You’ll have to excuse my brief departure into much dorkier blogging, but I can’t help myself…and you know me, you should have expected this all along. I’ve got PR on the brain 24/7 and my favorite topics are those related to health, crisis and general humorous corporate flubs. I’m also more or less obsessed with all-things Hong Kong. So here comes your quick lessons and updates about cool PR happenings in HK that I’d like to share with you – because I think they’re interesting, I think you’ll think they’re interesting, and because as much as I can entertain you with silly stories about my life here, I’m supposed to be achieving professional growth during these two months…so settle in for some stimulating discussion…
SWINE FLU
I can’t disclose any details about the operations of the Hong Kong Tourism Board – but obviously, swine flu is a crisis for the Hong Kong tourism industry (and virtually that of all other countries) and so it is up to my office to navigate this crisis in terms of its effect on tourism. What’s interesting is how history and politics, rather than factual information and official communications, are influencing a lot of perceptions and actions both inside and outside of Hong Kong.
History –
In Hong Kong, there exists a heightened sensitivity to the dynamics of health pandemics because of the outbreak of SARS in 2003, which infected more than 8,000 people and resulted in more than 800 deaths. Since that devastating event, the people of Hong Kong have been waiting for the “next-SARS” to hit, and many believed that swine flu would be it. Interestingly, this fear has seemed to ebb greatly from its initial intensity and scope – perhaps because even though increasing numbers of domestic cases are being reported, schools are closing and public sanitation measures have been intensified, overall business is continuing as usual; now that swine flu is finally here in Hong Kong, people are able to see that this is nothing like the SARS epidemic six years ago. The fear was about not knowing what H1N1 would be like on HK soil.
SARS left people of Hong Kong fearful of susceptibility because it has since shaped their risk perception. Risk perception is such an interesting element of health and crisis communication and is a real challenge for campaign leaders and communication professionals to work with. How do individuals or large groups of people gauge their risk for exposure and infection? It’s not just facts and data – it’s informed by personal experience and beliefs. How do communications teams effectively convey the nature of risk and explain who is at risk and who isn’t, so that at-risk populations take action to protect themselves? Sometimes messages don’t get through, aren’t fully understood, or are ignored altogether.
If you compare the general population of HK to that of America, Hong Kongers have a much higher perceived risk of swine flu infection – they are much more likely to believe that they will fall victim to health epidemics in general. Americans, however, are much less likely to believe they are susceptible to swine flu, even when they are advised to take precautionary measures against it. In general, Americans have a particularly low risk perception for any number of risky behaviors – including tobacco, alcohol and drug use and unprotected sex.
Interpretation of information and story-telling also differs from society to society, and has an impact on risk perception. For swine flu, we see Americans valuing certain items of information over others and interpreting data differently than Hong Kongers. A popular “story” in America is that swine flu has a much lower mortality rate than the regular seasonal flu and those who have died from swine flu had preexisting conditions or compromised immune systems prior to contracting it. This story is less prevalent in Hong Kong society; here the focus is on the rapid rate of global infection. The facts present in both stories are accurate, but swine flu is understood as a pest in America and as a monster in Hong Kong.
Media also plays an important role in this. American media gave swine flu its five minutes and have since moved on - going from a period of heavy coverage with a bleak outlook when the outbreaks were first reported, to more moderate and neutral coverage of swine flu…simple updates rather than stories. Hong Kong media has continued to have swine flu as front page and headline news – perhaps because it is what the people of Hong Kong are concerned about (yes, in countries other than America sometimes the people set the media agenda rather than the other way around) or perhaps to conveniently take some heat away from the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square on June 4th and the HK handover anniversary on July 1st which is usually punctuated with rallies and protests for democratic rule in Hong Kong.
Politics –
While Hong Kong is a part of China, it operates somewhat independently under the “One Country, Two Systems” rule. Particular to tourism, we’re seeing a confusion among potential visitors of whether or not HK is operating in the same way as China is to contain and manage the swine flu crisis. Tourists entering China are greeted on their airplane by Chinese health officials wearing hazmat suits and taking temperatures before passengers are allowed to deplane; symptomatic visitors are held in quarantine. These measures are not in place in Hong Kong – but the tourism industry is in crisis because many people are canceling trips to Hong Kong out of fear that once they arrive, they will be treated with hostility and possibly thrown into quarantine. Hong Kong officials did quarantine a group in The Metropark Hotel in early May, but are no longer taking that measure. Unfortunately, between strict public health measures in China and the publicity of the Metropark quarantine in Hong Kong, many tourists don’t fully understand what they may experience when they visit Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong government and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have been trying to respectfully clear up any misunderstandings about procedures in China versus procedures in Hong Kong. In terms of visitor relations, the HKTB in conjunction with the government, prepared and is now disseminating talking points and key messages regarding this issue, as well as comprehensive FAQs addressing international travel and swine flu concerns. They are working to best inform the public of the situation in Hong Kong. The HKTB is also persistent in its local, Chinese and international news monitoring, to track the intensity of issues surrounding swine flu, assess perceptions of HK tourism and to then adjust messaging accordingly – an essential crisis management tactic.
The government has recently adjusted its messaging in the hopes to change the tone of the swine flu situation in Hong Kong. Messaging has shifted from prevention and warnings specific to swine flu to helpful tips and reminders for staying healthy in general, without explicitly mentioning swine flu. There is an emphasis on hand-washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and being careful to not spread germs. There has also been a massive movement of sanitation workers into offices and public places, to disinfect surfaces every 30 minutes, hour, three hours, etc – the posted signs inform you how often sterilization occurs. The government is hoping that by spreading the message of “business as usual” supported by general, soft initiatives to promote Hong Kong as safe and healthy, tourism will pick up again.
Hong Kong Disneyland -
(If you stuck with me through all that – here’s your reward: Disneyland!)
What saddens me about Hong Kong Disneyland is the same thing I love about it: they just can’t seem to get anything right; it’s almost endearing.
They built the park much too small, severely underestimated Chinese tourists’ desire for rides and thrills over photo opportunities, severely overestimated character familiarity among mainland tourists, served controversial shark fin soup, and initiated a marketing campaign in China depicting a happy family of four (mom, dad, two kids) where, by law, Chinese parents can only have one child. Every year since it opened (2005) the park has lost money and has never reached targeted visitorship figures. Hong Kong Disneyland is sadly, not the happiest place on earth…it’s a pretty big failure.
So just leave it to Hong Kong Disneyland to do something so astronomically off the mark, again. HKD realized a golden “market opportunity” from the mass closures of schools due to swine flu outbreaks in Hong Kong. Disney reduced its admission prices and initiated special promotions to kids and their parents…if kids couldn’t go to school, they should go to Disneyland!
WHAT?
I can imagine I’m a mom in Hong Kong, my kid is sent home from school because of fears of a massive swine flu outbreak, and the last place I’d want to take my child to is a theme park where she (yes, my hypothetical child is a girl) will put her hands and mouth and boogers and germs all over the rides and seats and railings and, not to mention, those huggable loveable life-size characters (who also may have swine flu!) that one thousand other germy, too-susceptible-to-swine-flu-to-stay-in-school kids have touched and drooled on and boogerified as well. Hundreds of families blissfully dashing off for a lovely day at Disneyland during the swine flu outbreak…c’mon Disney!
Not only was this promotion a terrific failure, it also greatly offended many people who are, understandably, taking swine flu seriously and don’t believe that Disney should attempt to capitalize on school closures and health crises.
What may be next for Hong Kong Disneyland? At this rate, they’ll probably use Sneezy dwarf as the main character in their next big swine flu spectacular promotion.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Got to be Startin Something
As the King of Pop leaves this world, the beat goes on in Hong Kong....
So we found a bar in Lan Kwai Fong with a jukebox and MJ’s greatest hits. We danced for hours – much to the delight and horror of some bar patrons – in our tribute to the King. We made toasts and made memories and made fools of ourselves living up to our American reputation. We even perused the selection of DVDs for sale from an old woman’s backpack in a dark corner of the bar.
That night I realized that Michael Jackson and Hong Kong actually have a lot in common. Both are totally over the top, completely commercialized, extraordinarily entertaining and driven to push the envelope on what’s normal in pop culture. Both have the ability to dazzle, inspire and totally boggle all at once. MJ has his Neverland Ranch and I have HK, my own little fantasy world. At the end of the day, it’s been special to be here…maybe there was no better or more unique place to celebrate his life.
Every once in a while, something will happen that causes me to really miss America. I find myself yearning for the land of the free and home of the brave any time I must use a “squatty potty” or on the days when I get poked in the face and have my hair snagged in the perpetual sea of umbrellas. Whenever I crave the elusive salad or see someone playing with a dog, or when the LA Lakers won the championship or when I had to frantically search Google news for updates about the Metro line crash in DC. Even when people shout at Dominic – “Obama! We love you!”
And yes, most recently and somewhat strangely, the news of Michael Jackson’s death made me feel isolated here and I wished for the comfort of family and friends and American pop culture. I found out at 6:00am on Friday morning when I woke up for class and checked twitter, specifically my friend Janai’s tweet, which lead to subsequent maniacal scrolling and clicking through CNN and LA Times tweets. (Somewhere Jillian is giving me the “I told you twitter is useful!” look; sorry I doubted its power for so long)
It seemed unfathomable that this all happened in America while I was sleeping, a world away. I did nothing short of blurt out the news to my classmates as soon as we met for class an hour later – and the shock that set in was quickly replaced by annoyance at being “stuck” in Asia to hear this news, while no doubt this was an earth-shattering event back home. We wanted to talk about it, know all the details, watch the news and read the headlines, listen to his music and hear his name being said on the street. I walked into my office and no one mentioned it, no one was in shock or was speculating what happened, no one was humming Billy Jean.
To say we’re disconnected from America is absurd, but when I emailed my family and friends to get more information and had to wait almost 12 hours because of the time difference to get a response, I felt completely cut off from American civilization. Feeling ever more marooned at the office – I couldn’t check news sites or go on YouTube or Facebook or twitter until I got home from work that evening.
I missed America. I was jealous of the sensational job the American media would do to inundate with pictures and music and stories of MJ. I wanted to hear it from Ryan Seacrest and watch it on CNN and MTV. I wanted to see the chopper feed over the hospital. I wanted to listen to the broadcast of the 911 phone call. I wanted to hold the front page of the LA Times and collect the issue of People Magazine. I wanted to be in LA when it happened – I wanted to see the people in their old school Michael Jackson concert t-shirts and hand-made posters carrying teddy-bears and flowers to the hospital. I wanted to watch the countless TV specials and photo montages and tributes to MJ, that would tastefully gloss over certain indiscretions and help us remember him as the King of Pop and the original American Idol. I wanted to laugh and cry and reminisce about Free Willy and dance to Thriller. I wanted an excuse to eat Yogurtland.
After a full day of itching to be somewhere else, my classmates and I came back together after work on Friday evening and decided to go out for a night on the town in memorial to MJ. The theme was, appropriately, “flashy and dancing.” We started on the Kowloon waterfront to watch the Symphony of Lights – the world’s largest permanent light and sound show (according to Guinness World Records/The Hong Kong Tourism Board) that involves 44 buildings along the Hong Kong Island skyline facing Victoria Harbour and Kowloon. Colored lights and laser beams on the buildings dance along to music and narration every night at 8:00pm in Hong Kong.
As the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours” (this is especially so in Hong Kong) – Michael Jackson’s death also coincided with the raising of the Typhoon Warning Signal to Level Three, serious enough to suspend the show for that night. For a show that plays every night in Hong Kong, we managed to choose the one night it was canceled. Although it was a bit of a disappointment, we still have many more nights to see the show before we leave HK, and the view of the Hong Kong Island skyline was awesome, even without all the added choreographed pyrotechnics and music.
No wonder they call it the “million dollar skyline” ...
And yes, most recently and somewhat strangely, the news of Michael Jackson’s death made me feel isolated here and I wished for the comfort of family and friends and American pop culture. I found out at 6:00am on Friday morning when I woke up for class and checked twitter, specifically my friend Janai’s tweet, which lead to subsequent maniacal scrolling and clicking through CNN and LA Times tweets. (Somewhere Jillian is giving me the “I told you twitter is useful!” look; sorry I doubted its power for so long)
It seemed unfathomable that this all happened in America while I was sleeping, a world away. I did nothing short of blurt out the news to my classmates as soon as we met for class an hour later – and the shock that set in was quickly replaced by annoyance at being “stuck” in Asia to hear this news, while no doubt this was an earth-shattering event back home. We wanted to talk about it, know all the details, watch the news and read the headlines, listen to his music and hear his name being said on the street. I walked into my office and no one mentioned it, no one was in shock or was speculating what happened, no one was humming Billy Jean.
To say we’re disconnected from America is absurd, but when I emailed my family and friends to get more information and had to wait almost 12 hours because of the time difference to get a response, I felt completely cut off from American civilization. Feeling ever more marooned at the office – I couldn’t check news sites or go on YouTube or Facebook or twitter until I got home from work that evening.
I missed America. I was jealous of the sensational job the American media would do to inundate with pictures and music and stories of MJ. I wanted to hear it from Ryan Seacrest and watch it on CNN and MTV. I wanted to see the chopper feed over the hospital. I wanted to listen to the broadcast of the 911 phone call. I wanted to hold the front page of the LA Times and collect the issue of People Magazine. I wanted to be in LA when it happened – I wanted to see the people in their old school Michael Jackson concert t-shirts and hand-made posters carrying teddy-bears and flowers to the hospital. I wanted to watch the countless TV specials and photo montages and tributes to MJ, that would tastefully gloss over certain indiscretions and help us remember him as the King of Pop and the original American Idol. I wanted to laugh and cry and reminisce about Free Willy and dance to Thriller. I wanted an excuse to eat Yogurtland.
After a full day of itching to be somewhere else, my classmates and I came back together after work on Friday evening and decided to go out for a night on the town in memorial to MJ. The theme was, appropriately, “flashy and dancing.” We started on the Kowloon waterfront to watch the Symphony of Lights – the world’s largest permanent light and sound show (according to Guinness World Records/The Hong Kong Tourism Board) that involves 44 buildings along the Hong Kong Island skyline facing Victoria Harbour and Kowloon. Colored lights and laser beams on the buildings dance along to music and narration every night at 8:00pm in Hong Kong.
As the saying goes, “when it rains, it pours” (this is especially so in Hong Kong) – Michael Jackson’s death also coincided with the raising of the Typhoon Warning Signal to Level Three, serious enough to suspend the show for that night. For a show that plays every night in Hong Kong, we managed to choose the one night it was canceled. Although it was a bit of a disappointment, we still have many more nights to see the show before we leave HK, and the view of the Hong Kong Island skyline was awesome, even without all the added choreographed pyrotechnics and music.
No wonder they call it the “million dollar skyline” ...
So we found a bar in Lan Kwai Fong with a jukebox and MJ’s greatest hits. We danced for hours – much to the delight and horror of some bar patrons – in our tribute to the King. We made toasts and made memories and made fools of ourselves living up to our American reputation. We even perused the selection of DVDs for sale from an old woman’s backpack in a dark corner of the bar.
That night I realized that Michael Jackson and Hong Kong actually have a lot in common. Both are totally over the top, completely commercialized, extraordinarily entertaining and driven to push the envelope on what’s normal in pop culture. Both have the ability to dazzle, inspire and totally boggle all at once. MJ has his Neverland Ranch and I have HK, my own little fantasy world. At the end of the day, it’s been special to be here…maybe there was no better or more unique place to celebrate his life.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Little Triumphs and Big Victories
Time to brag about the all-star Hong Kong gang:
Seriously…this is what the end of the tie-breaking “chug-off” looked like – no one stood a chance against that guy.
--Irma’s magazine article about the anniversary of Tiananmen Square and the upcoming annual July 1st marches for democracy, titled: “Tears and Protests” is the featured cover story in the current issue of BC Magazine, the Hong Kong publication she writes for http://www.bcmagazine.net/
--Francesca is working for the AFP and has had several stories go out on the wire, including a news article about swine flu and school closures in Hong Kong (which circulated around the news feed at the HKTB!) It was not only on google news and yahoo news, but hundreds of other news outlets around the world http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5izGZTykz3pvkl1e78h7R0vq5TUxQ
--Adriana’s story about Cirque du Soleil’s 25th anniversary, written for TimeOut Magazine – HK is on the web at http://www.timeout.com.hk/macau/features/25262/cirque-du-soleils-25th-anniversary.html
--Mike, in addition to having an Asian-news-empire, ran a 10.5km race in Phuket, Thailand in under 1 ½ hours
--My personal victory occurred last week, when my Lactaid pills arrived in the mail from the USA and a shady sounding, but life-saving "E-Drugstore"
--And the biggest bragging rights of all go to “The Chinsters” – our trivia team, which after three weeks at Bulldogs, came back to win 2nd place in bar trivia. “The Chinsters” were actually tied for first place, but lost it all in “the chug-off” when the opposition downed a jumbo glass of beer in 5 seconds and not only took the winning title, but also took the title as one of the more amazing things I’ve witnessed…it was both gross and awe-inspiring at the same time…those are the memories that really stick with you. “The Chinsters” took home a $500 (HKD) gift card to Bulldogs, essentially a free round of drinks, which I know we will put to good use – and soon.
--Francesca is working for the AFP and has had several stories go out on the wire, including a news article about swine flu and school closures in Hong Kong (which circulated around the news feed at the HKTB!) It was not only on google news and yahoo news, but hundreds of other news outlets around the world http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5izGZTykz3pvkl1e78h7R0vq5TUxQ
--Adriana’s story about Cirque du Soleil’s 25th anniversary, written for TimeOut Magazine – HK is on the web at http://www.timeout.com.hk/macau/features/25262/cirque-du-soleils-25th-anniversary.html
--Mike, in addition to having an Asian-news-empire, ran a 10.5km race in Phuket, Thailand in under 1 ½ hours
--My personal victory occurred last week, when my Lactaid pills arrived in the mail from the USA and a shady sounding, but life-saving "E-Drugstore"
--And the biggest bragging rights of all go to “The Chinsters” – our trivia team, which after three weeks at Bulldogs, came back to win 2nd place in bar trivia. “The Chinsters” were actually tied for first place, but lost it all in “the chug-off” when the opposition downed a jumbo glass of beer in 5 seconds and not only took the winning title, but also took the title as one of the more amazing things I’ve witnessed…it was both gross and awe-inspiring at the same time…those are the memories that really stick with you. “The Chinsters” took home a $500 (HKD) gift card to Bulldogs, essentially a free round of drinks, which I know we will put to good use – and soon.
Seriously…this is what the end of the tie-breaking “chug-off” looked like – no one stood a chance against that guy.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Weekend: Lounge VIPs, Beachcombers, Art Enthusiasts, Tourists, City Slickers & Chowhounds
Friday night we went to the opening (and thus, the open bar) of Otto Lounge in Lan Kwai Fong – the trendy bar area for ex-pats in Hong Kong. We were on the list and were able to sit on a VIP couch even though we didn’t order bottle service…almost felt like back home in Los Angeles. We mildly abused our open-bar privileges, danced to techno-music and canto-pop, and then obviously ended the night with street food: grilled octopus skewers (your humble narrator may or may not have sustained a mouth injury from the pokey-end of the skewer). Saturday morning we all, by necessity, slept in late and then had big greasy breakfasts at the next-door You Me You Me Diner, an A’berg favorite.
Saturday afternoon we departed for Stanley, a popular beach town on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, approximately an hour trip by city bus. The bus ride to Stanley was very scenic, and a treat in itself. We wove first through the bustling city streets, and then over the steep and winding mountains, to finally emerge in the southern seas and bay beaches. Stanley is famous for its large marketplace, so that’s the first place we went to. It was a good mix of brand-name items, local crafts, and ticky-tacky souvenirs. I bought some small gifts for friends and a traditional tea set for myself. We then strolled along the waterfront promenade and had dim sum before heading back to our part of the island. We got back to North Point around 8pm and grabbed dinner from a nearby Dai Pai Dong (street stall): curry fish balls and brown noodles…greasy, spicy, dirty, delicious.
Saturday afternoon we departed for Stanley, a popular beach town on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, approximately an hour trip by city bus. The bus ride to Stanley was very scenic, and a treat in itself. We wove first through the bustling city streets, and then over the steep and winding mountains, to finally emerge in the southern seas and bay beaches. Stanley is famous for its large marketplace, so that’s the first place we went to. It was a good mix of brand-name items, local crafts, and ticky-tacky souvenirs. I bought some small gifts for friends and a traditional tea set for myself. We then strolled along the waterfront promenade and had dim sum before heading back to our part of the island. We got back to North Point around 8pm and grabbed dinner from a nearby Dai Pai Dong (street stall): curry fish balls and brown noodles…greasy, spicy, dirty, delicious.
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Stanley, southern HK Island
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Fun with hats at Stanley Market - Kevin and Francesca
Awkward family photo on the rocks - Irma, Francesca, Dominic, Adriana, CJ, Melinda
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Stanley Beach
Sunday’s scorching heat dictated the day’s activities. Dominic, Adriana, Melinda and I went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art where there was air conditioning, and a new exhibit: “Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation.” The exhibit was pretty interesting; artists such as Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse, and Richard Prince have designed patterns and pieces for the Louis Vuitton brand over the years, and these items as well as other works by several artists and vintage LV pieces were on display. The exhibit space was designed by famous US architect Frank Gehry. The rest of the museum had Chinese art and antiquities, which were also nice to view. My least favorite exhibit was the “emerging artists” exhibit which had things like giant pictures of Chinese action figures, photocopied and framed blank pages of library books, iron window grates and stuffed geese. Sometimes “art” just goes over my head. (Queen JBS would have something to say about this)
The HK Museum of Art is located on the Kowloon waterfront promenade and Avenue of the Stars (the HK version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame) and offers great views of Hong Kong Island across Victoria Harbour. We spent some time wandering around here, taking photos and being tourists and then spent the rest of the day just being in the city and enjoying its rhythm and flavor. We went to Mong Kok in Kowloon, a neighborhood with a lot of character, where we window shopped and got lost for an hour or so in a 12-story shopping mall. 
View of HK Island from Kowloon, across Victoria Harbour
Adriana, Me, Melinda on Avenue of the Stars/Waterfront Promenade
Bruce Lee
Dominic, inspired by Ave. of Stars
Mong Kok street scenes...everything I love about HK
We headed back to our side of HK for dinner with the rest of the group to enjoy a popular, local dish: spicy typhoon shelter crab. The chef bakes the crab under a mountain of garlic and chilies and ginger and – although I am partial to the Maryland Blue Crab – it is a taste sensation, really something special.
Another fantastic weekend of pure, unadulterated indulgence and enjoyment in Hong Kong...brilliant.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Peak Week
Working for the Hong Kong Tourism Board is pretty awesome…it’s like doing PR on one giant vacation. I spend all day talking and learning about everything wonderful that is HK: cultural attractions, landmarks, entertainment, art, beaches and hiking, markets and shopping, dining, nightlife, history, etc…and I then I selfishly take all these tidbits with me at the end of the day, back to my classmates, so we can get the most out of our brief time here.
The HKTB might not know it, but they spoil me rotten. They give me assignments to research the trendiest new restaurants, shops, exhibitions, spas and nightclubs for the monthly newsletter. Hong Kong Food and Wine Year launched mere months before I joined the HKTB, and is the campaign I am most actively involved with – a match made in heaven. Two weeks ago I accompanied a local media tour to The 8th Estate Winery, the first ever winery in Hong Kong, for a private tour and tasting.
As I said, it feels like one giant, self-indulgent vacation. Work = play.
This past week, I got to spend every day atop Victoria Peak, assisting at the HKTB’s Visitor Services there. The Peak, rising 1,811 feet above central Hong Kong, is the number one tourist attraction in HK, and for good reason. Victoria Peak is the iconic, majestic backdrop of the entire city, which is built up around the naturally mountainous, tropical landscape of the island. Getting to the top of the Peak involves a ride on the Peak Tram, constructed in 1888 –a rickety and romantic ride at a steep 45 degree angle up the side of the mountain. Victoria Peak rewards visitors with its hiking trails, waterfalls and stunning views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Victoria Harbour and the outlying islands. It’s where the British governors used to have their lavish homes, and where HK’s rich and famous today have their city oases in the sky. And of course, in typical Hong Kong fashion, property developers have managed to build a tacky, flashy, oh-so-touristy shopping galleria atop the Peak. (Madame Tussauds and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, anyone?)
HKTB Visitor Services atop the Peak is stationed in an old Peak Tram car, renovated into an information center. The HKTB officers and executives who work there are, in my opinion, superhuman. They politely handle rowdy children (antique tram car = giant toy train), they don’t get irritated by blinding camera flashes (antique tram car = excellent photo opportunity), and they spend all day answering all manner of inquiries (hundreds of visitors = hundreds of bizarre questions). They do their job not only with a smile, but with honest enthusiasm and real passion to help visitors enjoy HK. More than that, they know everything. I mean everything. They’re walking-talking-encyclopedias of HK information. They’ve memorized bus routes, hiking trails, transportation fares, hotel addresses, restaurant menus, current art exhibit listings, and they even know the smallest details of organized tours by companies not even affiliated with the HKTB. The group of them speak Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and even a little Japanese, Korean and French. Cathy, Wing, Ling, Arthur, Ashley, Prima, Alice and Carina could run the world…and do so in spiffy outfits, no less.
Working at the Peak was a really great experience, as it enabled me to see the integrated operations of the HKTB, from point-of-contact with tourists to development of PR programs in the head office. Equally beneficial, I got to learn even more about HK, and through connecting with visitors, get more ideas of what I want to explore while I am here. My coworkers also provided me with great recommendations for day trips, dining, and nights out. Arthur even taught me some useful Cantonese. Work or play…it all seems to be a package deal with the HKTB -- “Hong Kong: Live it. Love it!”
The HKTB might not know it, but they spoil me rotten. They give me assignments to research the trendiest new restaurants, shops, exhibitions, spas and nightclubs for the monthly newsletter. Hong Kong Food and Wine Year launched mere months before I joined the HKTB, and is the campaign I am most actively involved with – a match made in heaven. Two weeks ago I accompanied a local media tour to The 8th Estate Winery, the first ever winery in Hong Kong, for a private tour and tasting.
As I said, it feels like one giant, self-indulgent vacation. Work = play.
This past week, I got to spend every day atop Victoria Peak, assisting at the HKTB’s Visitor Services there. The Peak, rising 1,811 feet above central Hong Kong, is the number one tourist attraction in HK, and for good reason. Victoria Peak is the iconic, majestic backdrop of the entire city, which is built up around the naturally mountainous, tropical landscape of the island. Getting to the top of the Peak involves a ride on the Peak Tram, constructed in 1888 –a rickety and romantic ride at a steep 45 degree angle up the side of the mountain. Victoria Peak rewards visitors with its hiking trails, waterfalls and stunning views of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, Victoria Harbour and the outlying islands. It’s where the British governors used to have their lavish homes, and where HK’s rich and famous today have their city oases in the sky. And of course, in typical Hong Kong fashion, property developers have managed to build a tacky, flashy, oh-so-touristy shopping galleria atop the Peak. (Madame Tussauds and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, anyone?)
HKTB Visitor Services atop the Peak is stationed in an old Peak Tram car, renovated into an information center. The HKTB officers and executives who work there are, in my opinion, superhuman. They politely handle rowdy children (antique tram car = giant toy train), they don’t get irritated by blinding camera flashes (antique tram car = excellent photo opportunity), and they spend all day answering all manner of inquiries (hundreds of visitors = hundreds of bizarre questions). They do their job not only with a smile, but with honest enthusiasm and real passion to help visitors enjoy HK. More than that, they know everything. I mean everything. They’re walking-talking-encyclopedias of HK information. They’ve memorized bus routes, hiking trails, transportation fares, hotel addresses, restaurant menus, current art exhibit listings, and they even know the smallest details of organized tours by companies not even affiliated with the HKTB. The group of them speak Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and even a little Japanese, Korean and French. Cathy, Wing, Ling, Arthur, Ashley, Prima, Alice and Carina could run the world…and do so in spiffy outfits, no less.
Working at the Peak was a really great experience, as it enabled me to see the integrated operations of the HKTB, from point-of-contact with tourists to development of PR programs in the head office. Equally beneficial, I got to learn even more about HK, and through connecting with visitors, get more ideas of what I want to explore while I am here. My coworkers also provided me with great recommendations for day trips, dining, and nights out. Arthur even taught me some useful Cantonese. Work or play…it all seems to be a package deal with the HKTB -- “Hong Kong: Live it. Love it!”
Views from the top:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Not in Kansas Anymore
Some additional interesting cultural differences and Hong Kong “oddities” my classmates and I have observed:
--About two weeks ago, my American classmates and I found $70 dropped on the sidewalk and thought it was our lucky day; we quickly pocketed the money and put it towards our lunch. My HKTB coworkers and I were walking to lunch the other week and noticed $50 dropped on the sidewalk. No one made a move to touch it; people in Hong Kong believe that money dropped on the ground is dirty (literally and spiritually) and if you pick it up, you’ll have very bad luck. An hour later, walking the same route back from lunch, the $50 was still on the ground. People were stepping around it, obviously avoiding coming into contact with the cash.
--In Hong Kong, as in many Asian countries, the whiter you are the prettier you are. Paleness is very desirable and it is so coveted that the best-selling products in Asian pharmacies are face-whitening-masks. (Which probably work just as well as the anti-cellulite lotions that Americans splurge over) Also, many girls in Hong Kong dislike having a slimmer, more petite, “boyish” figure and wish they could be curvier and thicker like American girls. When I explained to my coworkers that in America, most girls want to have golden tan skin (and also use chemicals to achieve this) and do things like starve themselves in the hopes of having a more angular and lean body, they could not understand this at all. It just goes to show that the grass is greener on the other side and be happy for who you are and what you are since there really is no right way to be and no such thing as a universal perfect. To really put this in perspective – my coworkers are envious of my frizzy, unruly, humidity-besieged Jewish hair. In their eyes, I am lucky to have “naturally pretty, wavy hair.” I told them I would trade this mess for their stick-straight locks any day…and I’m now considering moving to Hong Kong permanently since the pale-frizzed-curvy look works here.
--Remember in elementary school when you learned to stand in line one-behind-the-other? Then remember when you grew up and got out into the real world and there were no such thing as “line-leader” and “caboose” anymore, but you still acknowledged that lines existed and respected the line order? Maybe not. Maybe you’ve always been a compulsive line-butter. If so, you’d fit in just great in Hong Kong. Perhaps it’s some strange sort of backlash against the British colonizers, since in Hong Kong you “queue up” rather than “line up” but whatever the reason, Hong Kongers completely and totally ignore lines. This line-disregard phenomenon doesn’t just occur as people shove their way onto the MTR trains in the morning. It happens at 7-11, in public restrooms, at restaurants, or at ATMs…you’ve waited your turn, you’re approaching the check-out, and some lady/man/3-year-old just steps in right in front of you. At first I was too baffled and taken aback to say anything (not that it would’ve been understood anyway) so I took to giving evil glares, the universal communication for “Excuse me, sir, who died and made you King?” Now, I am wiser and less forgiving. I do everything short of knocking over old ladies, elbowing young kids in the face, and tripping businessmen with my umbrella to pay for my morning coffee. I am the line-leader and the caboose all in one.
--Hong Kong is a startlingly clean and safe city – the mayors of America’s great cities could learn a thing or two about community health and environment programs. In a city as bustling and crowded as NYC, as polluted as Los Angeles, and as foreign as, well, Hong Kong, there is a bizarre absence of litter, garbage, grime and crime - overall, I feel safe to wander around this sparkling city on my own, even with my language handicap. Everywhere I look there are people cleaning the streets, cleaning the parks, cleaning the MTR. There are garbage cans on every street and heavy fines (seriously enforced too) for littering. The most amazing thing is the steep fine for throwing cigarette butts on the sidewalk or into the street. Dominic witnessed a man put out his cigarette on the sidewalk and in less than 10-seconds, police approached him with a ticket. The police are everywhere, but more often they’re keeping a watchful eye than they are apprehending offenders. The swine flu scare is also having a big impact on the city’s operations – public places are cleaned and disinfected every 30 minutes, every day. My office is currently being cleaned five times a day, and there are elevator operators in my building, so that no one touches the elevator panel buttons to spread germs. Apparently, even during normal city operations, public places are disinfected multiple times a day and offices are cleaned at least twice a day. You show me dirt in Hong Kong, and I’ll show you a natural blond in Hollywood.
--Lastly, some new grocery-store finds for your enjoyment: Pigeon laundry detergent (a best-selling product) and Knife liquid soap. I’d like to stock my house with both of these items.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Made In China
This past Saturday a few classmates and I (Adriana, CJ, Melinda, Dominic and Kevin) traveled to Shenzhen - just over the Chinese mainland border, approximately one hour from Hong Kong by train.
It was a comedy of errors getting there. It took only a mere hour – and several heated conversations with bank tellers – to exchange our Hong Kong dollars into Chinese yuan. Then it took only about two more hours hopping from train platform to train platform, switching cars and tracks in random New Territory towns, as we had departed HK on the non-efficient train to Shenzhen. One Hong Kong border, fourteen health declaration forms, three checkpoints, one Chinese border, and one final health checkpoint later, we had arrived. As soon as we set foot in Shenzhen, we were promptly greeted by no less than a dozen hawkers bidding to be our tour guides for the day. We put on our poker faces (although it was beyond obvious that we were bluffing) and got into bunker-survival-mode, clutching our bags closely to our chests, ignoring hawkers from all angles, swiftly wandering around as if we had a direction or purpose in mind, and yelling at the general public “We don’t need help! We can do it ourselves!”
You see, although it is often comical and almost always harmless to be the uninformed or awkward foreigner in Hong Kong, Shenzhen is not the place to be the clueless American. In Shenzhen, you want to have your wits about you and your wallet close to you. To be American is to be duped.
Shenzhen is the manufacturing capital of the world – and being there to experience it gives whole new meaning to the Made-in-China label. It is a consumer theme park, with shopping as the main attraction, except the park operators are not entirely friendly and try to charge you as much as possible for a ride, even a ride as crappy as the tea cups.
Analogies aside, Shenzhen is an epic shopping mecca, and the city’s best shopping is oh-so-conveniently located adjacent to the border terminal. As such, my classmates and I can boast that we spent an entire day in Shenzhen, and never ventured further than 100-feet away from the train station. The shopping center has five floors and each is crammed with hundreds of tiny shops and stalls selling everything from designer handbags, clothing, shoes, jewelry, watches and sunglasses to electronics and DVDs to unique handicrafts and artwork. The shops carry products of every brand you could ever dream of (and 90% of the brand products are real, the other 10% are described as “grade-A fakes”) and if you don’t see it in on the shelf, the shopkeeper will pull out the brand or designer’s catalogue, while a “runner” gets ready to go retrieve whatever you point to on whatever page. Best yet, everything is at an unbelievable discount from what it would sell for in the US or Europe, and of course, bargaining is the name of the game.
As exciting and invigorating as this premise was, it was also a bit terrifying and extraordinarily overwhelming. Shopkeepers know that Americans come to Shenzhen for the thrill of shopping, and they also know that Americans are terrible at bargaining, have a tendency to agree to pay way too much, and are gullible for shoddy goods. We were fresh meat and the merchants of Shenzhen were starving. Every cramped and winding hallway we walked down and every stall and storefront we passed by, hundreds of salespeople jumped up from their perches yelling “Missy! Looking! Missy! Look here!” They grabbed at our arms, shoved their products under our noses, whispered about certain contraband in our ears, and some even went for the personal-oriented sale: “I have big size, for you, American!” (I did not respond well to that last one)
We made the wise decision to stick together for the day, helping each other identify the good buys over the bad buys, and advising each other on price negotiations. We met some real characters and had a lot of fun, at times we feared for our lives and in the end we rejoiced in sweet consumption. After five hours of shopping, we ended our trip with massages – a very popular, “must” in Shenzhen. Our half-hour massages cost only $3 USD…but let’s just say you get what you pay for. My “masseur” was chatting on his cell phone the entire time and was totally disinterested in the one-handed treatment he was giving me. Dominic’s “masseur” was using his shoulders as a head-rest for most of the half hour and at times whispered potentially-suggestive sweet nothings in his ear. Although, I will give them credit for hospitality: we were offered ears of corn as a snack during our spa treatments. We delightfully declined.
Exhausted and victorious, we re-entered Hong Kong with arms full, wallets lighter, and smiles all around...and I cannot give any more details than that. (I also couldn’t take any photos in the shopping center, for fear of gang prosecution for intent to counterfeit.) All in all, it was a great experience that we won’t forget for a long time and that, I predict, we will miss in years to come as we comfortably browse the racks of mundane American department stores. We may go back to Shenzhen a second time, with better bargaining skills and a better sense of what exact products we want to buy. That - and our own toilet paper. At the end of the day, it’s all one big learning experience.
It was a comedy of errors getting there. It took only a mere hour – and several heated conversations with bank tellers – to exchange our Hong Kong dollars into Chinese yuan. Then it took only about two more hours hopping from train platform to train platform, switching cars and tracks in random New Territory towns, as we had departed HK on the non-efficient train to Shenzhen. One Hong Kong border, fourteen health declaration forms, three checkpoints, one Chinese border, and one final health checkpoint later, we had arrived. As soon as we set foot in Shenzhen, we were promptly greeted by no less than a dozen hawkers bidding to be our tour guides for the day. We put on our poker faces (although it was beyond obvious that we were bluffing) and got into bunker-survival-mode, clutching our bags closely to our chests, ignoring hawkers from all angles, swiftly wandering around as if we had a direction or purpose in mind, and yelling at the general public “We don’t need help! We can do it ourselves!”
You see, although it is often comical and almost always harmless to be the uninformed or awkward foreigner in Hong Kong, Shenzhen is not the place to be the clueless American. In Shenzhen, you want to have your wits about you and your wallet close to you. To be American is to be duped.
Shenzhen is the manufacturing capital of the world – and being there to experience it gives whole new meaning to the Made-in-China label. It is a consumer theme park, with shopping as the main attraction, except the park operators are not entirely friendly and try to charge you as much as possible for a ride, even a ride as crappy as the tea cups.
Analogies aside, Shenzhen is an epic shopping mecca, and the city’s best shopping is oh-so-conveniently located adjacent to the border terminal. As such, my classmates and I can boast that we spent an entire day in Shenzhen, and never ventured further than 100-feet away from the train station. The shopping center has five floors and each is crammed with hundreds of tiny shops and stalls selling everything from designer handbags, clothing, shoes, jewelry, watches and sunglasses to electronics and DVDs to unique handicrafts and artwork. The shops carry products of every brand you could ever dream of (and 90% of the brand products are real, the other 10% are described as “grade-A fakes”) and if you don’t see it in on the shelf, the shopkeeper will pull out the brand or designer’s catalogue, while a “runner” gets ready to go retrieve whatever you point to on whatever page. Best yet, everything is at an unbelievable discount from what it would sell for in the US or Europe, and of course, bargaining is the name of the game.
As exciting and invigorating as this premise was, it was also a bit terrifying and extraordinarily overwhelming. Shopkeepers know that Americans come to Shenzhen for the thrill of shopping, and they also know that Americans are terrible at bargaining, have a tendency to agree to pay way too much, and are gullible for shoddy goods. We were fresh meat and the merchants of Shenzhen were starving. Every cramped and winding hallway we walked down and every stall and storefront we passed by, hundreds of salespeople jumped up from their perches yelling “Missy! Looking! Missy! Look here!” They grabbed at our arms, shoved their products under our noses, whispered about certain contraband in our ears, and some even went for the personal-oriented sale: “I have big size, for you, American!” (I did not respond well to that last one)
We made the wise decision to stick together for the day, helping each other identify the good buys over the bad buys, and advising each other on price negotiations. We met some real characters and had a lot of fun, at times we feared for our lives and in the end we rejoiced in sweet consumption. After five hours of shopping, we ended our trip with massages – a very popular, “must” in Shenzhen. Our half-hour massages cost only $3 USD…but let’s just say you get what you pay for. My “masseur” was chatting on his cell phone the entire time and was totally disinterested in the one-handed treatment he was giving me. Dominic’s “masseur” was using his shoulders as a head-rest for most of the half hour and at times whispered potentially-suggestive sweet nothings in his ear. Although, I will give them credit for hospitality: we were offered ears of corn as a snack during our spa treatments. We delightfully declined.
Exhausted and victorious, we re-entered Hong Kong with arms full, wallets lighter, and smiles all around...and I cannot give any more details than that. (I also couldn’t take any photos in the shopping center, for fear of gang prosecution for intent to counterfeit.) All in all, it was a great experience that we won’t forget for a long time and that, I predict, we will miss in years to come as we comfortably browse the racks of mundane American department stores. We may go back to Shenzhen a second time, with better bargaining skills and a better sense of what exact products we want to buy. That - and our own toilet paper. At the end of the day, it’s all one big learning experience.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Napkin-less Adventures in Salmonella, Dai Pai Dongs, Hot Dogs and Twinkly Desserts
I just returned (read: left early) from the Happy Valley Racecourse, which in my humble opinion, requires a change of name. My classmates and I had really been looking forward to Happy Valley – a horse race track right in the middle of Hong Kong, where for $1.50 USD you could go hang out in the beer garden, watch some races, and mingle with some ex-pats after a day at the office…like a playground for adults. What it was instead was a circus of frat boys slamming beers, decrepit men shrouded in thick clouds of cigarette smoke, and us…in 93 degree heat with 100-percent humidity. The novelty of horses wore off quickly and the thought of drinking foamy beer in that kind of thick, sticky heat began to seem like the worst idea of all time. We struck out in search of food since we were all starting to get cranky from the heat and from hunger. We opted for the Happy Valley Grill rather than McDonald’s (the only other food available) and I suffered through a partially-cooked chicken kebob in some sort of red sauce. (Michigan girls: It was a Playa-Suites-mealtime-bad kind of situation)
After ingesting what I’m sure will rapidly turn into salmonella poisoning, Melinda and I fled from Happy Valley (read: Sad Valley) back to the “comfort” of the Ibis Hotel. Now, as I am perched at the edge of my bed (therefore knees jutting into the bathroom), ready at a moment’s notice to drop my laptop and toss my cookies, I figure what better time to blog about food here in Hong Kong.
Eating great food, for me, is like falling in love. And my love affair with Asian cuisine (Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Burmese…) was one of my reasons for coming to Hong Kong in the first place. Hong Kong is a food-lover’s paradise…any cuisine you could dream of, the freshest ingredients, expertly and lovingly prepared by masters of the kitchen, from Michelin-star restaurants to family-run cafes, to hole-in-the-wall joints and Dai Pai Dongs (street stalls). Food is so important to the people of Hong Kong, too; it is more than mere sustenance, here it is a reason and a purpose for being – and that’s a life philosophy I can get on board with.
There are food markets everywhere - lined up along major streets, tucked away in back alleys and side streets, and set up in the middle of roads once the sun goes down. Walking through the city is an overwhelming olfactory experience – the air is fragrant with scents and flavors of sweet, spicy, savory, smoky, pungent and pleasant, fishy and earthy, all assaulting you in a beautiful dance for which salivation is the appropriate manner of applause. Many market stalls sell packaged goods and heaping bins of unidentifiable items (to us westerners) as well as fresh fruits and vegetables – most of which I have never seen and don’t have the faintest idea of how to eat. It is often hard to try new things at the markets because of the language barrier, and vendors can get easily frustrated if you don’t have cash in hand or take too long to decide what you want. However, I have tried some dried seafood and amazing exotic fruits: dragonfruit looks prettier than it tastes, mangosteen and rambutan are delicious and lychees might be my favorite. I am staying away from durian – the fruit that everyone describes as smelling and tasting like a sweaty gym sock.
The majority of stalls at the markets are meat and fish stalls. My dad, experienced from his worldly travels, prepared me for this sight as best he could. Outdoor markets, no refrigeration, and hundreds of hanging slabs of raw meat, animal heads and feet (nothing goes to waste), plates of raw fish and seafood, tanks of live fish and seafood, cages of live chickens and other foul. (These would be those pungent, earthy, fishy smells I was speaking of above) While at first a little shocking, I have now gotten used to this normal scene and way of everyday life in Hong Kong...although there was one unfortunate day when I stepped in a puddle of stinky-fish-water.
I also have to say it’s pretty awesome to see the locals go to the market, tell the vendor what they want, and watch the vendor expertly and zealously butcher the meat curbside. For those of you still gagging over the thought, I’ll leave you with this: buying raw or live proteins at the market like this is not only safe, but it’s also a more desirable way to eat than as we do at home. The products at the market were butchered that morning, for that market day. Whereas in America, we go to the grocery store where our food has been chocked full of hormones and preservatives, frozen and thawed, and sitting in its packaging for who knows how long, originating from who knows where to eventually end up in Ralphs aisle five. Not saying I’m going to start raising and butchering my own meat, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
I pride myself on not only having a sophisticated palate (yes, I am such an arrogant foodie that I will say “sophisticated palate”) but on being an adventurous eater. I will happily try anything once – and this attitude works much to my advantage and delight in such a foreign world. Already I have eaten pigeon and small intestine (I don’t know of what animal) and although these weren’t intentional selections from the menu, they were very tasty and I did not regret learning their true identities. I’m hoping to soon eat congee, live octopus, and chicken feet.
My parents deserve a lot of credit for my gastronomic prowess. As far back as I can recall, they would help my sister and I explore new foods and exotic tastes. Karen and I always asked for sushi over McDonald’s, Dad took us out for Pho and taught us how to use chopsticks, while Mom handmade shui mai on special occasions and still makes the best Vietnamese summer rolls and peanut sauce I’ve ever tasted. (We’ll see in a few short weeks if Vietnam can beat you on this, Mom) So I owe them a world of thanks for opening up a world of delicious possibilities and because without their guidance, I would be the dopey American requesting a fork at every meal, not recognizing anything on a menu, awkwardly pushing around the food on my plate, and clinging to the French and Italian restaurants in the ex-pat neighborhoods. I love that I’m not that girl. Instead, I get to surprise my work friends with my familiarity of many Asian cuisines, my ability to order more or less on my own (translating is sometimes necessary), my urge to try everything they suggest, and my chopstick skills. Although, I have made a few American “flubs” such as eating cold leftover Chinese food (“an abomination!”), eating raw vegetables (“disgusting!”) and using napkins (“ohhhh so funny!”). A side note on napkins: there are no napkins to be found anywhere in restaurants here. Apparently Asian people don’t make messes of themselves, while Americans are slobs. Guess I can’t totally outrun my American blood.
One thing I was not prepared for is the Chinese bakery phenomenon. Much like American cities have a Starbucks on every corner, Hong Kong has a bakery on every corner, sometimes five on one street. I did not know that the Chinese were so into cakes, breads, buns, and desserts – but bakeries are a mainstay of Chinese culture and are extraordinarily popular. What is unique about Chinese bakeries is the emphasis of savory over sweet. While all bakeries have tempting selections of cakes and pastries and buns in exotic flavors and all beautifully decorated, the majority of offerings are savory baked goods – and the best way to describe them is to imagine a drunk college kid, in a kitchen at 3am, making a snack.
Picture a sweet English muffin, topped with pizza sauce, cheese, and chopped up hot dogs. Maybe you’d prefer the Danish topped with corn and cheese. Or perhaps the braided-twist bread with an absurdly long hotdog secured inside. There is some strange fascination with hot dogs here, and they are chopped up and put in dishes that I would never put a hot dog in: oatmeal, soup, with macaroni and peas, and alas, the pastry. If I were allowed to take photos in the bakeries, this would be my most entertaining album.
The less strange savory options (maybe they’re strange to you, but not to me anymore) are buns stuffed with barbequed pork, rolls stuffed with chicken and mushrooms, buns with pork floss and cheese, buns stuffed with tuna fish…like the Asian version of a sandwich. The sweet baked goods are awesome – coconut rolls and mango cakes and tiramisu and sesame buns and chocolate éclairs and egg tarts and green tea and red bean puffs. As if I didn’t love having a bakery on every block, with the exchange rate in Hong Kong, the average item is under $1 USD – and we’re talking hand-crafted artisan baked goods! The oddity of it all…no obese people in HK. Go figure.
Speaking of non-obesity, the desserts here overall are strange, exciting to sample, often sickeningly sweet, and look like an art project from 4th grade. Coconut milk with sparkly jellies, fruits and teeny glutinous rice pearls. Green tea ice cream with coconut milk and red beans. Mango pudding with heart-shaped fruit pearls and condensed milk. Cinnamon soup with sticky rice dumplings. Sweet bean curd with almonds and aloe vera.
My favorite dessert to buy in the Paddington Bear Wellcome Market? Easy. That would be the unfortunately named Creamy Collon (which my classmates and I oh-so-maturely pronounce as if there was only one “L”) and the Hard Stick, which complements the Creamy Collon nicely. I can’t help but imagine what seemingly normal items foreigners laugh at in our American grocery stores, although I cannot recall seeing any Chewy Anal or Stiff Rod last time I was at Ralphs. Maybe Hamburger Helper gets them…that oven mitt is pretty silly.
So go to your local Chinatown and take a day to explore with your stomach – you won’t regret it. Much like I don’t regret stocking my medicine cabinet full of antibiotics and Pepto, thanks to you Happy Valley Racecourse.
After ingesting what I’m sure will rapidly turn into salmonella poisoning, Melinda and I fled from Happy Valley (read: Sad Valley) back to the “comfort” of the Ibis Hotel. Now, as I am perched at the edge of my bed (therefore knees jutting into the bathroom), ready at a moment’s notice to drop my laptop and toss my cookies, I figure what better time to blog about food here in Hong Kong.
Eating great food, for me, is like falling in love. And my love affair with Asian cuisine (Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Burmese…) was one of my reasons for coming to Hong Kong in the first place. Hong Kong is a food-lover’s paradise…any cuisine you could dream of, the freshest ingredients, expertly and lovingly prepared by masters of the kitchen, from Michelin-star restaurants to family-run cafes, to hole-in-the-wall joints and Dai Pai Dongs (street stalls). Food is so important to the people of Hong Kong, too; it is more than mere sustenance, here it is a reason and a purpose for being – and that’s a life philosophy I can get on board with.
There are food markets everywhere - lined up along major streets, tucked away in back alleys and side streets, and set up in the middle of roads once the sun goes down. Walking through the city is an overwhelming olfactory experience – the air is fragrant with scents and flavors of sweet, spicy, savory, smoky, pungent and pleasant, fishy and earthy, all assaulting you in a beautiful dance for which salivation is the appropriate manner of applause. Many market stalls sell packaged goods and heaping bins of unidentifiable items (to us westerners) as well as fresh fruits and vegetables – most of which I have never seen and don’t have the faintest idea of how to eat. It is often hard to try new things at the markets because of the language barrier, and vendors can get easily frustrated if you don’t have cash in hand or take too long to decide what you want. However, I have tried some dried seafood and amazing exotic fruits: dragonfruit looks prettier than it tastes, mangosteen and rambutan are delicious and lychees might be my favorite. I am staying away from durian – the fruit that everyone describes as smelling and tasting like a sweaty gym sock.
The majority of stalls at the markets are meat and fish stalls. My dad, experienced from his worldly travels, prepared me for this sight as best he could. Outdoor markets, no refrigeration, and hundreds of hanging slabs of raw meat, animal heads and feet (nothing goes to waste), plates of raw fish and seafood, tanks of live fish and seafood, cages of live chickens and other foul. (These would be those pungent, earthy, fishy smells I was speaking of above) While at first a little shocking, I have now gotten used to this normal scene and way of everyday life in Hong Kong...although there was one unfortunate day when I stepped in a puddle of stinky-fish-water.
I also have to say it’s pretty awesome to see the locals go to the market, tell the vendor what they want, and watch the vendor expertly and zealously butcher the meat curbside. For those of you still gagging over the thought, I’ll leave you with this: buying raw or live proteins at the market like this is not only safe, but it’s also a more desirable way to eat than as we do at home. The products at the market were butchered that morning, for that market day. Whereas in America, we go to the grocery store where our food has been chocked full of hormones and preservatives, frozen and thawed, and sitting in its packaging for who knows how long, originating from who knows where to eventually end up in Ralphs aisle five. Not saying I’m going to start raising and butchering my own meat, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
I pride myself on not only having a sophisticated palate (yes, I am such an arrogant foodie that I will say “sophisticated palate”) but on being an adventurous eater. I will happily try anything once – and this attitude works much to my advantage and delight in such a foreign world. Already I have eaten pigeon and small intestine (I don’t know of what animal) and although these weren’t intentional selections from the menu, they were very tasty and I did not regret learning their true identities. I’m hoping to soon eat congee, live octopus, and chicken feet.
My parents deserve a lot of credit for my gastronomic prowess. As far back as I can recall, they would help my sister and I explore new foods and exotic tastes. Karen and I always asked for sushi over McDonald’s, Dad took us out for Pho and taught us how to use chopsticks, while Mom handmade shui mai on special occasions and still makes the best Vietnamese summer rolls and peanut sauce I’ve ever tasted. (We’ll see in a few short weeks if Vietnam can beat you on this, Mom) So I owe them a world of thanks for opening up a world of delicious possibilities and because without their guidance, I would be the dopey American requesting a fork at every meal, not recognizing anything on a menu, awkwardly pushing around the food on my plate, and clinging to the French and Italian restaurants in the ex-pat neighborhoods. I love that I’m not that girl. Instead, I get to surprise my work friends with my familiarity of many Asian cuisines, my ability to order more or less on my own (translating is sometimes necessary), my urge to try everything they suggest, and my chopstick skills. Although, I have made a few American “flubs” such as eating cold leftover Chinese food (“an abomination!”), eating raw vegetables (“disgusting!”) and using napkins (“ohhhh so funny!”). A side note on napkins: there are no napkins to be found anywhere in restaurants here. Apparently Asian people don’t make messes of themselves, while Americans are slobs. Guess I can’t totally outrun my American blood.
One thing I was not prepared for is the Chinese bakery phenomenon. Much like American cities have a Starbucks on every corner, Hong Kong has a bakery on every corner, sometimes five on one street. I did not know that the Chinese were so into cakes, breads, buns, and desserts – but bakeries are a mainstay of Chinese culture and are extraordinarily popular. What is unique about Chinese bakeries is the emphasis of savory over sweet. While all bakeries have tempting selections of cakes and pastries and buns in exotic flavors and all beautifully decorated, the majority of offerings are savory baked goods – and the best way to describe them is to imagine a drunk college kid, in a kitchen at 3am, making a snack.
Picture a sweet English muffin, topped with pizza sauce, cheese, and chopped up hot dogs. Maybe you’d prefer the Danish topped with corn and cheese. Or perhaps the braided-twist bread with an absurdly long hotdog secured inside. There is some strange fascination with hot dogs here, and they are chopped up and put in dishes that I would never put a hot dog in: oatmeal, soup, with macaroni and peas, and alas, the pastry. If I were allowed to take photos in the bakeries, this would be my most entertaining album.
The less strange savory options (maybe they’re strange to you, but not to me anymore) are buns stuffed with barbequed pork, rolls stuffed with chicken and mushrooms, buns with pork floss and cheese, buns stuffed with tuna fish…like the Asian version of a sandwich. The sweet baked goods are awesome – coconut rolls and mango cakes and tiramisu and sesame buns and chocolate éclairs and egg tarts and green tea and red bean puffs. As if I didn’t love having a bakery on every block, with the exchange rate in Hong Kong, the average item is under $1 USD – and we’re talking hand-crafted artisan baked goods! The oddity of it all…no obese people in HK. Go figure.
Speaking of non-obesity, the desserts here overall are strange, exciting to sample, often sickeningly sweet, and look like an art project from 4th grade. Coconut milk with sparkly jellies, fruits and teeny glutinous rice pearls. Green tea ice cream with coconut milk and red beans. Mango pudding with heart-shaped fruit pearls and condensed milk. Cinnamon soup with sticky rice dumplings. Sweet bean curd with almonds and aloe vera.
My favorite dessert to buy in the Paddington Bear Wellcome Market? Easy. That would be the unfortunately named Creamy Collon (which my classmates and I oh-so-maturely pronounce as if there was only one “L”) and the Hard Stick, which complements the Creamy Collon nicely. I can’t help but imagine what seemingly normal items foreigners laugh at in our American grocery stores, although I cannot recall seeing any Chewy Anal or Stiff Rod last time I was at Ralphs. Maybe Hamburger Helper gets them…that oven mitt is pretty silly.
So go to your local Chinatown and take a day to explore with your stomach – you won’t regret it. Much like I don’t regret stocking my medicine cabinet full of antibiotics and Pepto, thanks to you Happy Valley Racecourse.
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 7: Cloud Hopping, Big Buddha, Tacky Tourism and Crispy Duck...An Average Sunday
On Sunday CJ, Kevin, Dominic, Melinda and I went to Lantau Island to see the giant Tian Tan Buddha, the Po Lin Monastery and the Ngong Ping village – one of the most highly-rated cultural attractions in Hong Kong. (Thanks, HKTB)
Lantau Island is just a 45 minute MTR ride from Hong Kong, and when we arrived on the island we met up with Melinda’s friend John who was in Hong Kong for work. The only way to get to Ngong Ping from the MTR station is by a 25 minutes aerial cable car ride across the island, which was absolutely amazing – perhaps the best part of the trip. We followed the rolling ridges of the green mountains and soared high above the China Sea and inlet bays. As we neared Ngong Ping, we saw the Buddha emerge through the mist high up on a mountain top. Its presence was compelling, almost magical.
Lantau Island is just a 45 minute MTR ride from Hong Kong, and when we arrived on the island we met up with Melinda’s friend John who was in Hong Kong for work. The only way to get to Ngong Ping from the MTR station is by a 25 minutes aerial cable car ride across the island, which was absolutely amazing – perhaps the best part of the trip. We followed the rolling ridges of the green mountains and soared high above the China Sea and inlet bays. As we neared Ngong Ping, we saw the Buddha emerge through the mist high up on a mountain top. Its presence was compelling, almost magical.
We landed in Ngong Ping Village – a wonderfully tacky setup obviously built for the sole purpose of tourism. In the “village” we ate bland Chinese dishes reminiscent of Westfield Montgomery food court fare and took advantage of the ample photo opportunities to stick-your-head-in-the-cardboard-cut-out. There was a Starbucks and five different gift shops which all presented the chance to buy any manner of branded junk as well as purchase the candid group photo taken as our cable car arrived in Ngong Ping (did we want that in a key chain or a commemorative photo frame?) However, for us, authenticity isn’t always a requirement…throw enough varnish and kitsch together and we’re happy either way.
From Ngong Ping we made our pilgrimage to the Tian Tan Buddha – the world’s tallest (112 feet) Buddha seated on a lotus throne atop Ngong Ping plateau. The giant Buddha is made of bronze and took over 10 years to create, unveiled in 1993 amid religious ceremonies and dedications. We climbed more than 250 steps to get to the Buddha and took approximately 100 photos on our way up. Upon reaching the Buddha, we took in the amazing view, high above the rest of the world, at eye-level with the mountaintops – it was so stunning and serene and peaceful. And if you’ve got my imagination/taste in entertainment, the scene (lush green mountains, deep bays, heavy mist) was reminiscent of Jurassic Park and LOST. I kept waiting to find Jacob in the belly of the Buddha, or see a T-Rex roar out of the tree line…maybe you had to be there?
After sharing a spiritual moment or two with the big guy, we visited the ornate gardens and shrines of the Po Lin Monastery at the base of the Buddha. Exhausted at the end of another long but unforgettable day, we got back in the cable car for the return trip, and it was just as exhilarating as the second time around…the MTR ride, however, lulled us all to sleep.
We met Mike for dinner at “American Restaurant” for the best crispy Beijing duck in Hong Kong…odd name choice, we know. It was great food (although we may have accidentally eaten a side dish of pigeon – and enjoyed it!) and great company and we surprised Mike with a birthday cake! The perfect end to another perfect day in Hong Kong…and at this point, I’ve come to expect nothing less.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Photos from Nan Lian Garden, Chi Lin Nunnery, Wong Tai Sin
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