Travel to Hong Kong – Episode 233

Pak

Being born & raised in HK, it’s exciting to send in my comments on this episode.

1. Shamshuipo is a traditionally very blue-collar district, hence perhaps contribute to the impression that English is less used. Also after 1997, this area has been popular with the new immigrants from the Mainland, exactly bcos of its affordability as mentioned. The new comers usually have had less exposure to English than native population.
2. Central (the Middle Bay in Chinese) used to be the main piers for the British in the 1800’s, & then became the banking district later. The wealthy merchants & gov officials built their mansions on the steep hillside just behind the harbour. The Peak Tram was built for the rich folks to commute home & work comfortably, & at the time in state-of-the-art style.
3. The golden statues in the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple should be loosely considered as the equivalents of “Saints” instead. They are actually mostly human but legendarily devout Buddhists who often have special saintly attributes (eg Mr Fantastic). Think Ste Agathe – she is often depicted with her breasts on a platter.
4. The wide variety of delicious pastry, shown in the show pix, is actually a recent import from Japan. The egg tart (plain custard) is a native invention from the 40’s, & is thought to be a version of Pastel de Nata (w/ brown sugar) from the Portugese Macau nearby. “Paoloyow” means “Pineapple Bun w/ Butter”, where “Bow (Bun)” was dropped & “Yow (Grease)” was appended. Think “Frappucino”.
5. As a symbolic save-face, the Kowloon Walled City was created (agreed by both sides) to be the HQ of the Qing officials after the British took control of the colony. Within these few city blocks, the Qing Emperor still ruled until 1911. After, it became a virtually lawless slum since the Colonial Law did not apply there, & no police will enter this limbo land. Violence was usually not a big problem. However, the City was a haven for prostitution, drugs, unlicensed medical practices, & any contraband imaginable.

chris2x

Pak, thanks for the great info!

Agagooga

The main attraction for Singaporeans who go to Hong Kong seems to be eating and shopping. Unfortunately the historical aspect is not as strong as in Macau.

At the Giant Buddha, not only meat but also wine is forbidden. Which was quite amusing.

Delifrance is actually from Singaporean. Here it’s Halal, so they don’t serve wine (a French cafe with no wine?!) I saw it in Brussels… but not in France.

Are Ladies’ Nights so unusual? We have them in Singapore also. Maybe they’re a Chinese society thing? Which is an interesting commentary on gender dynamics in Chinese societies.

I’m told the standard of English has plummeted in Hong Kong since the handover.

Hong Kong is famous for roast pigeon and goose. Yung Kee is the most famous place for the latter.

The difference between Hong Kong and Macanese Egg Tarts goes beyond the carmalised brown sugar on top. The former usually have a short crust and the latter are more like filo pastry.

Dim Sum is a whole food genre by itself!