PLACE a meal in front of Mr Vincent Shaw and he is likely to notice the plate before the food. Woe betide the host who offers chipped china; as the general manager of Waterford Wedgwood, Mr Shaw believes fine tableware and crystal are as essential to presentation as a sprig of parsley on fish pie.
''I'm very much interested in food and drink,'' he said. ''As I have to promote our core products and how they are used, it's a happy conjunction.'' Mr Shaw's interest in food was nurtured from a child. His mother was a keen and experimental cook.
''I was unaware at the time how unusual this was,'' he said. ''My mother plundered all the classic cook books and often came up with three-course feasts.'' When he went to Hull University, Mr Shaw carried on the family tradition. His dinner parties gained him many friends and defied the common perception of students existing on baked beans.
''Most courses involved alcohol of some kind,'' he said. ''Stews made with English bitter were my speciality.'' The chance to eat out only became possible when Mr Shaw moved to London and took a job involving travel to Amsterdam and Brussels.
But, since coming to Hongkong, he has found eating an education.
''It was all new to me. I had to break down a number of preconceptions, especially where Japanese raw fish was concerned.'' Despite much week-time entertaining, the Shaws still like to have friends for meals at home. Four people is the usual number for Sunday lunches, with a side table set up for the children.