Hong Kong: Chapter 7 - "Grande Finale"

All meals were enjoyed with great enthusiasm and gastronomic satisfaction.  30 days went by quickly and happily.  

Much as I loathe Facebook for being so much of the Big Brother, I secretly kissed it for making it so easy to reconnect with my old friends.  I'm talking about friends I have known for 20, 30, or even 40+ years.  I hear this statement a lot - "the more we change, the more we stay the same."  What do you think it means?  

Old friends found.  New friends made.  Great conversations.  Lovely family times. Priceless experience.  

The Grande Adventure #3 enjoyed its grande finale in Hong Kong.  I love you, mom and dad! 

My new friend Siu Fa "Little Flower",
a silver Tabby, insisted that I
pet her head while I visited with
my friend Terry.

I have known Terry (next to me), now a pediatrician, 
since we were toddlers.  Her parents, seated alternately next to mine,
have been friends with my parents for over half a decade.
Our parents met and played in an orchestra.
The two siblings sitting next to my mom are another
set of childhood friends.

Childhood friends are precious and priceless.  You never get tired of telling old stories over and over, and they are still funny.  There is no need to be pretentious as we have known each other our whole lives.  Six parents, ten children.  Camping and fishing every summer at my dad's school in some timbuktu remote fishing island. Those days were so simple and innocent.  

Terry's brother, who is the same age
as my second brother and one of the
smartest in the group, is now a 
very successful physician.  He was also 
one of the brains behind all mischief... 

Terry's mom, whom my siblings and I have always
addressed as "Auntie Chu", called me
Tapioca, or "Sai Mai", when I was little.

My lovely niece made us delightful
steamed custard for dessert.

Looked professional and tasted delicious!  

I wished there were extra so I could have two...

Terry's flat on the 28th floor has a magnificent view that overlooks the Shatin race course and miles of blinking lights.  The breeze was nice and crisp when I visited, but I could image what the wind might sound like during a storm!  

Debbie carefully measuring the liquid ingredients

Beautifully braided raisin bread!

Back at the ranch, I was showing my sister Debbie how to braid bread.  

You would likely get gross out if I tell you
what's in the boxes... Let me give
you a clue:  they are cold blooded
and they slither around with a forked tongue.
Yup, that's what I thought.  You just went
"eeeewwwwwwww..."

Snake soup is complex and time consuming to make, but has extremely high protein and nutritional value.  It has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine to cure muscles and joint ailments.  The more poisonous the snakes, the better.  Obviously, you do not use any venom and you wouldn't want to get any in you... 

The stock is made with an old chicken (more flavor) and snake carcasses, simmer for hours.  Similar to making turkey stock after Thanksgiving.  Chicken and snakes are deboned carefully, then the meats are shredded.  Snake bones are extremely hard and indigestible, thus extreme caution is required when deboning.  The meats are then added back to the stock to finish up with other ingredients such as wood ears and (I believe) Chinese mushrooms.

For god's sake!
Stop your eeewww-ing already!

Proper way to enjoy snake soup is with finely shredded lemon leaves (left), sometimes white chrysanthemum pedals (absent), and a very specific kind of crunchies (right).  


Note the long snake meat on the left, in the middle of the bowl.  




NOW, you may eeeewwwwww. 

Dad "McGyver" is a "snake king".  He and mom had hosted snake soup feasts many times.  And yes, dad also knows how to catch them if he must.  My fond memory included a party where they invited about 20 of my mom's coworkers to our house. Each rolled up the sleeves and helped with the preparation.  No doubt, each had to take a course on "how to carefully debone snakes and chickens", taught by my dad. You do not want to swallow a piece of snake bone by mistake.  

I did not pick up any of these skills from my dad, no.  I will just stick with the much tamer bread baking, thank you.  Survival skills are not part of my strongest suit, unfortunately.

Jane and Iris, the sisters whom I have known since my 20's, are as gorgeous as ever. How did our husbands get so lucky? 

Who would have guessed
I am a kids magnet...  Seriously.  

I love ducks. I love eating them even more.  Especially roast ducks, Chinese style, wrapped in a tiny bun or a wrap with a little bit of sauce and crunchy cucumber.  It would make it to my Top Ten. 

I could not think of a better time to have one of my favorite dishes at one of my favorite gatherings - with my beloved family!  

Arriving at the airport way early to beat
the crowd.  I heart flying on Cathay Pacific. 

The grande adventure has quickly come to an end in Hong Kong.  I am returning to the States via San Francisco to visit some old friends for several days.  

Mom and dad still looking great, again.

A friend said I look like a celebrity
on my way to a world tour,
waving good-byes to my fans...

Still waving good-byes to my fans...

And again...

Plane taking off from the runway
Bye-bye, Hong Kong!

Finally.  Daisy has left the building...