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Indians have been eating out a lot more and with disposable income on the rise, this trend is all set to rise. While most Indians prefer to stick to Indian <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> and snacks while eating out, many are embracing new cuisines with Chinese being on the forefront of it all. <br /><br /> <keyword id="3037297" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="wok-express">Wok Express</keyword> is a Chinese <keyword id="4650347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="qsr-brand">QSR Brand</keyword> based out of <keyword id="6358070" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai">Mumbai</keyword> which is stirring the pot by making not just Chinese but different Asian cuisines available to its customers at a reasonable price point. The two-year old brand currently has 12 outlets across Mumbai and while it sticks to the box concept, the brand is trying to clear misconceptions about one of their least popular menu items- <keyword id="62494" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sushi">Sushi</keyword>. <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="58788283" title="KFC India has Combined Fried Chicken with a Burrito and Here’s Why You Should Try It" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="May 22, 2017, 3:00 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>


























<br /> To make people open to trying Sushi, Wok Express has introduced the ‘Sushi Festival’, a week-long celebration to commemorate globally renowned ‘International Sushi Day’ from June 12 to June 18, with a crafted kitchen menu for this special occasion both for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The menu items don’t only celebrate sushi, but they’re also trying to break moulds by introducing ingredients like chicken and corn into the roll instead of ‘raw fish’ which most Indians shy away from.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    <div type="embedgroup"> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="59048930" title="Lay&amp;#39;s has a new concept and it was released at the Milan Design Week" rank="1.0" kind="RELATED" publishDate="Jun 08, 2017, 2:00 PM" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div></div>


























<br /> Priced at INR 285 for the vegetarian options and INR 335 for the non-vegetarian options, this is a sushi you won’t mind trying. <br /><br />

Here’s how this Mumbai restaurant is redefining sushi for Indians

<ul><li><keyword id="1557667" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="TBWA-India">TBWA India</keyword>’s latest report identifies the changing relationship with food culture, the evolving mindsets of India and ways in which the pandemic is changing the palate of the country.</li><li>Hungry for more? Take a seat, there's a lot on the menu.</li></ul>As we look back at the last decade, we see how our relationships with people, work, activities and of course, food have been redefined. During these trying times, our obsession with food is something we’ve sought comfort in. <br /><br />Food and our attitude towards it has been changing, much of which has been accelerated by the pandemic. TBWA India team has put together a report in an attempt to identify the changing relationship with food culture and the evolving mindsets of India. <br /><br /><strong>Meal-eportation</strong><br />    <div type="image" title="social, Pune" msid="80346521" hostid="261"></div><br />People no longer want just a meal; they want a performance that transcends space and time. Beyond menus, cafés and restaurants are now adding a flavour of drama to their recipes. Getting a cup of coffee can involve a walk through a zen-like garden and ordering a cocktail can move you to a street market. <br /><br />According to TripAdvisor, 70% of people believe unique dining experiences are worth paying more for. Social, Pune has a tunnel-like entrance that is supposed to be a transition from new Pune into the old market lanes of camps. It also has an off-beat trampoline work section.<br /><br /><strong>Revenge Dining </strong><br />    <div type="image" title="social distancing" msid="80346544" hostid="261"></div><br />Social indulgence is even winning over the fear of contagion. Survivalism is taking a backseat. People are giving in to their senses demanding a break and dining out, after being locked away for months.<br /><br /><strong>Dine-out Inside<br /></strong>    <div type="image" title="novotel meal kit." msid="80346560" hostid="261"></div><br />To relive the experience of dining out, people are now ordering in the restaurant-like ambience along with food. <br /><br />With the pandemic restricting people's movement, ordering in has turned into experiential dining. People are dressing up, playing music and setting the table, to recreate the dining-out experience at home. For example, Novotel Chamiers has launched their own meal kits to give their diners the restaurant experience at home. The apparel brand Linen Club is encouraging people to bring the restaurant experience home. <br /><br /><strong>Gastronomy Express <br /></strong>    <div type="image" title="Nachos Deposit photos" msid="80346581" hostid="261"></div><br />Taste buds are now dictating itineraries. As the hunger for experimental experiences rises, both people’s taste buds and minds are opening up to the new. <br /><br />The World Food Travel Association preserves and promotes culinary cultures through hospitality and tourism. <br /><br />50% Indians are keen on experimenting with authentic local cuisines and are planning their vacations around it. 1 in 4 Indian travellers surveyed said they regard 'enjoying the local food' as the most important reason to travel. <br /><br />*Source: KAYAK, Taste of Travel, The Indian Express, BusinessWorld. *Source - ASSOCHAM<br /><br /><strong>Gourmet at Home</strong><br />    <div type="image" title="English breakfast" msid="80346600" hostid="261"></div><br />English Breakfast now competes with Idli Sambhar as Indian taste buds are experimenting with transcontinental flavours. <br /><br />Sinking our teeth into global gastronomy has turned us into gourmet cooks who constantly crave for more. Gourmet food has become an avenue of its own as it is no longer confined to lavish restaurants. For example, Foodhall's product range includes a vast range of products from all over the world. Godrej Nature’s Basket’s offers exotic international gourmet products. According to EconomicTimes, 30%-60% growth in sales for exotic food and international sauces in Nature's Basket and Spencer's.<br /><br /><strong>Conscious Consumption</strong><br /><br />Food has levelled up as our ammo in the climate change battle. From dieting to save our bodies to dieting to save our planet, people are realizing how every bite can make a difference.<br /><br /><strong>Ve-gan make a difference </strong><br />      <div type="image" title="Vegan food from canva" msid="80346650" hostid="261"></div><br />People are eating well, for both themselves and the world. The dairy loving country is embracing a plant based diet and shifting their focus to sustainable and conscious eating habits. <br /><br />40% growth in the next decade in alternative meat industry. 90% Indians are extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat. Good Dot, a plant-based meat startup sells 12,000 to 15,000 packets of mock meat each day.<br /><br /><strong>BYOC (Bring Your Own Cutlery)</strong><br />      <div type="image" title="cutlery" msid="80346707" hostid="261"></div><br />Whether we’re eating out or ordering in, disposable cutlery is now being cancelled.<br /><br />Restaurants are now encouraging consumers to bring their own containers and bags for takeaway orders to reduce plastic waste. A small green step for us but a large step towards saving the world's depleting resources.<br /><br />Corner House, Bangalore, began a 'Bring Your Own Bowl' initiative to cut down their plastic burden. Arogya Ahaara, a restaurant in Bangalore, encourages their customers to carry containers and bottles for takeaway orders. Zomato and Swiggy have an option that requests restaurants to not send cutlery.<br /><br /><strong>Farm to Fork</strong><br />      <div type="image" title="Veggies" msid="80346738" hostid="261"></div><br />Prioritizing health and sustainability, conscious India is going organic.<br /><br />Direct sourcing from farms and a rise in organic farming is indicative of the rising need to consume chemical-free food while conserving the planet. According to India Organic Food Market Outlook, $849.5 Million is the value of the Indian organic food market in 2020.<br /><br />Zomato plans to introduce the ‘farm’ to ‘fork’ concept that works directly with producers, like farms or food producers. Zama Organics an organic food start-up sector of India is to sourcing things that are native to different climatic belts and geographies and bring them to a common platform.<br /><br /><strong>Foodie Chef</strong><br />    <div type="image" title="wok express." msid="80346774" hostid="261"></div><br />People are now turning into chefs as they break the culinary rules and add their own twists. 'Make your own' is the latest addition to menus where consumers are given the freedom to make their favourite meal their way by adding specific ingredients &amp; customisations. It's heaven for picky eaters! Wok Express provides consumers the option to ‘MYOB’ make their own food bowls. It can be built from scratch from a variety of different options available. Subway let's its customers design their own sandwiches according to their taste and preferences. According to Restro App, 70% of customers expect customization.<br /><br /><strong>Frozen Feast</strong><br />  <div type="image" title="Frozen food" msid="80346831" hostid="261"></div><br />‘Frozen’ is replacing ‘fresh’ as people prioritise the ability to eat what they want, when they want. With the rising popularity of fast food and people’s increasingly busy lives, fast food has now reached our freezers in the form of frozen food. According to National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, India’s estimated to become Largest consumer of frozen food by 2030.<br /><br /><strong>Stag Bite</strong><br />  <div type="image" title="Box8 mini meal." msid="80346849" hostid="261"></div><br />With the ability to now customize portions, people are no longer compromising on the size of their cravings. 'Meal for one' is the latest addition to menus that offers you the perfect<br /><br />portion size for yourself, so that each person gets to eat whatever they want. It is simple, convenient and cost-effective. Menus available on Swiggy Pop – a 'Meal for 1' service. Box8 offers 'Mini Meals' perfectly curated to satisfy one person's hunger.<br />

The changing relationship with food culture and the evolving mindsets of Indian consumers: TBWA India Report

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Wok to Walk Facebook</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Wok-to-Walk is the anti-Panda Express. </p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">With only 50 locations, this Asian fast food chain has a global presence. This franchise has locations throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia and even Africa. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">So how is this little chain creating so much hype?</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">It advertises what people want to hear: that the food is fresh and healthy.</span></p><p class="p1">It's difficult to find fast, healthy Asian cuisine. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/panda-express-making-comeback-2015-9">Panda Express</a> is even struggling to stay relevant in the age of Chipotle. </p><p class="p1"><span>While the chain isn't big enough to be ranked, Trip Advisor gave the restaurant a </span><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4810815-Reviews-Wok_To_Walk-New_York_City_New_York.html">certificate</a> of excellence<span>. </span></p><p class="p1">But Wok to Walk goes about its marketing in a unique way. The chain keeps it simple by offering a 3-step-menu that is friendly to vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers. </p><p class="p1">Having options is key.</p><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/woktowalkinternational/photos_stream">Wok to Walk Facebook</a></span></p><p class="caption">Wok to Walk's 3-step-menu includes: base, favorites, and sauce.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p class="p1"><span style="background-color: #ffff00;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">Wok to Walk encourages you to be your own chef by designing your own wok. The company even claims that you can eat Wok to Walk every day for a year and never repeat a combo.</span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">The chain claims to buy its products from local suppliers, never using MSGs. </span></p><p class="p1"><span style="background-color: #ffffff;">Skeptical about the nutrition of this fast food chain? While the food is prepared right in front of you, its website also offers a <a href="http://woktowalk.com/nutrition-calculator/">nutrition calculator</a> - sharing calorie, protein and carbohydrate content - so you can create the most suitable wok for your diet. </span></p><p class="p1">Despite its small US presence, the chain is enjoyed around the world. Maybe one day expanding outside of New York.</p><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://worldc.am/">Worldcam</a></span></p><p class="caption">A customer chows on Wok to Walk in Berlin, Germany.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://worldc.am/">Worldcam</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Wok to Walk customer in Bordeaux, France claims it's the best noodles outside  of Asia.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p class="p1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://worldc.am/">Worldcam</a></span></p><p class="caption">A New York City customer is excited to find Wok to Walk in the US.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-americas-first-choice-healthy-fast-food-subway-jared-fogle-2015-9">Chipotle vs. Subway: Which is the healthier option?</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="syODRidzp0hG7K7TyfrlA1Pzo7ciTiYJ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This fast food chain is trying to change public perception of Chinese food

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Panda Express Facebook</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Panda Express is trying to stay relevent in the age of Chipotle. </p><p>The American-style Chinese restaurant's reputation is struggling, founder Peggy Cherng <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">told the </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">New York Times</a>. </p><p>The biggest problem?</p><p>Panda Express' food is  generally seen as more of a guilty pleasure than a popular trend like going to Chipotle.</p><p>Panda Express is notorious for selling items like orange chicken, which is deep-fried and covered in sugary sauces. The brand has responded with a new Wok Smart menu that offers entrees for 300 calories or less. </p><p>The brand is also plagued by the idea that it uses additives in its food at a time when consumers are demanding fare that is fresh and natural. </p><p>"We need to focus on basic execution," <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">Cherng told The New York Times</a>. "No matter what, the food speaks for itself."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PandaExpress/photos/pb.77730698813.-2207520000.1443025019./10153248212143814/?type=3&amp;theater">Panda Express Facebook</a></span></p><p class="caption">#orangechickenlove is promoted by Panda Express</p></div><p></p></div></div>She said the brand is planning to innovate the menu. </p><p>But despite the company's focus on changing, it appears selling calorie-laden orange chicken is working just fine. </p><p>In 2014, Panda Express grew sales by a whopping 15%. </p><p>The brand is now planning to re-open in New York City.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-casual-indian-food-indikitch-review-2015-9">We tried the trendy restaurant that could become the Chipotle of Indian food</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RibzlodzqrGvdzClPL3EkrKkwxK5CzSa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The most infamous Chinese food chain is trying to succeed in the world of Chipotle

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Panda Express is trying to cultivate a healthier image.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Panda Express trying to leave its mall food court image behind.</p><p>The Chinese-food chain has recently taken stakes in trendy fast-casual restaurants like Just Salad and Pieology Pizza, which have a combined 111 restaurants right now, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-11/u-s-chinese-food-king-panda-express-branches-into-pizza-salads">reports Leslie Patton</a> at Bloomberg News. </p><p>The brand, which has more than 1,700 locations, is also aggressively looking to invest in other hot restaurant concepts. </p><p>Panda Express hopes the investments will help it take steps to elevate its reputation and compete with Chipotle and Panera Bread. </p><p>For instance, it plans to adopt Just Salad's system for quick delivery to consumers, according to Bloomberg.</p><p>Just Salad is a concept that makes custom salads using premium ingredients like grass-fed steak, local produce, and fresh pita chips. </p><p>Pieology, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pieology-pizza-business-story-and-expansion-2015-6">Technomic named the fastest-growing restaurant chain</a> in America, lets customers build-their own pizzas with options ranging <span>from wheat crust to gluten-free crust to vegetarian pizzas to dairy-free cheese. There are 40 toppings, and a custom pizza is $8 or less.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Pieology</span></p><p class="caption">Pieology lets customers build their own pizzas using premium ingredients.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>Panda Express' motive for investing in these properties is clear. </p><p>The American-style Chinese restaurant's reputation is struggling, founder Peggy Cherng <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">told The </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">New York Times</a> last fall.</p><p>Panda Express' food is generally seen as more of a guilty pleasure than a popular trend like going to Chipotle.</p><p>Panda Express is notorious for selling items like orange chicken, which is deep-fried and covered in sugary sauces. The brand has responded with a new Wok Smart menu that offers entrees for 300 calories or less.</p><p>The brand is also plagued by the idea that it uses additives in its food at a time when consumers are demanding fare that is fresh and natural.</p><p>"We need to focus on basic execution," <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/dining/panda-express-takes-a-second-run-at-new-york.html?_r=0">Cherng told The Times</a>. "No matter what, the food speaks for itself."</p><p><em>Marina Nazario contributed to this story. </em></p><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-fast-food-quesalupa-review-2016-2">We tried Taco Bell's new Quesalupa</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ZmNXhyMDE6QyteUh5iP0YiIXgwflSNKX" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The most infamous Chinese-food chain is building an empire to compete with Chipotle

<ul class="generic-article__summary--ul content--ul"><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li"><strong>Consuming pagpag leads to stunted growth in children, and heightens the risk of acquiring hepatitis A, <keyword id="6375416" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cholera">cholera</keyword> and typhoid</strong></li><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li"><strong>Despite the government’s incremental success at reducing poverty, eating and selling pagpag is a way of life in slums like <keyword id="8014290" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Payatas">Payatas</keyword></strong></li></ul><br />M<span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--span content--span upperc">orning traffic rattles</span> through the slum district of Payatas in Quezon City, just north of Metro Manila. It is 9am but over 30 degrees Celsius and climbing. A truck pulls over and workers unload the morning’s collection of rubbish, depositing it behind the corrugated iron gates of Joe’s Junk Shop.<br /><br />Payatas is a sprawling shanty town built on a landfill, and these junk shops are an integral part of the local economy. Inside, it is a hive of activity. The space is piled four metres high in parts with sacks bulging with waste; sweaty, black sausages that split their skin in the heat, detritus spilling out to be sorted and separated.<br /><br />Joe Bolon, the owner, pays 6 pesos (10 US cents) for a kilogram of waste. Deliveries begin arriving before dawn. Once pulled out and stripped of packaging by Bolon’s team of wiry young men in plastic sandals, recyclables get sold for 18 pesos per kilogram.<br /><br />Myrna Salazar is the only woman working there. She is 40 years old, but looks more weathered. She moved to Manila from Samar 30 years ago and has been “collecting” in Payatas for two decades. Her eyes skim the sea of refuse for anything worth salvaging; her hands move almost as fast, deftly avoiding jagged objects concealed beneath the surface.<br /><br /><br />One of the men hacks apart a hollowed-out watermelon shell with a machete, adding to the pile of fruit rinds and gristle that will be bundled as pig feed and sold for 150 pesos (US$3) per sack.<br /><br />Other scraps – <keyword id="62613" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chicken">chicken</keyword> and pork deemed edible – are set aside in a white ice-cream tub to be washed, cooked and sold in the neighbourhood. This is pagpag – “shake off the dirt” in Tagalog. Discarded food still fit for hungry mouths in slums like Payatas.<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--strong content--strong bolddin11"><strong>DUMPSTER DINING</strong></span></h3>After many years of scavenging, Salazar insists she can identify spoiled meat, which she leaves. “If the food is as soft as this, it can’t be eaten,” she says, pinching meat that has gone bad.<br /><br />“But if the pork or chicken is as hard as this, this is the <em>pagpag</em>meat we collect,” she continues, holding up a chicken breast to demonstrate. “We’re used to eating it. We clean the meat thoroughly to remove the smell and so that it will taste good. We cook it or fry it and later my kids will also eat this.”<br /><br /><br /><br />An employee at Joe’s Junk Shop sorts through the waste for recyclables. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />Salazar has no concerns about the health risks of eating <em>pagpag</em>. Nor does she see any need to visit the market, five minutes’ drive away, where vendors have stalls filled with goat meat and fresh fruit.<br /><br />“If you have a strong immune system, it’s rare for you to get sick,” she says. “We don’t need to spend money to buy our food in the market. Sometimes we find rice, cooking oil and soy sauce in the garbage, all for free.”<br /><br /><br />Discarded food, known as pagpag, is cleaned and cooked before being served. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />Salazar has four children and her husband also works at Joe’s Junk Shop, sorting recyclables. The couple can earn 1,000 pesos (US$20) a day – sometimes more, depending on the volume of waste, although there are lean days when they earn less.<br /><br />Payatas takes its name from the phrase <em>payat sa taas</em> (“thin at the top”) because the soil is no good for rice crops. It is a community scarred by generations of hardship and struggle.<br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013513/whats-behind-philippine-obsession-beauty-queens" class="link-text">What’s behind the Philippine obsession with beauty queens?<br /></a></h3>In 2000, a landslide of rubbish in one part of Payatas known as Lupang Pangako – or “Promised Land” – killed 218 people, according to official figures. The real death toll was probably much higher, but the authorities could not verify how many people lived in the area. The Promised Land, where combustible substances within the rubbish would erupt unpredictably into geysers of flame, was shut down with untold hundreds buried below.<br /><br /><br />More recently, Payatas became one of the bloodiest focal points in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s crackdown on drugs. Residents recall too many people turning up dead during the height of the purge in 2016-17, casualties of police operations or vigilantes licensed to kill.<br /><br /><br />Myrna Salazar cooks pagpag at Joe’s Junk Shop in Payatas. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />Bolon, the owner of Joe’s Junk Shop, moved to Payatas from Masbate. The 59-year-old used to work as an industrial painter – cars mostly – but bought the junk shop at his wife’s urging. The rubbish stays for no more than two days, he says, and the local government regularly sends workers to fumigate the site.<br /><br />He lives close by, his employees all live in Payatas, and although he acknowledges the effects of Duterte’s crackdown on the area – previously, taxi drivers would refuse fares there – Bolon grows cautious when pressed for details.<br /><br />“You hear stories of people in the neighbourhood,” he says, trailing off. “Before Duterte became president, there was a lot of crime – burglary, people involved in drugs. Since the war on drugs, that has reduced.”<br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3008815/there-are-filipinos-alaska-theyre-called-alaskeros-and-theyve" class="link-text">There are Filipinos in Alaska – they’re called Alaskeros<br /></a></h3>Salazar begins preparing the <em>pagpag</em>. In a small kitchen to one side of the shop, she washes the meat before mixing the adobo seasoning of onion, garlic, peppers and soy sauce. She uses kindling to light a stove and heats a pan with oil before ladling in the meat and adding salt.<br /><br />Next to the kitchen, on the other side of a chicken coop inhabited by a noisy rooster, two signs hang alongside piles of rubbish. The first asks staff to “Clean as you go”. The second is a reminder for would-be thieves: “When you leave, show everything you are carrying.”<br /><br />In Payatas, life may be cheap but nothing is free.<br /><br /><br />An employee at Joe’s Junk Shop sorts through the waste for recyclables. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--strong content--strong bolddin11"><strong>THE SAD REALITY</strong></span></h3>According to Cristopher Sabal, a senior technical officer at the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), <em>pagpag</em>consumption is merely one expression of a multifaceted problem.<br /><br />“A lot of our urban poor settlers are living near these dump sites, in informal settlements,” he says. “They are living in the most vulnerable areas, the danger zones. They don’t have access to basic necessities … They are primarily the victims of drug abuse and dependency. They don’t have security in their tenure in their house – [the houses] get demolished and they will be moved somewhere. There is that sense of insecurity in their lives. They don’t have access to livelihoods which would support them … enough to purchase the food requirements for the family. That’s the sad reality.”<br /><br />For all Sabal’s sympathy for the plight of those surviving on <em>pagpag</em>, he does not tolerate claims it can be eaten “safely”, that unsanitary meat can be avoided or a strong immune system suffices.<br /><br />“You cannot see bacteria, you cannot see how dirty the food is, just by looking at it,” he says. “<em>Pagpag</em> is not nutritious … We can definitely say it has an impact in the stunting of growth in children. Aside from that, they would be at risk of acquiring critical diseases like hepatitis A, cholera, typhoid.”<br /><br /><br /><br />A bowl of pagpag. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />In coordinating poverty-reduction programmes, the NAPC links federal initiatives with implementation at the level of local government – the <em>barangay</em>.<br /><br />“The fight against poverty does not happen in the boardroom but at the grass roots, where people can really feel the government is doing something to lift them out of poverty,” Sabal says.<br /><br /><br />The Philippine government has also cast Duterte’s crackdown on drugs as part of its mission to alleviate poverty by first eradicating drug crime and dependency. Earlier this month, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3017656/rodrigo-dutertes-war-drugs-produces-systematic-abuses" class="link-text"><span class="text">Amnesty International released a report</span></a><br />, entitled “They Just Kill”, chronicling the “climate of total impunity” and systematic abuses that have become hallmarks of the campaign.Amnesty’s East Asia director Nicholas Bequelin described the war on drugs as “nothing but a large-scale murdering enterprise for which the poor continue to pay the highest price”.<br /><br /><h2 style="margin-top: 1.14286rem; margin-bottom: 0.428571rem; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.21429rem; font-family: Merriweather, serif; vertical-align: baseline;">People have been doing it for so long, it has been embedded in the subculture of the slums that eating pagpag is OK, <span class="quote-body-container__author author">Cristopher Sabal, National Anti-Poverty Commission</span></h2><br />Sabal, however, insists that “by addressing the problem of drugs, it has a ripple effect in the lives of poor Filipino people”.<br /><br />“It brought back trust in the government at the <em>barangay</em> level. Now they trust that whoever leads them, they are not narco politicians,” he says. “It brought back peace and security – if you go out at night, nothing will happen to you.<br /><br />“The crackdown on drugs did not only result in murders or extrajudicial killings – it also captured a lot of syndicates, big ones and also small street peddlers. We also rehabilitated a lot of poor fathers and mothers who were dependent on drugs.”<br /><br />Sabal cites incremental success: poverty nationwide has fallen, from 27 per cent in 2015 to 21 per cent last year. The <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/philippines" class="link-text">Philippines</a> </span>is committed to the UN goal of eradicating malnutrition in children. There are financial subsidies for families whose children remain in school, and this year Duterte signed the Magna Carta of the Poor, guaranteeing access to basic services for impoverished Filipinos.<br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/3013510/philippine-cinderella-domestic-helper-miss-universe" class="link-text">A Philippine Cinderella: from domestic helper to Miss Universe<br /></a></h3>The NAPC officer, however, acknowledges the intractability of Philippine food poverty: 2.4 million families still suffered moderate to extreme hunger last year. And <em>pagpag</em> consumption has become so entrenched it cannot be treated as a purely economic phenomenon.<br /><br />“There is a danger in sitting in an ivory tower, looking at the problem, being detached from it,” Sabal says. “Hunger is a reality in the Philippines.<br /><br />“People have been doing it for so long, it has been embedded in the subculture of the slums that eating pagpag is OK. Without the government interceding, the cycle will not be broken.”<br /><br /><br /><br />Children in Payatas. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--strong content--strong bolddin11"><strong>‘LIFE IS HARD HERE’</strong></span></h3>In the afternoon, Salazar finishes work, wraps her remaining <em>pagpag</em> and carries it to the residential area of Payatas. The houses are an improvised patchwork of timber, cement, cinder block and chipboard, with tarpaulins covering the gaps. The school term has not started, so the narrow pavements echo with children’s high-pitched chatter and the steady thwack of basketballs hitting concrete.<br /><br />The central quadrangle bears the chalk outline of a hopscotch court, where some girls have fashioned a skipping rope by tying together dozens of elastic bands. This is where residents used to stage cockfights on weekends, but not any more – not in the new era of law and order.<br /><br />Salazar makes her rounds. Bags sell for about 30 pesos, each containing an evening meal for four or five people. Susana Abrera, 60, is a regular customer. She buys enough to prepare dinner for her husband, who works gathering sheet metal, as well as Chuchai, 12, and Mariane, 10. The girls are two of Abrera’s 17 grandchildren. She moved to Payatas in 1990 and has been eating <em>pagpag</em> regularly since.<br /><br /><br /><br />Susana Abrera heats pagpag in a wok in her home. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />“I wash it three times then sauté the <em>pagpag</em>,” she says, heating a wok in the middle of her home. “Then I add more water to cook it well. We are cautious … If <span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--span content--span italics_allfonts">pagpag</span> tastes and smells sour it means the meat is already spoiled and we better give it to the pigs and dogs. If we feel sick, we go to the health centre and they can detect our ailment. Mostly, it’s liver disease – that’s why they advise us to cook the food well.”<br /><br /><br />Abrera says she prepares <em>pagpag</em> four days a week. If there is no <em>pagpag</em>, they eat fried fish and vegetables, although vegetables are more expensive as she must buy other ingredients separately.<br /><br /><br />Chuchai (left) and Mariane in Payatas. Photo: SCMP Pictures<br /><br />Chuchai and Mariane light up at the mere mention of Manny Pacquiao – the champion Philippine boxer who inspires nationwide devotion. Both girls attend school, either walking for 30 minutes or catching a motorised tricycle. Their father drives a truck and their mother sells slippers at a shopping centre.<br /><br /><em>Pagpag</em> with chicken is Chuchai’s favourite, but she insists: “I don’t like vegetables – they make me sick.”<br /><br />Mariane is 10 but small enough to pass for seven or eight. She likes school and learning to read and write, but wants to work in <span class="text"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-korea" class="link-text">South Korea</a> </span>as a helper to “send money to my parents”. She has seen South Korea on television and says being “a helper is the easiest job you can find”.When the <em>pagpag</em> is ready, they eat swiftly and silently. Once finished, Chuchai burps proudly, immensely pleased with herself.<br /><br /><h3 style="margin-bottom: 1.42857rem; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 300; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.35714rem; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; display: inherit;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2183272/philippines-dutertes-drug-war-finds-new-target-9-year-olds" class="link-text">In Philippines, Duterte’s drug war finds a new target: nine-year-olds<br /></a></h3>Abrera recalls how dangerous the area was before Duterte’s crackdown, and then the “police raids and shooting everywhere”.<br /><br />“We always hid in our homes because of fear of the police presence,” she says. “There were a lot of drug users and sellers before. When they got killed, our area became more peaceful.”<br /><br />Still, she yearns for her grandchildren to improve their circumstances, to leave behind Payatas and its mortal desperation and the meals scavenged from its junk shops.<br /><br />“Life is hard here. I want them to work overseas. We’re getting old and no one can help them when we’re gone,” Abrera says, overcome with the thought, tears rolling down her cheeks as Chuchai and Mariane stare awkwardly at their feet. “I want them to have a good life far from our lives here. I tell them to study hard … and some day not eat <em>pagpag</em>.” <span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--span content--span tw_sectioncolor"><span class="generic-article__body article-details-type--span content--span courier">■</span></span><br />

In Philippine slums, meat scavenged from dumpsters feeds those short of meals and hope

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-small"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>After spending five days in space, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/crew-dragon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crew Dragon</a> - a commercial spaceship for people designed by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/spacex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SpaceX</a> - is coming back to Earth.</li><li>Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, hinted this will be the most challenging phase of the mission, which is called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/demo-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Demo-1</a>.</li><li>NASA TV and SpaceX will jointly broadcast live video and commentary of the return on Friday morning, and you can watch live below.</li><li>Undocking coverage starts at 2 a.m. ET on Friday, with landing coverage set to begin at 7:30 a.m. ET. Crew Dragon should splash into the Atlantic Ocean at 8:45 a.m. ET.</li><li>No astronauts will be on board, just a dummy. But <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nasa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NASA</a> says the demonstration mission is "critically important" to show that the vehicle is safe to fly.</li></ul><p>The most nail-biting phase of Elon Musk's spaceflight dress rehearsal for NASA is almost here.</p><p>Early on Friday, SpaceX - the rocket company founded by Musk - will attempt to fly its new seven-seat commercial <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-crew-dragon-capsule-what-its-like-inside-2018-8">spaceship called Crew Dragon</a> back to Earth. You can watch the effort unfold live via the YouTube video player below.</p><p>SpaceX's 14,000-pound, cone-shaped vehicle <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launched-rocket-nasa-commercial-mission-2019-3">launched from Kennedy Space Center</a> in Florida on Saturday morning. About 27 hours later, it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-crew-dragon-capsule-nasa-demo1-mission-iss-docking-2019-3">docked with the International Space Station</a>, a football-field-size orbiting laboratory where three crew members currently live and wok.</p><p>Crew Dragon took no people into orbit - just <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-nasa-crew-dragon-woman-dummy-mannequin-launch-2019-2">a spacesuit-clad dummy called Ripley</a>, 400 pounds of cargo, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-crew-dragon-launch-earth-toy-sold-out-2019-3">a plush toy Earth</a>. Still, NASA considers the spaceship's demonstration mission, called Demo-1, critical because the agency hasn't had its own way to get astronauts to and from space for nearly eight years.</p><p>"This is a critically important event in American history," Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, told reporters last week in Florida. "We're on the precipice of launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil again for the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011."</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-announcement-astronaut-crew-spacex-boeing-selection-2018-8">NASA picked these 9 astronauts to fly SpaceX and Boeing's spaceships for the first time</a></em></p><p>On Thursday at 12:39 a.m. ET, the space station crew closed the hatch for Crew Dragon and said goodbye.</p><p>"This is the beginning of the end of Crew Dragon's stay at the International Space Station," NASA's mission control center in Houston said during a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-tv-webcast-2016-3">live broadcast</a>.</p><p>Now the ship has to return to Earth in one piece.</p><h2>Watch SpaceX's Crew Dragon landing attempt live on NASA TV</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-tv-webcast-2016-3">NASA TV</a> plans to broadcast Crew Dragon's departure from the space station live starting around 2 a.m. ET, followed by its de-orbit and landing at 7:30 a.m. ET.</p><p>You can watch both stages of the mission using this player (or via the space agency's <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>). Below, we've outlined what to expect and when from the video feed.</p><p>Crew Dragon is expected to undocking from the ISS at 2:31 a.m. ET. At that time, the spacecraft will briefly fire its engines to push away from the space station, then 30 seconds later it will fire them again to depart in earnest.</p><p>SpaceX's ship will then spend the next five or so hours orbiting Earth. The goal is to put Crew Dragon over the exact right spot to splash down in the ocean off the coast of Kennedy Space Center in Florida.</p><p>NASA's live broadcast will pick up again around 7:30 a.m. ET to show this landing phase. At around 7:50 a.m. ET, SpaceX plans to fire Crew Dragon's main rocket engines to de-orbit or slow down the spacecraft, causing it to fall from the sky. Then the ship will pop off, or jettison, its trunk (which won't be needed anymore), allowing the gumdrop-shaped capsule to fall back to Earth.</p><p>Crew Dragon will reach hypersonic speeds of nearly 20,000 mph - about 25 times the speed of sound - in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-atmosphere-extends-beyond-moon-hydrogen-gas-cloud-2019-2">the planet's thin outer atmosphere</a>. That process will generate blisteringly hot plasma along the bottom, or back-shell, of the capsule. A heat shield should protect Crew Dragon (and its dummy passenger) from being destroyed by the heat of atmospheric reentry.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-crew-dragon-nasa-demo-launch-steps-2019-2">Here's what Crew Dragon must do to prove it's safe to fly people.</a></em></p><p>However, Musk expressed some reservations about this phase during a press conference after Crew Dragon's launch on March 2.</p><p>"I see hypersonic reentry as probably my biggest concern, just because of the asymmetric back-shell," Musk said.</p><p>He was referring to the fact that Crew Dragon's shape is not a smooth cone like SpaceX's cargo spaceship, Dragon 1. That's because Crew Dragon, also called Dragon 2, has a rocket-powered escape system built into its hull; in case anything goes wrong during a launch, it can try to fly away.</p><p>"You've got the launch escape thruster pods. That could potentially cause a roll instability on reentry, but I think it's unlikely, " Musk said. In other words, the force of air rushing past the asymmetric capsule might cause it to roll. That could expose unprotected parts of its hull, or cause the spacecraft to spin so fast that any would-be passengers would get knocked out or injured.</p><p>"We've run simulations 1,000 times, but this is a possibility," Musk added.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Once Earth's atmosphere slows down Crew Dragon to hundreds of miles per hour, the vehicle will deploy two drogue parachutes, followed by four larger parachutes, to further decelerate the capsule.<p>Musk hinted that will also be a risky moment for the Demo-1 mission, since this hardware is different from that used in SpaceX's cargo spaceship.</p><p>"The parachutes are new. Will the parachutes deploy correctly? And then will the system guide Dragon 2 to the right location and splash down safely?" Musk said.</p><p>If all goes well, the capsule should splash down into the ocean at 8:45 a.m. ET. SpaceX crews waiting in boats will then try to recover the capsule as quickly as possible.</p><h2>Why NASA needs Crew Dragon to be safe</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>SpaceX's Crew Dragon is part of a larger NASA program called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/commercial-crew-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commercial Crew</a>.</p><p>NASA is paying SpaceX about $2.6 billion to develop the new ship and launch six operational missions to the space station. Meanwhile, the space agency awarded Boeing roughly $4.2 billion to develop its own space capsule for humans, called the CST-100 Starliner.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-crew-dragon-spaceship-launch-nasa-astronauts-2019-3">Elon Musk says he would ride SpaceX's new Dragon spaceship into orbit - and build a moon base with NASA</a></em></p><p>If SpaceX's full Demo-1 mission succeeds, it will then move on to an in-flight escape test this spring. After that, NASA may clear SpaceX to launch astronauts <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/robert-l-behnken" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bob Behnken</a> and <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/douglas-g-hurley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Hurley</a>, the company's first-ever human passengers, on a mission called Demo-2 as soon as July. Boeing is expected to fly its first astronauts sometime in August or later.</p><p>Once Crew Dragon is back at port, the vehicle will be unpacked, its data downloaded, and its mission scrutinized for safe performance - especially the data gathered by sensors on the crash-test dummy, Ripley.</p><p>"We've done tons of water-landing testing, parachute testing - all of these individual pieces. But actually having a reentry with Ripley in the seat, in the position is critical," <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/biographies/lueders.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kathryn Lueders</a>, the manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, previously told Business Insider. "We've instrumented the crap out of this vehicle."</p><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-moon-launch-israel-spaceil-morris-kahn-2019-2">SpaceX just launched the first private moon mission and it marks a new phase in space flight</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The hardest part of Elon Musk's 'critically important' mission for NASA is here. Watch SpaceX's Crew Dragon return to Earth live on Friday.

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/67566398@N00/276208728/">wok / Flickr</a></p></div><keyword id="6517" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Macau">MACAU</keyword>, April 14 (<keyword id="76338" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Reuters">Reuters</keyword>) - Casino magnate <keyword id="284154" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Sheldon-Adelson">Sheldon Adelson</keyword>'s reference to triad organised crime gangs in testimony in a lawsuit has hit a raw nerve in Macau, the Chinese boomtown that his Las Vegas Sands Corp helped transform from a gangland haven into a $38 billion <keyword id="6366684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gambling">gambling</keyword> capital.</p>
<p>The lawsuit against Sands was brought by Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen, who is seeking $328 million he says he is owed for helping the U.S. firm obtain one of three coveted casino licenses in Macau, now the world's biggest gambling market with annual revenues more than six times Las Vegas's.</p>
<p>Adelson's comments about triads reverberated across Macau this week and prompted a former Sands partner, casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, to post a regulatory filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange objecting to "certain inaccurate statements".</p>
<p>Sands and Galaxy jointly won a Macau casino license in 2002, but they failed to reach an operational agreement and split up. Adelson, 79, when asked in a Las Vegas court why the two firms could not work together, responded that Galaxy "had expressed their judgement they were going to do business with either reputed or triad people and we couldn't do that."</p>
<p>That comment, which drew little attention in Las Vegas, was front-page news in Macau because it suggested China had failed to clean up the violent gangs that dominated the gambling scene a decade ago. Triads involved in Macau's VIP gaming rooms were notorious for their heavy-handed methods of collecting on gambling debt. Macau's VIP segment, where wealthy Chinese wager millions, accounts for around 70 percent of total revenues.</p>
<p>A Galaxy spokesman said the company was seeking legal advice and could not comment further.</p>
<p>Interviews with seven Macau gaming executives, including four former Sands employees, revealed a sense of dismay that the trial, watched locally online and tracked closely in the daily papers, was drawing attention to a seedier side of Macau that China has sought to scrub. The city wants to position itself as a transparent and reputable tourist destination.</p>
<p>China cracked down on triads after it took formal control of the former Portuguese colony in 1999. Back then, mobsters like the infamous Wan "Broken Tooth" Kuok-koi gave Macau a name for violence as much as gambling.</p>
<p>Macau's casino revenue hit $38 billion last year, dwarfing Las Vegas's $6 billion. Unlike Vegas, where fun-seekers can dine, see showbiz legends and go nightclubbing without laying a dollar on the tables, Macau's visitors tend to focus intently on betting in its massive, packed gambling halls.</p>
<h3>'EVERYONE IS WATCHING'</h3>
<p>Macau, home to 500,000 people, is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. Gaming accounts for 70 percent of its government revenues, which explains why the trial has received so much interest.</p>
<p>In China, court proceedings are normally closed, so the open access to the Sands hearing - and its allegations of Macau gang activity and backroom deals - makes for prime viewing.</p>
<p>"Everyone is watching this," said a casino executive in Macau who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "Adelson's comments have so many underlying meanings that are embarrassing. Talking about triads, whether it is true or not, implies the government didn't do a good job at cleaning up Macau."</p>
<p>Some casino sources expressed surprise that Adelson would draw negative attention to a city that helped turn Sands into a $46 billion company. Sands owns four of Macau's 35 <keyword id="71409" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Casinos">casinos</keyword> - more than any other U.S. firm - and its Macau operations generated about 60 percent of the company's total 2012 casino revenues of $9 billion.</p>
<p>"Why is he killing the goose that gave him the gold?" a casino executive asked.</p>
<p>Several executives questioned why Sands did not settle the lawsuit to prevent unflattering details from reaching the public domain. Former Sands executive William Widner said he had lost confidence in Adelson because of the Suen trial.</p>
<p>"This trial was injurious to relations in China; it should have never been in a courtroom like this," Widner said in court on Wednesday.</p>
<h3>REPUTATION RISK</h3>
<p>This is the first of three legal battles that are casting an uncomfortable spotlight on how Macau awarded lucrative gambling licenses in 2002, a source of controversy because little was publically revealed about how the winners were selected.</p>
<p>The lawsuits show behind-the-scenes jockeying and close connections between business and government as 21 bidders were whittled down to three - the Sands-Galaxy partnership, Macau kingpin Stanley Ho, and Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn's Wynn Resorts Ltd.</p>
<p>After Galaxy and Sands split, Macau awarded a sub-concession license to Sands for no charge, which was controversial because Wynn and Ho's SJM were able to sell their sub-concessions to Melco Crown and MGM Resorts for $900 million and $200 million respectively.</p>
<p>A Sands spokesman declined to discuss any specifics regarding the concession license process.</p>
<p>Some Macau residents welcomed the closer scrutiny that came with the lawsuits.</p>
<p>"The Macau people want to hear more about these cases, find out how the license process worked," said Jose Coutinho, a directly elected member of Macau's legislative assembly who is known for promoting democratic reforms. "The government should set up an independent panel to find out what happened when the licenses were awarded."</p>
<p>The Macau government did not respond to email and telephone requests for comment.</p>
<p>But the Macau Business Daily, the city's main English-language daily, said the city's reputation was at risk.</p>
<p>"Things can be said in U.S. courts - and then reported by the media using the rule of court privilege there - that if repeated outside the tribunal or in other jurisdictions might be considered inflammatory or even defamatory," it wrote in an editorial published on Thursday. (Editing by Emily Kaiser and Daniel Magnowski)</p>
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<p>Copyright (2013) Thomson Reuters. <a href="http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/media/brand_guidelines/legal_notice/">Click for restrictions</a></p>
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