Teenage memories

When I was a teenager in Miami, I developed a taste for Hong Kong Pop music, of all things. With the popularity of karaoke in Asia and hot new stars, I strangely ignored the American scene and went back to my roots. Of course, this is a big reason why I speak Cantonese without an accent, so it was all for the good. And tonight, due to an old friend's generosity, I got to take a trip down my memory lane.

Finally got to go to the Hong Kong Coliseum!

I wasn't a huge Sally Yeh fan, but liked her enough to own a few cassette tapes. (Ha! Remember those?) She also hasn't put out new music in at least a decade, so I figured that I would recognize at least half her songs.

The stadium before the concert. We got great seats!

I wonder if it is every generation's ego that makes them think that they are cooler than the last. As Sally sang and danced across the stage, I wondered if mine was the first generation to stay so hip and energetic. And then she mentioned that she just turned 51. FIFTY ONE?!?! Three hours of belting out songs at full volume, dancing in 3 inch heels and she's 51!?? Amazing.

Yeah, the camera zoom doesn't work so well. This was outfit #2 of 5.

I did end up recognizing over half the songs, and the best were the ones I haven't heard in years. They sharply took me back to when I was a teenager listening to these songs in my room (sorry Pui, for blaring them so loudly!).

Guest stars: her stepson, and husband!

I'm glad I got to experience a live concert in Hong Kong, and from an artist whose songs I know! I have less than a week left here, and this was a very fun way to close out my trip.

REAL Chinese food... it ain't General Tso's chicken!

I am stuffed and I am sleepy. So just a few uploads from dinner tonight, which was another feast with the relatives! Unbelievably, I think I only took pictures of about half of the dishes we ate!

Grilled pork chops dusted with a Chinese spice. The meat was really
juicy and flavorful!

Fried intestines (pork? beef?). The outer layer was very crispy, while
the inner layer was chewy. Surprisingly, only slightly gamey tasting.

Fish. This was actually fried, and the meat was unbelievably flaky.

Hm. How do I describe this dish without making it sound completely
unappetizing? It's a baked egg dish, mixed with fish intestines,
topped with crunchy cruller/dough. It was really delicious!

Specialty of the house; chicken marinated in a sweet soy sauce.
The chicken was extremely fresh, and the meat very tender!

Spicy hotpot with beef. A lethal combination of chili oil, peppers, and
a few Szechuan peppercorns. 

Only in Hong Kong!

I can't imagine that the dishes I had today could be found anywhere other than here... truly a Hong Kong specialty!

Wai Kee's Noodle Cafe (維記咖啡粉麵)is well known and documented online. Tons of visitors come every year to try something that doesn't sound particularly delicious to the Western palate: noodles topped with pork liver. I'm usually fairly ambivalent about pork liver, and so this was not on my to-visit list even though I had read good reviews online. But my cousin was particularly enthusiastic about it, and so we went together to try this special dish.

Noodles with pork liver and pan-fried spam!

This was amazingly tasty!! The noodles were standard instant ramen, but well-cooked with a good springy texture. The soup base was rich with the taste of pork. The liver wasn't gamey tasting, or mealy at all. It was light, with a firm texture. Surprisingly, this would be something that I can see myself regularly having a craving for.

Another very Asian dish is the Kaya french toast. Kaya is Malaysian, I believe, for a kind of coconut jam. The jam is spread between two slices of white toast, which is then coated in an egg mixture and fried.

Not the greatest picture; but be assured that it was mighty tasty!

After such a fulfilling meal, we took a nice stroll around Hong Kong's Temple Street before heading over to have dessert: steamed custards at Yee Shun Dairy Company (港澳義順牛奶公司). Originally a Macau-based restaurant, it has since expanded to Hong Kong.

On the left: steamed milk custard. On the right: steamed egg custard

The custard was much more delicate than a creme brulee (gah, too lazy to put in all the accents), or flan. It was very subtle in its sweetness, and was really silky smooth in texture. Altogether a soothing dessert rather than an overwhelming one. Overall, it was a fun night of eating!

Ready to eat!

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Okay, I admit it. I've been doing things OTHER than eating. Amazing, right? Here are some pictures of my favorite pieces at the Museum of Art, which had a comprehensive Chinese ceramics display.

Vase with Twisted Handle (2400-2000 B.C.)

Pottery Vase (Western Han Period, 206 B.C - 8 A.D.).
Doesn't this look amazingly like modern art??

Hey... doesn't this next mythical beast remind you of a Final Fantasy monster?

Mythical Beast (Western Jin Period, 265 - 316 A.D.)

Behemoth, Final Fantasy monster and sometimes-summon

Pear-shaped vase (Yuan Dynasty, 1271 - 1368)
So pretty and delicate!

Rhinoceros horn cup (Early Qing Dynasty, 1650 - 1750)

Bamboo brush-rest in the shape of nine chi-dragons (18th century)

Bamboo Lui Hai with three-legged toad (all right,
you can't tell me that Chinese people don't have
a sense of humor!)

Bamboo elephant and man (early 18th century)

I was probably most surprised at some of the glass-work, which featured sharp contrasts in color and were very vividly beautiful.

Glass vase with dragon design in transparent red
overlay and opaque white ground (Qing Dynasty,
Qianlong Period, 1736 - 1795)

Glass vase with crane and deer design in yellow
overlay and opaque turquoise background (Late 18th
century/ early 19th century)

Glass vase with chi-dragon design in blue overlay
on opaque white background (Qing dynasty,
Qianlong Period, 1736 - 1795)

More Family Time!

On the agenda today: more family time, with my dad's side of the family!

What do my peoples do when they get together? EAT, of course!

It was incredibly nice to see everyone (although my cousins don't seem to age at all! What is their secret??) and to spend some time just chatting. For dinner, we had an Around the World feast, with food from half a dozen different cuisines! It was so much food, and a lot of fun too!

Japanese sushi, Italian prosciutto, Chinese roast pork, German cheese...
what a fun meal!

One of several desserts: ice cream mooncake from Haagen-Daz

Look who is waiting under the table for scraps!

Memories....

This post is really for my mom and dad, because it features mostly places that won't be familiar to many people except for them. Ah, but what is a homecoming trip, if one does not take a stroll down memory lane?

(Granted, my memories are the extremely fuzzy, I-was-5-years-old! type)

Although this used to be smaller, this building is where my mom
used to work as a nurse. Also: I was born here!

Looks new and modern!

I'm sure things didn't look like this when I was a baby!

My childhood home. I know I lived in two
separate apartments in this complex; was it the 9th
floor and 11th? Anyway, it looks pretty good for
such an old building. It's been repainted recently.

Let's see if my parents recognize this one. Answer below!

Ta da! My maternal grandfather lived here, and I remember really enjoying
my visits here. Except when I had to drink really bitter Chinese
medicinal soup! This building has since been bought out though,
and should be demolished soon to make way for new condos.

After a morning of walking around, which I have to thank my 4th uncle for, we made our way to partake in the popular Hong Kong weekend ritual of dim sum. The beauty of having dim sum with a table-ful of people is that you can order a lot of different things to eat!

Lots of food options. Everything was really fresh, not too oily, and tasty!

Many thanks to 四舅父, 四舅母 and family for their hospitality!

I've been eating... a lot.

It probably seems as if all I'm doing in Hong Kong is eating, if my recent posts have been any indication. And it would... be mostly correct! I can't help it; there are so many street vendors and restaurants. Also, people in Hong Kong have a fourth major meal (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner)... it's a 3pm tea-time, which is another excuse to go have something yummy!

Poached chicken, with a garlicky spicy sauce. This
was probably half a small chicken, with white rice.
Add a cold drink for an extra $2 HKD, and this meal
cost $32 HKD, or about $4 USD.

My parents' favorite fast food chain in HK: Cafe de Coral (大家樂).

I ordered the pork and octopus with rice in a clay pot. The dish was okay;

I found some of the rice undercooked. The best part of the meal was the
red bean iced drink; so cold and refreshing. Total cost of this meal was
$39 HKD, or about $5 USD.

Close-up of grilled cuttlefish balls, from a street
vendor. The slightly crisp outsides went well with
the soft, warm insides. So yummy! $9 HKD for
the skewer, or slightly over $1 USD.

I have to make my way through Chinese desserts as well. This is a mango
pudding, topped with fresh mangoes and slightly sweetened milk. This
was much less sweet than Western desserts, but very refreshing.
$17 HKD, or just a tad over $2 USD.

Besides snack-y meals, I also had the chance to have some delicious food while catching up with an old friend!

Chiu Chow style marinated cold plate. There was pork, egg, and tofu.

Shrimp and bean thread with XO Sauce, cooked in clay pot.

Black Pepper Beef with Broccoli.