Office Lunch Rotation in Chengdu

What I wish I'd known about Office Lunch Rotation in Chengdu before I spent a month overthinking it.

• Write the Chinese name in your notes the first time someone says it.
• Weekday lunches teach you more than weekend pilgrimages.
• I wish I'd tested it on a weekday before committing money or pride.
• I wish I'd written the Chinese names down the first time.
• I wish I'd accepted a good-enough version sooner.

I also wish someone had warned me about never learning how to say 'less oil'.

Now when I think about office lunch rotation, I think about a sticky-table noodle shop — not about perfect plans.

A calmer standard

One reliable option, one backup, and a refusal to reinvent this every evening. That's the whole game.

Tourists can afford chaos. Residents need defaults — one primary option, one backup, and a note with the Chinese name.

If a plan only works when you're energetic and the sky is perfect, it isn't a plan. It's a mood.

Start smaller than the group chat suggests. Adjust in public, not in theory.

Write your decision down with a date. Future-you will need it when WeChat search fails.