Some of you may have read about Walter Cheung Shu-wai in the news. He is the head of communications and corporate sustainability at Hang Seng Bank. Although he has worked at the bank since 1994, he is an unlikely banker. People think of bankers as money-minded. Walter is not money-minded. That's why he is an unlikely banker. Often, news articles about him are not about his banking job but his marathons. He has run over 70 marathons all over the world and still runs marathons. That's what makes him such an unlikely banker. Walter and I became friends many years ago when we were both reporters at the South China Morning Post. I stayed in journalism but he crossed over to what we journalists jokingly call the dark side.
The word "unlikely" used this way means not typical or not what you would expect. For example, The Peak is an unlikely place for public housing, which means it is not a typical place to build public housing. If you are money-minded, it means you care a lot about money and are good at getting it. When journalists switch jobs to do public relations work instead, we jokingly say they have crossed to the dark side. Walter invited me and several old friends to a sumptuous （impressive, expensive and high-quality） lunch last week at the Hang Seng Bank penthouse. It was a farewell yet celebratory lunch. He has been promoted to become senior adviser to the bank's chief executive but on a part-time basis.
Our sumptuous lunch included crab claw, lobster fillet, and Wagyu beef. Lobster and crab pair well with Chardonnay, a white wine. Wagyu beef pairs well with red wines such as Nebbiolo or Cabernet Sauvignon. But we drank tea instead because wine at lunch-time makes people sleepy！ Hang Seng Bank is well-known for snake dinners at its penthouse. Walter had invited me and other friends several times. I don't eat snake but he always arranged something else for me. It's too bad last week's lunch was the last one at the penthouse for me because starting this week Walter will only be working at the bank part-time.
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你們有些人或許讀到有關張樹槐Walter的新聞，他是恒生銀行傳訊及企業可持續發展總監。雖然他自一九九四年起在銀行供職，他卻並非大家心目中的（unlikely）銀行家。人們印象中的銀行家都是金錢至上的（money-minded），Walter卻沒有愛錢如命（money-minded），因此他不是大家想像中的那種（unlikely）銀行家。很多時候，新聞報道他都不是關於他的銀行工作，而是他參加馬拉松的事。他在世界各地跑了超過七十個馬拉松，現在還一直在跑馬拉松。就是這一點，令他不像是真的（unlikely）銀行家。我跟Walter 很多年前已成為朋友，那時我倆在《南華早報》一同當記者。我仍留在新聞界內工作，他卻轉投了我們新聞工作者笑說為「黑暗面」（dark side）的一行。
Unlikely在這裏是指非典型的又或是你想不到的。例如，The Peak is an unlikely place for public housing，意即太平山頂不太可能或不是典型起公屋的地方。若你是 money-minded，即是你很看重金錢，也有賺錢的頭腦。當新聞工作者轉行去做公關工作，我們會開玩笑說他們轉投了「黑暗面」那邊（dark side）。上星期Walter 邀請我和幾個老朋友，去恒生銀行總行博愛堂吃一餐奢華的（sumptuous）午宴。那是一個歡送卻也是慶祝的午宴。他獲升職，以兼職的性質擔任銀行行政總裁的高級顧問。
我們的豪華（sumptuous）午宴包括了蟹鉗、龍蝦以及和牛。龍蝦與蟹跟莎當妮白酒是很好的配搭，和牛則跟內比奧羅或赤霞珠等紅酒是絕配。
不過，我們喝的是茶，因為午餐時喝酒會令人人都昏昏欲睡！恒生銀行的博愛堂以蛇宴著名，Walter也邀請過我和其他朋友好幾次；我不吃蛇，他便總會為我安排其他美食。上星期的午宴是我最後一次在博愛堂用膳了，真是可惜，因為Walter日後只會兼職在銀行工作。中譯：七刻
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