Page 28 - Sphere No.30 (Dec 2011)

26 Sphere 30
Beef and Guinness Pie
As Irish as
Beef and Guinness Pie
Combining two of Ireland’s most famous exports, Beef
and Guinness Pie provides a delectable peek into the
typical Irish dining room. According to Chris Jones,
Sales Associate at 3 Ireland, the long, slow cooking of
this popular dish creates “perfectly tender” beef and
allows the flavour of Guinness stout to infuse the other
ingredients, creating a thick and delicious Irish treat.
Cooking is a passion Mr Jones takes seriously.
Despite his busy life, he cooks his dinner from scratch
every night. “During the work week I make quick
dinners,” Mr Jones explained. “But on the weekends I
spend much more time cooking, often making a two-
or three-course meal.”
Also in the ranks of Ireland’s most traditional
dishes are boiled bacon and cabbage, plus Irish
stew, a concoction of lamb, potatoes, onions,
leeks and carrots. “I learned to cook all of these
traditional dishes from my mother,” said Mr
Jones. “As a child, I would spend hours in
the kitchen helping her.”
HPH’s facility in Ensenada, Mexico, provides low-calorie
egg, vegetarian and chicken dishes at every meal. The
Hongkong Electric Company, Limited, which operates
canteens at three locations, including its power station on
Lamma Island, provides “nutrition highlights” with each recipe
card. For example, its recipe for mixed beef over scrambled
egg, served with spinach rice – which has a poetic Chinese
name that translates as “Gold and silver, laced with jade” -
highlights that the dish contains iron, vitamin B12 and folate for
strengthening blood circulation.
HIT’s staff canteen in Kwai Chung, Kowloon, has gone as far
as to partner with the Hong Kong government’s Department
of Health to offer nutritious “EatSmart Restaurant” options
alongside their normal offerings. The menu, crafted by a
registered dietician, offers a wide variety of low-fat, low-
cholesterol dishes designed to appeal to the preferences of
patrons while remaining tasty and affordable.
Eating out
When the option of a staff canteen is not available, most HWL
employees visit nearby eateries over their lunch breaks. These
outings not only provide a mental break from the office but a
chance to cultivate fellowship among colleagues.
“Many of our employees like to eat together at nearby local
restaurants on their lunch breaks,” said Elizabeth Grosso
Gonzalez, Public Relations Chief of Hutchison Port Holdings’
unit in Veracruz, Mexico. “They typically have to wait only five
minutes or less for a table and the prices are very reasonable at
an average of 35 – 40 pesos (USD2.90 – 3.30) per meal.”
At Hutchison 3G Austria, each employee receives 20 lunch
vouchers per month, each worth 4.40 euro (USD6.28). These
come in handy at a range of restaurants close to the office
offering choices that include Greek, Italian and Chinese, as well
as traditional Austrian.
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