By Angel CHAN (JC Harmony Hall)
Having undergone renovation in the past summer, Homey Kitchen is now back in operation. How is it different from the past? Did it take a big leap or remain mostly unchanged? Let's find out in our latest interview with Mr. Michael Cheuk, the Director of Homey Kitchen, in which he spoke about “5 questions you want to know about Homey Kitchen".   Question 1:  How does Homey Kitchen differ from the past after renovation?            Michael: The food counter has been enlarged, air ventilation improved and more cooking utensils installed, so that our students can spend less time waiting for the food to be served, enjoy a wider variety of meals and leave without a kitchen smell. Furthermore, the newly installed dish washing machine allows us to replace disposable containers with reusable ones. We are greener now. Question 2:  Does Homey Kitchen do well in promoting healthy diets? Michael: As a participating restaurant in the EatSmart Campaign, we have been upholding our principle of "less oil, less salt" in food production. From this year on, we push forwards to increase the vegetable portion in the duet-cuisine meals but we still take into consideration the different preferences of our students. Question 3:  It there room for price reduction? Michael: Indeed, after a price review, many of our meals are already cheaper than those offered by the City Express on the main campus. Our duet-cuisine meals are $19.5 while theirs are $20.5. Question 4:  Is there room for improvement in food taste? Michael: In principle we diversify our food styles to cater for students from all around world. Due to the fact that mainland students are our major customers, we are inclined to cook in the way they like. Of course there are also western dishes like spaghetti that fit the appetites of other students. And we always come up with new choices to enrich the menu. Question 5:  Is there any new plan for Homey Kitchen? Michael: Tear it down and rebuild it! We have only renovated it. We always want to make more changes for perfection but all plans are confined to the limited space. For example, we know local students are fond of pizza but we don’t have enough space for a bigger oven. What we have been doing is strike a balance between what is practicable and innovative ideas.