In Hong Kong, speed is caring

I was eating dinner at a fast-casual restaurant in Hong Kong last night when I was pleasantly reminded of the energy, hustle and efficiency that I love about this city. The restaurant was the kind where you sit down and order from a printed menu and are given a receipt that you take to the cashier by the exit when you're ready to leave.

When I finished my meal, I stood up and took the receipt and walked towards the front of the restaurant. The cashier position was empty as I approached to pay. Seconds later, a waitress came out of the kitchen with a tray of food to deliver to a customer's table. I assumed she'd come back and help me after she served the customer, but I was wrong.

As she passed the cash register, she stretched out her free hand and tapped my two-digit table number into the cash register, activating the Octopus card reader. Without missing a beat or saying a word, she continued on her journey to serve the customer's food. I tapped my Apple Watch on the Octopus card reader and half a second later I'd paid and was cleared to go by the classic Octopus "dood" sound.

This is an example of a situation that might cause some people to say that Hong Kong is rushed and people aren't polite. Where other people see a rushed employee and cold impoliteness, I see speed and efficiency as respect for my time. I, and I'd hazard to say many other Hongkongers, would prefer to cut with the mechanical pleasantries (such as the very American, mechanical, "So how was your meal today?") if it means I get back 5 minutes of my day. Time is money, after all, and efficiency is life!