Speedy but not rushed, perfectly choreographed. The essence of mega-city can be witnessed from a 5-year old to a 85-year old in this highly-urbanized city. There is no other place like Hong Kong, a hustling and bustling city of 7 million, fitted in four main areas with the entire territory smaller than Rhode Island, the smallest State in the US. It is 421 square miles, six times larger than Washington D.C., according to the Encyclopedia of the Nations and the US Department of State websites.
As for diversity, I suppose you can interpret that in many ways. While Hong Kong's population is 95% Chinese, her official languages are Cantonese and English. English is widely understood and spoken by more than one-third of the population. Without a major language barrier, it attracts tourists and residents from all over the world; hence, the birth of diversity and hopefully, tolerance. Not having any meaningful experience living in Hong Kong under the current political environment, I cannot intelligently discuss its political and social diversity here. I can, however, share a slice of the "Diversity Pie" through photos.
Hong Kong's official name is now HKSAR, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since her return to Mainland China in 1997.
Congratulations! You've just won a free trip to Hong Kong!
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| Eye candies! No shortages of luxury flagship stores in Central District, where I would take the Travelator to my parents' house on Robinson Road. |
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| Gwyneth looking good on the windows of the Coach flagship store |
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| Harvey Nichols, an upscale London-based department store, opened its 83,000 sq ft flagship in Hong Kong |
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| Across the street from Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo is the open market where we frequent for fresh meat, fruit and vegetables |
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| "Ding ding ding ding" The sound of the electric tramway. I used to take the tram to school during my elementary school years. Available only on the HKG Island. |
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| Pre-rush hour at a the Jordan MTR Station. MTR stands for Mass Transit Railway, a rapid transit railway system in the Hong Kong territory. Extremely convenient, fast, clean, and economical, its routes cover every corner of the Hong Kong territory. I got around primarily using this railway system. |
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| Flower Market Road An entire block dedicated to gardening supplies, plants, flowers, bonsai, etc. Primarily wholesale businesses but plenty of retail stalls catering to the green and not-so-green thumbs. |
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| Gorgeous Double Phalaenopsis orchids lined the street. HK $100 for 3; that's US $12 for 3! So much prettier than the ones sold at QFC. I wanted to smuggle some back... |
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| The highly acclaimed Australia Dairy Co., an unassuming "cha cheng teng", which loosely translated to "tea restaurant". Every Hong Kong foodie knows this place. It is frequented by locals and tourists alike. Google it and you'll find numerous references, so I won't bother. The line is always 20 people deep, but during breakfast and afternoon tea, expect 40-50. The line moves in lightning speed though. You'll be done in 10 minutes, top 15, from waiting, being seated, ordering, eating, to paying. No joke. |
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| One of Australia Dairy's specialty is Steamed Egg Custard, It is fresh eggs mixed with milk or cream, lightly sweetened with sugar, and has a heavenly and velvety texture. Judging by the cold case, it must sell a lot of steamed egg custard per day. |
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| Menus are all posted on the wall. Set menus for breaky, lunch, and all-day-snacks are all under four bucks. |
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| Typical cha-cheng-teng breakfast: Buttered toasts, fried eggs any style you like, and elbow macaroni in clear chicken broth and julienned ham. Set meals include coffee or tea under four bucks. Seriously good eats. |
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| Simplify, simplify, simplify This is the bill. Pay this amount at the door and don't let the door hit you on your way out. NEXT! |
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| Does this bother you? Fish simply does not get any fresher than this. |
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| Pick any one you want |
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| Fresh squid. Yum! |
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| Move over, Foster Farms. My chickens don't come in a plastic bag... |
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| So many varieties of dark greens to pick from! More than just kale and Swiss chards. |
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| Classic snack called Cheong Fun. "Fun" is rice noodles, as in the ubiquitous "chow fun". "Cheong fun" is a small sheet of rice noodle, rolled up into a thin log, and cut into bite size pieces. Typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack. Condiments may include any or all of the following: Soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter sauce, hoisin sauce, and if you'd like, chili paste. It is a classic "must have". |
The shop owner was making a plate of cheong fun, asking if we wanted hoisin sauce and peanut butter sauce, to which my sister replied, "yes, but no chili sauce." "Seasame seeds?" "Yes."
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| These aren't Chinatown wontons! These are the real deal. Made exclusively of whole shrimps. No pork mixed in the filling. The shrimps are so fresh they are crunchy. |
For wontons to be considered marginally acceptable, the noodles and the wontons must not be gummy. The stock must be clear, flavorful but not muddy. The stock is simmered with a specific kind of fish, pork bones - and I don't know what else - to achieve a clean but specific, je ne sais quoi, flavor.
Real wontons, by far, are one of the few things I miss about Hong Kong. There is simply no replicate or substitute anywhere in the world.
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| Dude is making our wonton noodles. See the yellow rounds stacked up on the shelf at the back? Those are FRESH egg noodles. A wonton shop can never use dry noodles or it will go bust in 3 days. |
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Congee with fresh fish - it is a kind of fresh water fish that has a very sweet flesh, but I don't know the name. This congee shop specializes in this fish only, but you can order your congee with any part of the fish - from the cheeks to the tail tothe fins or the bones. |
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| Congee shops typically serve Chinese long donuts with scalding hot congee. Don't bother asking for an Old Fashioned donut here. It's not that kind of donut shop. |
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| Gold Fish Road An entire block dedicated to aquarium and aquatics supplies, featuring fresh water and salt water fish, amphibians, reptiles, feed, drift wood, hardware, etc. Don't worry. My congee pictured above did not feature gold fish... |
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| A tank with beautiful salt water fish |
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| This is a soup made with yet another fresh water fish, cooked with papaya and white (daikon) radishes. It is a Shanghainese cuisine. I have never tasted fish soup this good. There was no hint of fishiness whatsoever. If you can't stand the look of the whole fish on the plate, sorry dude. You're missing out. |
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| A dessert shop specializes in sweet soup. Life is grand! Clockwise from the top: * Oat and peanut sweet soup * Glutinous rice dumplings filled with sweetened black sesame paste (like tahini, only better!) and topped with chopped peanuts * "Tofu Flower" - an extremely velvety extra soft tofu, sprinkled with red sugar * Purple rice sweet soup with a dash of coconut milk |
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| Petite Eggos Similar to a waffle but the batter is a little sweeter and has more eggs. Tear apart and share, or eat them all by yourself! Unlike waffles, these are eaten plain. A childhood favorite! |
The process is similar to waffle making. Pour batter evenly in the pan, and wait patiently!
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| Chestnuts roasting in black, coarse sand over open fire. The aroma is incredible. A very popular snack prepared by - who else - street vendors! |
Every so often, chestnuts are turned with a big shovel (see video below) and the aroma is intoxicating as well as mysterious. You may have seen a version of this in front of the Seattle Uwajimaya. Out of extreme curiosity or desperation, you may opt to buy a buck or two of roasted chestnuts. Be forewarned, just like the wonton noodles we find in Seattle, they aren't the real deal...
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| You would typically find these snacks at the same street stall as the roasted chestnuts. They are dry roasted yams or sweet potatoes; chicken and quail eggs baked in hot, coarse salt. Also popular snacks in Hong Kong sold by street vendors. |
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| Other goodies include roasted walnuts and ginkgo nuts |
I can't eat anymore! So we headed back to my sister and brother-in-law's flat in Jordan for some rest. A beautiful Sunday with cricket games going on in the Cricket Club downstairs.
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| Overlooking the Kowloon Cricket Club from my bedroom. If I were a Cricket fan, I would have had the best seat in the house. But instead, I enjoyed the cheers and bazookas from below all weekend long. |
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| Sunrise at Carmen's Garden Jordan, Kowloon |
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