If it is lobster, it should be Canadian!

By: Trademagazin editor Date: 2022. 12. 20. 09:46

In November the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary (CCCH) hosted its Lobster Dinner event for the 28th time, in the ball room of InterContinental Budapest. Our magazine interviewed the chamber’s executive director, Dr Judit Lovas on this occasion.

The chef’s skills ensure a great result

She told that every year CCCH organises the Canadian Lobster Dinner on the second Saturday in November. There is live music and participants can dance until the morning. This year there were two dozen exhibitors at the dinner, introducing their products to the invitees. There are special programmes every year, for instance this time guests had a playroom for playing digital golf, using the selfie mirror and visiting a glass sculpture exhibition. Guests arrived way before dinner, so they had time to enjoy the super-premium drinks – whisky, rum, pálinka, champagne and beer of all kinds – and to taste special chocolates and ice creams.

Scissors and guests

As for the participants of the Lobster Dinner, they are Hungarian and international company owners, executives and businessmen, who come not only to have fun and enjoy the delicious food, but also to establish new business relationships. Since this is basically a cross-border business networking event, the dinner is bilingual – the host speaks in English and Hungarian, and every print material related to the dinner is also in two languages.

High-quality gastronomy and networking – that’s the Lobster Dinner

The whole experience is made complete by eating fresh lobster, which comes from Nova Scotia – this year 300 live lobsters were shipped in from Canada. Eating lobster isn’t rocket science, but can be tricky for the first time, so CCCH plans to prepare a short tutorial video, explaining what to do when the cooked lobster is served. Next year the Lobster Dinner will take place on 11 November 2023.

Revu and dance all through the night

On firm footing

Dr Judit Lovas explained that CCCH started out as business club 30 years ago, and in part it is because of the chamber’s work that there are more than 200 Canadian companies present in Hungary. An 11-member board of director heads the chamber, and CCCH’s main goal is developing bilateral relations, together with assisting Hungarian businesses in entering the Canadian market. The chamber’s income is from membership fees, donations by sponsors and the 20 events they organise every year. Right now the two biggest projects they are working on is revamping the CCCH website and setting up a business delegation for a one-week trip to Canada. //

About lobster

In Canada many people live off lobster and even if it isn’t enjoyed by everyone on a daily basis, it can be found on dinner tables rather often from the middle class upwards. Lobster is called the king of seafood and it is exported to Europe in large quantities.

Size matters

Lobster meat is very sensitive; it loses flavour if not treated properly during transportation. It is interesting that lobster used to be “mass food” in the 17-19th centuries, and it only became luxury food in the middle of the 20th century. //

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2022.12-01