Adam Devermann, Bar Manager at Mesa & Manifesto

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by
on Friday, August 07, 2009 12:00 AM

Was it always your life's ambition to get people drunk?

Yes. Actually I originally studied Economics and Finance but all the way through college I worked in waiting and bartending jobs. When I arrived in China, I just continued doing so - and now I'm Bar Manager at Mesa & Manifesto. It's become my passion.

Do you ever have communication problems with the staff?

At first I'd talk too quickly, and I'd get half the order I asked for and then a random surprise drink. I think now I've learnt the right speed. I've heard funny stories from my friends about passing out in taxis and waking up in Pudong. Or waking up the next morning still in the club from the night before.

I think that might have happened to me before.

Well, if you pass out here, I'll try and sober you up with a glass of water before you go home. We don't normally let patrons spend the night!

Is there any particular moment where you thought to yourself ‘only in China'?

One time I had to go to hospital after diving in front of a baby to save it from an airborne glass.

Really?

No, it's a filthy lie. I turned without looking where I was going and smashed a glass with my hand behind the bar. At Chinese hospitals, you have to pay for treatment before you receive it, so I had to go from desk to desk to pay for different things while a nurse followed me around holding a glass I.V. because they didn't have a stand. Then I had to go outside to a different building for the actual surgery. It was winter and cold - not so much fun, as my hand was still pulsing blood everywhere.

Perhaps a little less of the graphic imagery. When you're not frequenting the health facilities, what do you do to enjoy Shanghai?

I like to discover hidden gems, from hole-in-the-wall bars and restaurants to interesting backstreets off the beaten track. And I like to practice my amateur photography - really basic stuff though - taking pictures of the architecture, people and culture. I particularly like to shoot on Taikang Lu; I find everything there more authentic and not quite so over-developed.