Office Lunch Rotation in Chengdu

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

• Keep one 'safe' place within ten minutes of home.
• Spice can be added; regret is harder to subtract.
• 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 full-mala bravado on day two.

Now when I think about office lunch rotation, I think about a quiet second-floor restaurant — 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.

When in doubt, choose the option closer to home. Travel friction compounds quietly.

Revisit the decision after thirty ordinary days, not after one viral tip.

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

Do one small concrete step this week. Consistency beats intensity in this city.