Tucking in for the greater good

Asking for tax receipts guarantees restaurants contribute their fair share to State coffers

Among the joys of life in Beijing are the many wonderful restaurants it has. I've been hitting them pretty hard on a near-daily basis ever since I arrived more than two years ago. I can count the number of bad meals I've had on one hand, and as well as dishing out tasty food, these restaurants are usually great value for money too.

Recently I've even managed to persuade myself that eating out is not so much a selfish act of gluttony but a service that helps China grow along with my waistline. The reason I can waddle out of a restaurant with my belt straining to hold in my increasing girth and still manage to convince myself that I pigged out for the good of the country is the fact I now ask at the end of each meal for a tax receipt, or fapiao.