This trip was solely for the purpose of spending time with family, and in the requisite Chinese fashion, that meant squeezing as many meals as possible into one long weekend. I didn't see any sights, I barely bought anything at all. But yep, I ate. And ate. And ate.
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| Hong Kong at dawn |
My trip didn't start off so fortuitously. I rushed to the airport on a Friday afternoon after work, only to find that bad weather delayed my flight. This was only conveyed to us after boarding, so I sat in the plane for hours... and hours... and hours. So much for a short skip and a hop to Hong Kong! By the time I landed, it was nearly 2am in the morning, way after public transportation had stopped for the evening in HKG. So I napped in the terminal until the first bus arrived at 6am.
Luckily, the rest of the visit was framed in sunny cool weather. I saw many relatives, spent time with the parents, and ate my weight in seafood.
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| Seafood, BEFORE |
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| Seafood, AFTER |
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| My favorite still has got to be the mantis shrimp. It's hard to find them anywhere else, and these were so large and plump, and the flesh was so sweet and tender. It's a treat I only seem to have in Hong Kong. |
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| Not quite HK food but delicious (and pretty!) just the same. |
Besides fancy meals, of course I had to find some time for some old favorites. Looking back at these pictures though, it's probably a good thing I don't get to eat like this often... I'd develop some pretty serious health issues very quickly!
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| A breakfast I often dream of: instant ramen in borscht (or, the Cantonese version of it), toast topped with butter and condensed milk, and the always unique HK style milk tea served in a thick porcelain cup. |
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| Street-style rice crepes... I could write poetry to its amazingness. The classic trio in the background aren't slouches either: curried fish balls, braised pork skin, and stewed turnip. |
I did, however, notice something different about Hong Kong this visit. People seemed so unhappy there. The populace seemed to be in a constant rush, everyone was hustling hard to get through the day. And even in that, there was no joy. People were often rude, and easily aggravated and grumpy.
Is it them? Or is it me... have I changed? Have I been away from New York City for too long? Have I already become accustomed to the more laid-back charm of the Taiwanese people?
In the end, this visit made me feel pretty happy about my decision to come to Taiwan. Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart. I have family there, people who touch me with their sincerity every time I visit. But in the end, I have decided that Hong Kong is like a bad boyfriend... you'll always love him, but you know you just can't be together. :P
So I'll enjoy my occasional visits, especially now that I'm so close by, but I think I can finally put that vague desire to live in Hong Kong to rest.
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