Gambling is a big attraction for visitors to Macau and the casinos
are open 24 hours, providing famous entertainers, baccarat,
blackjack, roulette and Chinese games like fantan and dai-siu.
Food & Drink
Many restaurants have table service and inns, hotels and restaurants
offer a wide range of food. Some specialise in Portuguese dishes,
while others offer cuisine from Japan, China, Korea and Indonesia.
Local Macau food is quite spicy, a distinctive combination of
Chinese and Portuguese cooking methods with influences of African
and Indian spices.
Dishes include bacalhau (cod served grilled, baked, stewed or
boiled), caldo verde and sopa a alentejana (rich soups with
vegetables, meat and olive oil), ‘African chicken’ (grilled with hot
spices), galinha a portuguesa (chicken baked with potatoes, onions,
eggs and saffron – the appearance of curry without the spice),
minche (minced meat with fried potato and onions), Macau sole (fried
fish generally served with salad) and feijoados (from Brazil, stews
of kidney beans, potatoes, pork, cabbage and sausage).
The speciality of dim sum (Chinese savoury snacks steamed and served
in bamboo baskets on trolleys) includes har gau (steamed shrimp
dumplings), cha siu bao (steamed pork dumplings), and shui mai
(steamed and minced pork with shrimp).
Alcohol is available in Macau, with no licensing laws. Restaurants
offer a wide range of Portuguese red and white wines and sparkling
vinho verde, as well as port and brandy, all at cheap prices.
Social Conventions
Entertaining generally takes place in restaurants and public places.
Spirits are usual gifts in return for hospitality. Apart from the
most formal occasions in restaurants and nightclubs, casual wear is
quite acceptable. |
