Mai Lin: "no rice" does not compute

Hong Kong -- Chaos and disorder gripped a typically efficiently-run Chinese fast food restaurant in Hong Kong's bustling Causeway Bay area Friday after a man asked for "no rice" with his Kung Pao chicken.

43-year-old British tourist Peter Johnston, who is on a strict "low carb" Atkins diet, made the unusual request while ordering a quick lunch at the Empire Bowl. The restaurant's well-known rapid-fire order and fulfillment system effectively ground to a halt after server Mai Lin, 57, was unable to make sense of Johnston's instruction.

"All I ever wanted was a meal with no rice on it, and the lady just stood there like a deer in the headlights, unable to process the information," said Johnston. "It was most bizarre, really."

The impasse at the ordering line lasted nearly five minutes before restaurant manager Xiaogong Han intervened and relieved Lin of her duty, quelling a mounting unrest among regular patrons waiting to be served.

"Mai has been working at the Empire Bowl for nearly 15 years and not once during that time did anyone ask her to hold the rice," an apologetic Han told patrons. "Please forgive her. She is very routine-oriented. The rice always has to go somewhere, in her mind. She is set in her rice-serving ways."

As a gesture of good will, Han gave away free spring rolls to everyone waiting in line and promised to train Lin to be better at adapting to changing circumstances.

"She is one of our best employees, the only one in fact who could assemble a meal in less than 3 seconds," said Han. "I'm not going to give up on her."