By Michael Veith

When working at a restaurant, you would expect to meet all kinds of people, but how about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair? Kimberley Lau, who works part time at Mr. Chu China Palace as a waitress while attending university, got the opportunity to meet and serve Mr. Blair during his visit to the restaurant last fall. “There was a ton of security there, and he [Tony Blair] shook all the staffs’ hands and said it was a pleasure to meet us. He was very friendly.”  The restaurant, located in Kingston upon Hull, England, is the largest Chinese restaurant in the UK and regularly hosts large events such as weddings, parties and conferences. It was one such conference that Blair appeared at, where his former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott discussed his bid to become police commissioner. The place was busy, as Kimberley recalls. “There was a lot of press there, we had to go around and serve tea and coffee. All in all, very exciting.”

In addition to her part time job at Mr Chu’s, Kimberley is currently in her third and final year of a BA in Management and Marketing at the University of Hull “It has been a great experience working and studying at the same time.” She is also a part of her university’s dance society, which performs twice a year, and the horse riding society. After graduation, she is looking into pursuing a master’s degree, or establishing herself back in Macau.