Hong Kong: Chapter 6 - "Mixing the Old with the New"

I have always called Hong Kong a Mega-City until an old friend corrected that it is actually a Jungle.  I couldn't agree more, with no disrespect intended.  Here is more of the Hong Kong Jungle experience.  The old coexists with the new, whether it is architecture, cuisine, fashion, entertainment.  East meets west at its best. 


(Click on photos to enlarge)

Bank of China, night image
Central, Hong Kong

Bank of China, day time image
Central, Hong Kong

The main Bank of China in Central District. Below is Chater Garden, where folks practice Tai Chi in the morning.  

Tai Chi class in session, although it looks
a bit like the Macarena gone bad...
I was here on Tues, Thurs, and Sat morning 
with this crowd.  

I went to my first Chinese Opera, "A Handful of Snow", the name of a precious and valuable jade vase.  I had no exposure to Chinese operas when I was growing up. All I knew about the operas are the clanking noise of cacophony and annoying singing. I never thought I would enjoy it so much, so I went to another performance a week later.  Perhaps it was the appreciation for the performers' years of learning and practice, all for the sheer love of this disappearing art.  The saying "a minute on the stage is ten years in the practice" holds the absolute truth.  The story line was poetic with literary depth.  The acting and dialogues were humorous.  The singing was artistic.  I was so glad to have been exposed to this ancient art and culture.  

"A Handful of Snow" 

A story of love, honor, power, deceit, greed, and loyalty - I suppose soap opera story lines have been around for centuries! 

The curtain was pulled during intermission.
The character reads Swallow, with the
image of the two passerine birds

Photos are not allowed in the theatre, 
although I stole couple without the flash 

  

I was surprised to find the small orchestra section below the stage, providing the rich sound it produces.   

The tourist spot of all tourist spots...
Stanley Market 

You don't typically see a Starbucks
next to a McDonald's in the States,
but competitions are fierce and
it is a different monster in HKG

Looking out from the Blake Pier in Stanley
A beautiful day!

Another view from the Blake Pier in Stanley

Craving for something familiar...
Ham and swiss on whole wheat, and
chicken breast on whole wheat  

Freshly baked on the premise!
Brownies, blondies, cupcakes,
oatmeal raisin cookies, pound cakes...
This could be a bakery in Seattle.

The sundial at the courtyard of the HKUST

I went to visit my sister at her workplace, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, located at the beautiful Clear Water Bay.  While there, I caught a free piano recital and chatted with the performer for half an hour.  Can't beat free concerts!  


The HKUST is one of seven universities in Hong Kong, and enjoys a great reputation in many subjects.  The joint Kellogg-HKUST EMBA Program boasts #1 world ranking by Financial Times in 2009 and 2010.   

Overlooking part of the HKUST campus 
Not a bad office environment!

An organic community garden right in the center
of the campus courtyard.  It is tended by the
university staff and faculty

A four-story pawn shop  that's
been in business since 1940.
Found in the middle of
Central District.  

Uh oh...  Ronald got beat up by the Mouthless Cat.
You're so fired, MEOW!

Cheap souvenirs everywhere

Burn your incense and oil here for some good fortune

Burn enough incense or oil and you just may get
one of these.  Would be funny if the
Rolls-Royce showroom were located next to
the pawn shop...  

This is one of my favorite pictures:
the old with the new; the east with the west.  

A jazz band performing in the IFC Mall

Shopping for a new outfit for work...which one of these two?  

Hong Kong: Chapter 5 - "(ex)Governor Patten versus Tsui Wah"

Left:  Tai Cheong's tart, otherwise known as ex-Governor's fav
Right:  Tsui Wah's tart, otherwise known as Leung family's fav

I know what you're asking.  "Who's (ex)governor Patten?"  Well, he was the British dude who went buh-bye as the governor of Hong Kong on June 30, 1997, when Hong Kong returned to PRC on July 1, 1997.  

Then who's Tsui Wah?  Tsui Wah is not a who; it is a what.  It's a restaurant that boasts delectable Hong Kong style bread and baked goods, among other items. Locals flock to its branches during lunch hours.  Being a "local" that I claim to be, I, too, visited Tsui Wah at lunch during my first week in Hong Kong, and visited frequently for breakfast and afternoon tea.  I stood in line, ordered quickly, accurately, and refrained from asking dumb questions such as "what is in a custard bun?"  I graduated from "Clueless Tourist" to "Local Tourist" status rather effortlessly.

So what does (ex)Governor Patten have anything to do with Tsui Wah?  Well, he doesn't.  However, Sir Patten apparently made it known that he loved egg tarts from a bakery called Tai Cheong, Tsui Wah's competitor.  One thing led to another, Tai Cheong's popularity soared and it opened new shops one after another, thanks to its egg tarts.  I likened that effect to a product having appeared on a daytime talkshow episode such as "Oprah's Favorite Things". 

Tai Cheong Bakery
Sir Patten's favorite

Tsui Wah Restaurant

Having uncovered this story 

from my family, naturally 

my next step is an 

Egg Tart Taste Test:  

"Tai Cheong vs. Tsui Wah." 

I announced my project to my mom, who gladly supported and assisted my ambition. I  showed up around 3 o'clock, the customary time egg tarts rear their heads from the oven and enter little pastry bags or boxes for customers, in time for afternoon tea.  The sweet, vanilla-y fresh aroma at the bakeries was incredible.  If only I could bottle it.  Customers were buying four at a time; or half a dozen; or a dozen. And they would say, "four tarts", sans the word "egg".  It's understood - you wouldn't buy other tarts when egg tarts come out of the oven, I guess.  I listened and followed smartly, "one tart, please"...  How embarrassing.  The shopkeeper muttered, "ONE tart?"  "Yes, m'mam, and thank you."  I paid the five bucks (about US 70 cents) obediently and politely, exiting and rushing home to sink my teeth into the soft, velvety custard and the flaky crusts before they steamed up.

"Tai Cheong versus Tsui Wah," I proudly announced to my dad, who then of course repeated the associated history and testimony which mom already educated me.  I listened mindlessly while fumbling around for couple plates and my camera.  "Hurry before they cool down..." 

Authentic, traditional egg tarts should have a laminated crust that is dry and flaky. Neither soggy nor greasy.  The custard should be soft but not runny; never hard or gelatinous.  It should taste creamy and sweet with vanilla.

As I sank my teeth in the tarts, I regretted not buying at least a dozen or two from each bakery.  I could have tarts for dinner - they have plenty of protein.  This must have been one of the best taste tests I created for myself.  

Tsui Wah vs. ex-Governor Patten...  

Tsui Wah's crust was dry and flaky - just what I would associate with good egg tarts.  The crust did not taste buttery - butter was not undesirable, of course, but it is not a traditional or authentic egg tart taste.  Similar to making a pie crust, I imagine an important ingredient to achieve the flakiness was either shortening or lard, a customary ingredient in the old days, but I cannot be sure.   The custard was smooth and velvety.  Deliciously vanilla, but not excessively sweet.  

I cleansed my palate with some strong tea.  Next up, Sir Patten's favorite. 

I tasted what resembled a fine shortbread crumb crust.  Nice and buttery.   The crust crumbled slightly as I bit into it.  The crumbs mixed nicely with the custard, with a taste of of fresh eggs and milk.  The custard was also slightly sweeter than the other contender, so it complemented the buttery crust nicely. 

In the end, I have to agree with ex-Govenor Sir Patten that Tai Cheong has a damn good egg tart.  It suited my taste because I happened to believe butter makes everything tastes better.  I don't know whether what I ate was made with real butter.  Not surprisingly, my sister, brother, and my parents all prefer Tsui Wah - they all have a more authentic palate than I do.  

Well, perhaps I will go back to Tai Cheong before I leave and take a photo with the newspaper clip of the ex-governor singing its egg tarts praises.  I suppose I have the same good taste with Sir Patten when it comes to tarts.   

Good job, Daisy, you're doing great. 

The hills are alive...with the Sound of Music...

My trip to Hong Kong makes me appreciate my parents enormously.  Among many things, it was (and is) their love for classical music; hence, our exposure to it since we were born. 

Before my siblings and I began our piano lessons, we were conditioned to dad's regular violin practices.  In time, the four of us branched out to a different musical instrument of our choice.  


My sister started with the piano then moved on to the cello; my brother Tim plays the erhu, a quintessential versatile double-string Chinese instrument equivalent to the violin in a philharmonic.  My other brother plays the violin.  I stick with the piano. None of us became professional musicians.  What we have become, thanks to our parents and our training, are  individuals who understand and appreciate the value of hard work and discipline.  And because of our parents' love for music, we speak and appreciate this timeless language that requires no spoken words.  As I mature and become more interested in self-reflection, I begin to realize just how critical my training in classical music shaped me through the years, and how it continues to impact my perspectives of what's around me.  

As much as I love authentic wonton noodles, it is the affordable, world-class concerts I treasure most about my visit to Hong Kong. It is not exaggerating to call Hong Kong the cultural mecca.  During my short visit, I attended a piano recital, two Chinese operas, and the Metropolitan Trio featuring two Chinese string instruments and a piano, all within two short weeks.  I begin to recall what the energy feels like during a live performance.  I love feeling the magnetic energy while the performers interact with the audience.  I wanted badly to attend a concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic, but my schedule does not work.  My brother Tim will be performing at a concert, a tribute to his former teacher, as a former member of the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra; regrettably, I will miss his performance, too.  

I am grateful for my music training which taught me the value of discipline and delayed gratification.  I find myself comparing learning a new skill to practicing scales.  Scales are downright unsexy and unexciting but critical to build a good technical foundation.  As for delayed gratification, my parents did not allow short cuts. There was no cheating and labeling of notes and fingers on the music score. I didn't play any "dumbed down version of Fur Elise".  I learned to sight-read.  I learned to count.  I learned music theory.  About composers and their respective periods and styles. And musical terms in Italian so I understand how to interpret the pieces and make them my own.  I learned the hard and long way, note by note, thanks to my parents.  It took time and efforts and it eventually became a form of delayed gratification to which I simply grew accustomed.

Above all, the early years of music training and exposure eventually leads to music appreciation, which brings gratitude to not only the composers and the performers but my abilities to hear, enjoy, interpret, and express.  Most of us take our ability to hear for granted.  I do.  Since I have a personal belief that gratitude is the engine for humanity, perhaps you can understand why I think music is so important to my world of humanity.

May you find what rocks your world, the equivalence of Chopin and Julie Andrews of mine. 

Hong Kong: Chapter 4 - "Capturing the Essence"

In my mind, the spirit of Hong Kong can be described in two words: Speed and Diversity.  

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! 

Eye candies!
No shortages of luxury flagship stores
in Central District, where I would take the
Travelator to my parents' house on Robinson Road.  

Gwyneth looking good on the windows of
the Coach flagship store

Harvey Nichols, an upscale London-based department store,
opened its 83,000 sq ft flagship in Hong Kong

Across the street from Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo
is the open market where we frequent for
fresh meat, fruit and vegetables 

"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.

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.  

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.

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...  

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.

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.   

Menus are all posted on the wall.
Set menus for breaky, lunch, and
all-day-snacks are
all under four bucks. 

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. 

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!

Does this bother you?
Fish simply does not get any fresher than this.

Pick any one you want

Fresh squid.  Yum! 

Move over, Foster Farms.
My chickens don't come in a plastic bag...

So many varieties of dark greens to pick from!
More than just kale and Swiss chards.  

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." 

  

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.         

Every good wonton shop has its own secret recipe for the stock and wontons - just like any BBQ joint has its own BBQ sauce.   Always egg noodles; always al dente, almost on the "crunchy" side. 

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.

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. 

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.  

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.

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... 

A tank with beautiful salt water fish 

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.  

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

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!

When I was a kid, I used to buy these petite eggos at street vendors.  Now that I am a germ-freak, I have graduated to buying these at a bakery... She is wrapping up my petite eggos waffle as I watched her like a hawk.  

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...  

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.

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.   

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.

Sunrise at Carmen's Garden
Jordan, Kowloon