5000 years ago one of our ancestors, Shennong, was said to wander on the giant continent of ancient China and taste hundreds of herbs to test their medicinal value.
He risked his own tongue in the tests and before he was predictably poisoned to death, he founded the earliest Chinese medication. His accomplishments reveal a norm – we, from the half-baked to the fully ignorant, can also do our jobs well, as long as we have the will to try.

Back in 2010, two student representatives from the Catering User Group of the Student Residence, Victor and Tony, told a similar story. They knew nothing about cookery, nor were they food critics, but they pitched in to eat and comment on the food in Homey Kitchen. They were both “pushed “by the Residents’ Association into the Group. Regardless, though, they have been at ease. “Meeting with SRO's staff and with representatives from Homey Kitchen each month to discuss food issues is simply something we do as a routine." With wit in his eyes, Victor gave a comic facial expression and recalled his “not so special” victory in crossing swords with a service provider."You know, with ham costing much cheaper, how come the ham-and-egg rice meal costs the same the roasted -pork-and-egg rice meal? I talked them over and they lowered the price from $19 to $17." Bravo, Victor! Every dollar counts.

A good nose as a gourmet and a pair of tireless feet constitute a smart food critic and these are what make Victor and Tony win each battle in the discussion."To find supportive arguments for our ideas, we often make comparisons between Homey Kitchen and plenty of restaurants nearby. For the most demanded dual-cuisine meals, we turn to eateries in Shek Kip Mei for comparison, for snacks like sandwiches, we cite Garden Cafe." Victor chuckled over Tony's mention of Ban Heung Lau, a very popular local restaurant in Nam Shan estate. “Unrivaled! - and you know which side he referred to. Outside the ordinary routine, the boys are sometimes invited to inter-hall cooking competitions as adjudicators, which seem "a bonus" to them.

Have their duties made them into good cooks or picky diners? The interview room burst into laughter as Victor over-reacted with a high-pitched "of course not!", followed by a rather reflective retort “That’s why we eat at Homey Kitchen” from Tony. It seemed the interviewer had made a fool of herself with a silly question.

 “Come and see us at Hall 4, and you’ll have a say about what you eat.” For a better dining experience at Homey Kitchen, don’t hesitate to visit Tony and Victor.