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Tales from the Fragrant Harbour

Duvel

By Duvel
in Food Traditions & Culture

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Lucky you ... I was too lazy to go out in the sweltering heat so only Asahi for me (still 11 more in the fridge, though :D)

 

I'm lucky. indeed. The nearest beer shop is at the foot of the stairs to my apartment.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Shelby said:

What are the deer antlers used for?

 

It's only 7:30 a.m. here and I suddenly have a craving for beer.......

 

Deer antler is a sort of panacea. Good for everything. Mainly used to reinforce blood, bones, kidney, and joint functions.

 

I don't beieve a word of it, but I do have one perhaps interesting alt-medicine story from China.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, liuzhou said:

 

Deer antler is a sort of panacea. Good for everything. Mainly used to reinforce blood, bones, kidney, and joint functions.

 

I don't beieve a word of it, but I do have one perhaps interesting alt-medicine story from China.

Perhaps the pain from the burns masked the other pain xD:P

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Duvel

Duvel

Posted
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Posted (edited)
45 minutes ago, Shelby said:

What are the deer antlers used for?

 

It's only 7:30 a.m. here and I suddenly have a craving for beer.......

 

"Restore yin and essence, tonify the qi, and strengthen yang" ... so basically everything. A universal tonic, like Ginseng. Probably the Chinese equivalent to popping a multivitamin everyday :)

Edited by Duvel (log)
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KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

Loving this... those were really nice sized mantis shrimp!  I think the ones I had were little toddlers or something... and were so overcooked, the meat stuck to the shell and you could barely get anything to eat once "peeled".. unlike yours which look like they came out cleanly.

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Duvel

Duvel

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46 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Loving this... those were really nice sized mantis shrimp!  I think the ones I had were little toddlers or something... and were so overcooked, the meat stuck to the shell and you could barely get anything to eat once "peeled".. unlike yours which look like they came out cleanly.

About 350 g ...

 

And just done, almost like a poached lobster. Very sweet meat. I don't care for the little ones, but this one was ok ...

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Duvel

Duvel

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Dinner was light: "Lantau Leftover noodles" - cappellini boiled in a bit of Dashi (per absorption method), then the leftover clams and chopped up squid from lunch. Topped with fried little fishes. And an Asahi (8 more to go ...).

 

WP_20170730_20_13_46_Rich.jpg

Edited by Duvel (log)
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Duvel

Duvel

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On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 11:22 PM, dcarch said:

 

World's largest picnic!

You can do a quick food survey of what they eat.

 

dcarch

 

Still going on. Early in the morning they were only building up. But as promised I asked for the food...

 

One particular group had this today: Salmon head sinigang (a soup), fried mackarel and tilapia, fried greens with chili and a bean stew.

 

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IMG-20170730-WA0003.jpg

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Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted

Ok, so are these people that gather making food and selling it or is this like a picnic in a park where friends/family gather and do their own food?  Everyone brings a big slab of cardboard?  Some people make walls out of cardboard?

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Second eG Blog-Summer 2015

 

Third eG Blog-Hunting season Birds and Deer 2016, 2017,2018,2019, 2021, 2022

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Ok, so are these people that gather making food and selling it or is this like a picnic in a park where friends/family gather and do their own food?  Everyone brings a big slab of cardboard?  Some people make walls out of cardboard?

 

They are Hong Kong domestic workers:  link

Edited to add that the people in Duvel's photo are just gathering to spend time with their friends and families, not protesting as in the link.  I attached it to give a little more background.

Edited by blue_dolphin (log)
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pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted

@Duvel thanks for sharing a slice of life, this is making me want to travel.  I swear, scents come to me while looking through the market photos, it's like being there.  Not necessarily good scents, but Asian market scents ;)

 

Are there a lot of expats there?

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Duvel

Duvel

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8 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Before I visited Hong Kong, I was aware of the situation but the numbers of people astonished me when I was out walking.

Here's another link that goes into a little more about the food they are sharing:  A Sunday ritual for 300,000 women

 

Thanks @blue_dolphin, that is a very good depiction on the situation for most domestic helpers.

 

Nowadays, especially in many western expat families, the helpers are already off by Saturday, usually lunch time. But the time everyone has off is on sundays. Most Filipinas go to church service first and then gather at any public place, be it the overpasses in the city, the harbor shore, the parks etc. And as the article said, the food is the big link - as everyone prepares one or two dishes and they are all shared. It's a feast, at least once in a week, substituting the family gatherings at their real homes ...

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Duvel

Duvel

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6 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

@Duvel thanks for sharing a slice of life, this is making me want to travel.  I swear, scents come to me while looking through the market photos, it's like being there.  Not necessarily good scents, but Asian market scents ;)

 

Are there a lot of expats there?

For "western" type of expats (incl. Japanese) I'd assume slightly below 100.000, working mostly in the finance sector, international trade and service industry.

 

As mentioned above, domestic helpers - expats as well - exceed those numbers with about 200.000 Filipinos (mostly Filipinas, actually) and about 150.000 Indonesians and Malay. Especially for the domestic helpers there is a huge parallel infrastructure in place for food, telecommunication and other services - all low cost, as their salaries do not support the "western / HK" lifestyle here in Hong Kong.

 

P.S.: The markets are not the olfactory assault you'd probably expect (unless you enter the Durian section of the fruit market). Everything is rather fresh, despite the temperatures ...

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Duvel

Duvel

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Good morning from Central!

 

Disaster struck early this morning when I was unable to procure my beloved dark green tea for breakfast. Now I am sitting at my desk with a NORMAL green tea and starting to wonder how I will survive the day with only the regular amount of catechins and caffeine ...

 

WP_20170731_08_03_24_Rich.thumb.jpg.7e3b3fd2ce629ca2b31a0a2496e8d0a9.jpg

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Posted (edited)

I guess HK has people from pretty much everywhere (I recall a sizeable Indian population, no? I certainly remember eating several excellent Indian meals.).

 

I'm glad you mentioned the Asian ex-pats. So often, I have heard people (other foreigners) here saying that there are only about 12 foreigners in the city, when they mean 12 white westerners. (The black westerners in town are all African according to the locals. So far as I know, none of them are. One is from Manchester, England and the other from California.)

We have a large number of Vietnamese and Thai students studying Chinese and various other Asian people working in the city. A few years ago, I befriended a lovely Japanese woman who was here teaching her language. She would, from time to time, invite me and some others for Japanese home cooking which was always interesting and delicious. (Not Asian, but there was also, about 18 years ago, a Mexican family who invited me to eat their home made food, too. I know almost nothing about Mexican cuisine, so that was always a treat.)

 

One idiot who is thankfully long gone used to continually complain about the "illegal immigrants" plaguing his country. I found later that he was here working on a tourist visa. Strictly illegal.

 

The ex-pat community is in constant flux as people are mainly here on short-term contracts or leave after their study courses are completed. I only know of three semi-permanent residents: Myself (I've been here longest), an American friend who lives nearby but I only see about once every two years for a beer or some meatloaf cooked by his Chinese wife! The third is a young man from the Czech Republic who teaches English in a kindergarten despite not really being able to speak English! The kids only need "Hello! How are you?" We nod to each other on the few occasions we meet.

 

Despite being so close to Vietnam, there are no Vietnamese restaurants in town apart from a couple of not very good noodle places. There are two Thai places. Both Chinese operated. One is very good; the other just cooks Chinese food and sticks a quarter of a lime on top, instantly rendering it Thai. The steak and pizza places which are so fashionable at the moment are all dire. The chefs have never seen an actual pizza in their lives and they have little idea how to source or cook good steaks. I stick resolutely to Chinese food. The locals have worked out how to cook that to perfection.

 

So, a visit to HK is when I recharge my "other foods" batteries. Irish, Indian, Italian etc..

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Duvel

Duvel

Posted
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Posted
6 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

So, a visit to HK is when I recharge my "other foods" batteries. Irish, Indian, Italian etc..

 

Next time you are around, please do let me know. I'll help you recharging ^_^

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kayb

kayb

Posted
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WP_20170730_12_06_29_Rich.thumb.jpg.638187adbfe005d8f9250ace8f7beb88.jpg

 

What is in the lower left tank that looks like giant Yukon gold potatoes?

 

I'm not sure whether I'm more fascinated by the dried goods market or by the seafood market. Obviously I should come spend a week or two and just shop, cook and eat -- or let someone who knows what they're doing with those marvelous local ingredients cook for me!

 

Do mantis shrimp taste similar to the "normal" shrimp we're used to here?

 

Thanks so much for this. Fascinating.

Edited by kayb
to fix typo. (log)
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Don't ask. Eat it.

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kayb

kayb

Posted
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2 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Geoduck?

 

Well, THAT sent me to Google. :)

 

Truthfully, my first thought was that it was a mollusk of some sort.

 

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Don't ask. Eat it.

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