at a Chinese restaurant. Photo: Shutterstock

A marble Lazy Susan at Ming Court restaurant in Hong Kong. The devices are common in Chinese restaurants, but the origins of their name are up for debate. Photo: Ming Court

A Lazy Susan at the centre of a table in a restaurant. They can be made from wood, plastic, glass or stainless steel – and occasionally marble. Photo: Shutterstock

Historians think the name for Lazy Susans could have derived from dumb waiters – swivel trays used in well-to-do households in 18th century Britain. Photo: Shutterstock

There is etiquette surrounding Lazy Susans. Food columnist Susan Jung says diners should always spin them so food arrives at the oldest/most important guest first. Photo: Shutterstock

American artist Adam Kurtz quite literally put a fun modern spin on the classic Lazy Susan by creating an Indecisive one inscribed with “Yes”, “No”, “IDK” and “Maybe”. Photo: Adam Kurtz

How Shaoxing wine, once used only for cooking, has made it onto Michelin-star drink menus

Artisanal Shaoxing wine brands such as Dong Qu make single vintages that are poured at top-tier restaurants. Photo: Dong Qu

Workers at the Dong Qu Shaoxing Winery shift bags of glutinous rice to be used in winemaking. Photo: Evelyn Chen

Jianhu Lake water is mixed with yeast and rice at Dong Qu Shaoxing Winery. This mixture is poured into cooled rice in a vat and mixed, after which they sit for four days. Photo: Evelyn Chen

Over four days, the brew master at Dong Qu winery has to rake the rice mixture every four to five hours to manage the fermentation. Photo: Evelyn Chen

Shaoxing wine is poured into smaller clay jars loosely capped with lotus leaf and a lid. The jars are transferred to the open, where natural fermentation takes place for three months. Photo: Evelyn Chen

Dong Qu’s single vintage Shaoxing wines are naturally aged. Photo: Dong Qu

Hong Kong chef Sebastian Lorenzi on new restaurant Té Bo, his evolution and yellow chicken

Beef cheek with foie gras raviolo at Té Bo. Photo: Té Bo


Sebastian Lorenzi is the executive chef at Té Bo, a new fine-dining restaurant in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay neighbourhood. Photo: Té Bo


Té Bo’s three yellow chicken is served as cromesquis (like a croquette) with neck meat boudin – a sausage – kale, sweetcorn and smoked mayonnaise. Photo: Té Bo

Langoustine with coconut, coriander, smoked aubergine and annatto seed at Té Bo. Photo: Té Bo 

Sebastian Lorenzi is the executive chef at Té Bo, a new fine dining restaurant in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Té Bo 

Lorenzi is a team player who relishes learning from others. Photo: May Tse

How Macau’s fusion cuisine is preserved by dedicated cooks using their ancestors’ recipes

Manuela Sales da Silva Ferreira, owner of the family-run Restaurante Litoral in Macau, is dedicated to preserving Macanese recipes. Photo: AP 

Customers eat lunch at the family-run Restaurante Litoral in Macau. Photo: AP

Manuela Sales da Silva Ferreira’s favourite Macanese dish is baked crabmeat, a dish she learned to make from her mother. Photo: AP

Macanese people traditionally served as a bridge between the Portuguese administrators and Chinese residents of Macau, says Miguel de Senna Fernandes, president of the Macanese Association. Photo: AP 

Hong Kong noodle history and the different noodle styles explained

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien from Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle in Hong Kong. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles from Yung Kee in Hong Kong. Learn about the different kinds of noodles served in the city, how they are traditionally made, and the foods they are typically paired with. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Wheat noodles originate in Northern China, while rice noodles have Southern Chinese origins, says Dr Siu Yan-ho, a lecturer in Chinese language and literature at Baptist University. 

Marco Li Ka-chi of Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle balancing on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien at Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

 Cheung Wing Kee started making noodles in the 1950s, producing small quantities using labour-intensive methods.

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles. The thicker, neutral-tasting noodles are perfect for absorbing the flavours from the roast goose and broth. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

The revolving tabletop platters are found in Chinese restaurants all over, but who was Susan? And why was she idle? The answer is a bit hazy


The revolving tabletop platters are found in Chinese restaurants all over, but who was Susan? And why was she idle? The answer is a bit hazy.


Chinese culture