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Vanessa, great article!

As a former resident of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc., I beg to mention one large factor to the food waste issue is the concept of "face." To be able to show off to friends and business colleagues that you can order - and then not consume - loads of food without blinking an eye means you have loads of money. It's meant to look impressive in front of your colleagues, but in the end is a terrible shame of waste.

Over-ordering on food seems to be prevalent in southern China, especially in Hong Kong and Guangzhou.