一个品味随时间改变的有趣故事
 
    
 

Humberto Valles
广东新风景陶瓷有限公司（ICC瓷砖）总经理
InDesign创意总监    InDesign Creative Director
美籍墨西哥人   ICC General Manager
 
 
       还记得刚到佛山的那段日子，是2002年的事情了，但还彷如昨日发生一样。
       当时让我最关心的事情之一莫过于食物。我从一些之前来过中国的意大利技术人员口中听到了很多故事，他们在2000—2002年期间曾和我们一起在墨西哥和美国安装设备，他们跟我讲述了在中国工作与生活中的所有挑战，其中最主要的一项就是食物。
       他们说在所有去过的国家里，唯一想让他们带上意大利大厨的国家就是中国， 这真有点吓人。
       不管怎样，长话短说吧，当我第一次在中国吃中餐的时候，我满脑子充斥着各种关于中国食物的负面信息，所以第一次中餐体验确实不太愉快。 我不怎么喜欢这些食物，但也不讨厌它们。
       经过几次旅程（因为当时我并不是长驻中国）的慢慢适应和找寻，我才终于喜欢上这边的某些食物。但是直到后来我在这边常驻，我找到了那些合适的餐馆以及正确的食物，我才发现这里的食物有多好，老实说，应该用“棒”来形容。其实原因在于你有没有点到你更喜欢或更适合你口味的食物。 后来，当我把食物调研工作搞定后，一些比我迟来中国的墨西哥同事从一开始就非常喜欢这边的食物。 甚至到了这种程度，当他们返回墨西哥并再次来到中国的时候，他们都会说：我真的非常想念湖南菜！我好想吃辣的湖南菜！
       这个有趣的故事同样适用于陶瓷、装饰以及风格。当我们刚到中国，都希望把展厅建设得更加有西方特色。然而刚开始时并不是很多人明白这种模式，更不要说他们是否喜欢了。
       于是我们不得不再创造出一种中西方风格混合模式的展厅，客户更易于理解、更加喜欢。我们因此很快取得进一步的成功。
       有趣的是，我们当时手上有两种展厅模式给客户，刚开始，喜欢中西混合模式和喜欢西式的比率分别是７０％　和３０％。几个月后，这个比例变成了５０％ 对50%。 现在，这种中西混合模式的展厅就像我们的博物馆一样，仅供参考了。
       大家需要一些时间，去喜欢这种不太一样的、更加西式的风格。大家需要一些时间， 慢慢地理解这种概念后，就会更加喜欢它。
       这和发生在我身上的食物的故事一样！举个例子，一开始我并不喜欢某种蔬菜，但是当它无处不在的时候，我的嘴巴和头脑开始慢慢获取它的味道，现在我完全懂了并且喜欢上它。
       关键的是需要拥有开放的思维，需要认识到，我必须去吃这个东西并且主动适应改变。 有时候你做一件事情是因为你不得不做，而有时候，你去做是因为其它的原因。
       随着中国国内经济的提升，越来越多的中国人走出国门，明白到还有别的选择，见到其他风格，其它他们喜欢的、多元化的产品。
       人们不仅仅是随着时间改变，他们随着经历也会改变。
(翻译：耿海波)
 
I remember my first few days in China, the days I spent here in Foshan for the very first time back in 2002 like if it was yesterday.
One of the things that I had concerns with was the food. I heard so many stories from Italian technicians that came to China way before me. These guys worked with us in Mexico or USA installing equipment back in the 2000-2002 years and mentioned to me all the challenges of working and living in China, but the main one was the food.
It was scary when they said that the only country in the world that they traveled to that they would go with an Italian cook as part of the team was China.
Anyway, to make the story short I had my first meals in China and my head was so full of bad information about the food in China that the experience of eating the Chinese food for the first time did not go very well. I did not like the food very well but I did not disliked it either.
It took me maybe a few more trips (Because I was not permanently living in China) to slowly adapt, find, and eventually like some of the dishes that were served in this Country. But it was not until I moved to live here that I found the right restaurants, the correct dishes that made me realize that the food here is very good, and to be honest with you it is GREAT. It is just a matter of ordering the right stuff that you are more used to.  Even some of the Mexican co-workers that later moved to China to live here after I came and once all the benchmarking was done liked the food very much from the very beginning of their first time arrival to the point that when they traveled to Mexico and then back to Chine they said as an example: I really miss and want to go eat spicy Hunan food! I missed it so much!
This is an Interesting story that also applies to ceramic, decoration and style. The same sort of happened to us when we came to China and wanted to have a more western showroom. At the beginning honestly not very many people knew or understood what it was more than saying if they liked it or not.
Later we were forced to make a hybrid option of a showroom of a Chinese-Western style combination that the people liked more or understood more and soon we started to be more successful.
 What was interesting to mention here is that when we had the two options in hand at the beginning people preferred on a 70% to 30% the mixed showroom over the more western.  Months later it was 50% and 50%. Now the showroom that was a mix Chinese-Western remains almost like a museum for reference only.
It took time but now the people like the new different style that is not quite Chinese anymore but was more western oriented. It took time but slowly the people understood the concept and started to like it more.
Similar story to what happened with the food to me! At the beginning I did not liked vegetable “x” as an example but it was served everywhere and very often so my mouth and brain slowly acquired  the taste and now I perfectly understand it and even like it.
One key element was to have an open mind approach and realize that I had to somehow eat this necessarily and adapt to the change. Sometimes you have to do it because you need to and some other times it may be for other reasons.
With the domestic economy improving in China more and more locals are traveling outside of the Country and realize and see that there are other options, other styles, other products that are nice and stuff they like that is different.
People don’t just really change over time alone, they change over what they had experienced.