In a newly released report, it was estimated that 76 percent of the working time of all Chinese professionals working for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is wasted waiting in the doorways of their respective neighbourhoods while the biryanis that they have cooked is being evaluated by their neighbours.
“Before the biryani is presented to be evaluated, they will not be granted entry into the homes of their neighbours,” said Dr Hassan Asghar. “And they will also be subjected to comments whenever they pass by, like, ‘uff ye toh har cheez kha jaate hain.’”
“During the evaluation process, if the biryani is found to be wanting, even in the slightest sense, not only will the Chinese professional not be granted entry into their homes, but will be chased back into their accommodation, with the children of the neighbourhood chanting ‘Shame! Shame!’”
“It was a harrowing experience,” said Cha Xing, an engineer working on a solar power plants across Punjab. “My first biryani presentation was a complete failure. I was waiting and waiting in the doorway while my neighbouring family started arguing over whether they quality was acceptable or not. They started arguing and even called an aunt from another part of town to come over. I was just waiting there, standing. As per the laws of the land, I was not given a chair or a glass of water. But that was okay. The toughest part was not being able to use the bathroom.”
