Out to (a normal) Dinner in Hong Kong

This blog has advertised several dining joints serving off-the-beaten-track local food, but I want to let you know that my advertising does not fairly represent the dining scene in Hong Kong. Many restaurants are cosmopolitan,  sophisticated or trendy, while others are regular, easy-going digs. It's not hard to find a good spot where people can go to dinner and eat simple BBQ and beer. I decided to post pictures from a dinner I had with friends at a Restaurant that reminds me of a place you might even find in Richmond, VA. Bourbon is its name, and I feel right at home there. It specializes in serving, you name it, Bourbon! and other Southern-inspired foods. Here are a few pictures:

Happy Easter!

The cameraman must have caught the Easter Bunny at a frightening angle, but at least the little girl  is happy.

For other photos similar to this one, please check out this site. Pretty entertaining.

Homecoming in July

Super excited because I just sealed the deal on a trip home in JULY!

.... and I land in Charlottesville on July 1. Yee!

I will be in Virginia that whole week (July 4-8) to see friends and family, so please drop me a line if you would like to coordinate plans.

More Sai Kung

...continued from last post

Squilla Mantis

After having lunch at Chuen Kee Seafood, we walked around the town a bit

The town is made up of tons of little alleys with tiny shops lining them

Veggie market. I always check out the veggie market--not sure why

Old lady carting garbage away. 

The children were mesmerized by this big grouper. 

Had to get another picture with Big Fish.

SQUEELIES!

Dun dun DUN....BIG CRABS.

Rob made me stick my hand out in front of the crab "for scale" for this photo. It was really scary.

We thought a little 'mobile softee' might cool my crab claw nerves off a bit. Upon tasting our softees, Rob and I realized this frozen treat is no more than frozen Whipped Cream. Hmm?

Looks kind of like the Westside Highway in NYC

Traditional fishing boat. Loved this. The bumpers were old tires, which were so old that the rubber was droopy like it had developed wrinkles in its skin.

Tons of poodles lined the boardwalk, and Rob was quite pleased to finally find another breed of pup.

Fishermen line the boardwalk to sell fish to anyone who buys it. Tourists can even buy seafood to take to a nearby restaurant to have prepared for them :). Better bring your negotiating skills to these fishermen!

Sai Kung!

Hi all,

This post is dedicated to Jessie McComb and Schwab, who called me out on not keeping up with Hong Kong Journal since I began working. I really owe you all a post.

This past weekend was Rob's birthday. When I asked him what he wanted to do for the big day, he said he wanted to go to Sai Kung to eat fresh seafood. And this is what we did.

We went to a small fishing village called Sai Kung to celebrate and eat some fresh seafood. I can't wait to share pictures with you all. The restaurants and their respective tanks of live seafood line Sai Kung's port/boardwalk. It is an experience to walk around and check out the freshest and largest tanked prisoner. The selection, size and price of the seafood in Sai Kung was remarkable. Rob and I were able to order lobster, crab, fish and a pre-historic-looking lobster called "squilla mantis" for about $50 US dollars.

We also filled the weekend with lots of other eating--but I will save that for later! For now, here's a photo journal of our trip to Sai Kung:

Goofing around in the MTR station on the way to Sai Kung

Sort of like Ugg boots for tropical climates. This girl knows how to have her cake and eat it too.

Red Wine Zone...keepin' it classy.

This little guy was SO cute with his Puffin backpack. Had to show you.

Puffin Backpack from a distance.

Sai Kung Boardwalk! This photo actually shows you the smog coming over from China. In person the atmosphere looked much brighter than this, though.

Tanks of live seafood

These are live Squilla Mantises. They are freaky looking things in the tank, but once cooked they are mighty good.
Tastes kind of like a more delicate lobster.

Hello Big Fish

This Grouper is over 100 lbs. We had a staring contest.

Standing under the threshold, about to walk into a restaurant to try Squilla Mantus

Crab with a random toy boat resting on top

Elderly Chinese woman preparing Sea Urchin for the restaurant next to her.

Standard issue peace signs before we dive into lobster served over linguini 

Fish in ginger sauce. Was not my favorite, but the other dishes made up for this one.

Ginger and Garlic infused fried Crab. Amazing. The whitish things are huge pieces of ginger. 

Hi all,

I had a few moments this evening and figured I would take the chance to check in with my neglected Hong Kong Journal and you guys. Since work has begun, my life has spun around and switched gears, and I find myself back in the same groove as when I lived in New York--always on the move, planning out everything so that I can accomplish what I need to in a day. This weekend was no exception. Rob was in Vegas, and Aside from a few meals with friends, I got to work while he was gone. I haven't had time to go shopping or get a haircut since work began, so I did some of that. I went on 2 long runs and stocked up on groceries. I filed my taxes and read a manual on Interest Rate Swaps for work-- both were a bit of a snore. I toured a new friend around Hong Kong, which was fun. He is visiting from Kazakhstan, where he is currently teaching English before resuming work on Wall St. It was fun to hear a Westerner's perspective on an Asian country I know little about. We compared cultural notes on Communist and Post-Communist cultures, which was interesting, as the fundamentals of our observations seemed to align. (we can discuss in person if you're really interested). Living over here and following much of the news that is going on in the world right now makes me stop and appreciate my home country much of the time.

Touring my new friend did make me wonder--since when have I been in HK long enough to give tours to visitors? Weird, but I guess it's been long enough.

Anyway, I don't have much to report for this post, just wanted to touch base.

To those of you who reached out in concern over whether Hong Kong was affected by the Japan catastrophe, thank you. All is fine in Hong Kong, and we are busy here reaching out to those in need north of us.

Happy Monday,

Lots of love,

Leaping Lizard





GO HEELS!

Monday Perspectives

Checking in to say hello to you guys. Work is going well so far--I'm working hard and learning all the time. Especially glad to have had a few months to enjoy Asia at a leisurely pace.

I have been learning the most from the people around me. Getting to know them has opened my eyes to view my Asian world in completely new ways.  I have new perspectives and insights into my experience in Asia. This a huge, unexpected perk of my new position. The people around me come from almost every continent of the world, and getting to know them has been fun, challenging at times and infinitely rewarding.

I've got to get back to studying, but thank you for the e-mails! It takes away from the distance. xo

Have a great Monday. It was a beautiful 72 degrees here.

-Leaping Lizard

Hello and Hail to the Chief

Hello on this glorious (rainy) Presidents Day. Thank you, George Washington for doing all that you did. Today is not a holiday in Hong Kong, which I can prove by the amount of work I have. Hong Kong is meant to be a learning experience for me, so lots of work is a good thing. I hope all of you enjoy the day off and have had a great weekend.

Hong Kong at Night. Looks foggy like this right now.

I am super busy these days in Hong Kong, so my posting will probably trail off for the next 8 weeks. All is well, but I would love to hear from you. What did you guys do for President's Day weekend? Promise to respond if you write me an e-mail...hopefully, you know the e-address :)
x,
busy lizard