Wednesday, June 16

Homeward Bound

Hey dear readers, I am heading home for a visit this weekend! So unless something really exciting happens, I won't be posting this week. Too much packing to do! See you very soon in the States!
 

Monday, June 14

Ahhh, Shek-O...We had pleasant breezy time and Jennifer and Bill's pleasant breezy place in Shek-O this weekend. (They're the two blonde ones off to the right) Great food, nice people, stellar air quality. Wait, why do we live on the crowded, smoggy side of the island again? We must move.

Chillin Shek-O slug, with pine needles.

Oh yeah, after much prodding and pulling and "come on girls", Sedra took her first ride on the Midlevels Escalator, a kind of mechanized sidewalk that carries people up the hill on our side of the island. I think the trauma shaved weeks off her life, but let's hope not. On subsequent walks, she went out of her way to avoid it, poor doggie.

One more thing...I've always associated Time magazine's Joe Klein with smug, noncommittal, patronizing political commentary of the suburban white bread variety. So why is he talking about Wilco in this weeks NY Times Book Review? "The use of 'assassin' as a verb is, I think, as pure an expression of rock 'n' roll's outlaw sensibility as you are likely to find." Oh really Joe? Depth. "I am going to attempt a definition here: alt-country is either more traditional than the pop music that emanates from Nashville, or less traditional." Wow, risk taking exegesis, let me mull that over. He also calls Yankee Hotel Foxtrot "brilliantly annoying," adding, "It takes some listening." Well I guess so, if what you're used to is BEYONCE!
 

Wednesday, June 9
 

Dining Out

The New York Times finally has a food critic who's a true blue Italian! (At least I think he's Italian, Franky Bruni Baby.) In his inaugural review, he goes to Babbo, Mario Batali's den of decadence, and takes a swipe at snobby Francophile foodies. Go Frank! The Dining Out pages are going to get a lot more interesting...

Speaking of food, a good tomato is just not a priority in Hong Kong, and Italian food here leaves much to be desired. We've tried several "Italian" places only to be disappointed by the bland, under seasoned fare. Strangely, it seems like it's all coming from the same kitchen, so uniform is the taste. Even the posh pizza palaces seem to be cooking with mozzarella that comes shrink-wrapped instead of floating in the milk of buffalo. Blame this on the Opium War and the fact that control of Hong Kong was ceded to the British, who wouldn't know an herb if it hit them. But that didn't stop them from opening facsimile Italian restaurants, basing recipes on the (by comparison to Napoli) flat British palate. No offense to my British friends, who I hope aren't reading this.

Anyway, here's an abridged rundown of the good restaurants we've discovered in Hong Kong, if you're ever in the neighborhood.

Chinese
Ningpo Residents Association: It has no signage. It's located on the 4th floor of an office tower. It began as a social club. It has no direct light and you feel like you're in somebody's apartment. But it is by far the best, most delicious Chinese I've ever tasted! I'll never be able to order New York Chinese takeout again.

Thai
Soho Spice: Addictive, authentic Thai dishes with a Vietnamese twist. Just opened a few months ago and is packed every night. The green coconut curry makes you leave your body and the Tom Kha is to die for!! I would consider staying in Hong Kong forever just so I could frequent this place.

Nepalese
Nepal Restaurant: My favorite restaurant in the SAR (Special Administrative Region). Nepalese food is similar to Indian, but with a special Nepalese flair. Highly proficient understanding of subcontinent spices. The Aloo Bhenta just tickles your taste buds and might even alter your consciousness. The momocha (Nepali dumplings) are puffs of heaven. Toss in some saffron rice and steaming roti and you consider moving permanently to Kathmandu. Unfortunately, they closed this place and turned it into an obnoxious sports bar called The Spot. But there is another location.

Egyptian
Habbibi: Why has Egyptian cuisine never meaningfully penetrated Gotham? Middle East politics? It's delish! And so many veggie dishes to choose from. This is a mainstay of excellent Hong Kong dining. And the koshari is yummy!

American
Archi B's: There is only one place to go when you're homesick, and it's Archie B's. Seinfeld episodes run on a loop and it has the biggest subs this side of Time's Square. Run by American expats, it's on the speed dial of the US Consulate. Baskets of fries, black-and-white cookies, Tootsie Rolls. Need I say more.

Honorable mentions in the neighborhood: Alila, Bali: mee goreng me baby and gado gado me too! Celadon, Bangkok: food so exotic and surprising it just might be profane. Black Swan, Quangdong Province, China: how many dumplings can you eat in one sitting? Never enough. Bhanchha Ghar Restaurant, Kathmandu: I can't even PRONOUNCE what I ate here, but it was GOOD. Accompanied by a delightful cultural show featuring Sherpa girls in ethnic costume.

I gotta go now, I'm hungry.
 

Monday, June 7
 

I know all of you are just too deep in a state of national mourning to laugh, but this is pretty darn funny. Making the rounds in HK email accounts is the above, a photo of a laptop bag made by a small American company....the washing instructions on the label in French translate as the following:

wash with warm water
use mild soap
dry flat
do not use bleach
do not dry in the dryer
do not iron
we are sorry that
our president is an idiot
we did not vote for him

In graduate school, we would have called this "found poetry."

In Hong Kong, you're always happening upon things you don't quite understand. People who refuse to zigzag through pedestrian traffic, for instance, and barrel on ahead as if they are walking through an open field (more about that here). Double decker buses that pin people up against walls. Raw pig skin sold as snacks. And then there are models of action sequences for films never made. Your guess is as good as mine.