The Sea Lions Are Back Today, while jogging along the waterfront, I heard a loud barking sound. But it wasn’t a dog. It was a sea lion! I work near a wide strait where the Sacramento River (fresh water) flows into the San Francisco Bay (salt water). Each year around this time, the sea lions swim into this area, and I can hear their barking as I ride my bike or jog near the water. I don’t know what brings the sea lions into this area for a few days each year, but it probably is the fish, which start to run upstream about this time. In Cantonese, seal is 海 狗 hoi2 gau2 (literally, sea dog), and sea lion evidently is 海 獅 hoi2 si1 (sea lion).

I have been wondering lately what it would be like for me to get my first haircut in Hong Kong. Would I have any trouble describing what style I want? Would I be able to keep up a conversation during the haircut? On Sunday, I had an experience that gave me a preview. When I went to my local hair salon, I noticed that the young woman cutting my hair looked like she might be from HK. So I took a chance and asked her. It turns out that she comes from 廣 州 gong2 jau1 Guangzhou and loves to speak Cantonese. I ended up speaking nothing but Cantonese with her the whole time, talking about food, family, houses, and everything else under the sun. What a fun time and a confidence builder for me. I should have no trouble with haircuts in HK.

Although I'm not sure, I think that the hair stylist from Guangzhou probably came to the U.S. as a "mail order bride." She's married to an American-born Chinese who does not speak any Chinese. Believe it or not, that kind of marriage still happens in this day and age. Last December, when I was flying back from HK, the young woman in the seat next to me was traveling from HK to the U.S. to get married. She had never been to the U.S. before and seemed a little uneasy about what awaited her in this new country. She looked so young and innocent to me, but when I thought about her situation, it seemed strangely romantic.

If I don't start blogging some more about food, they're going to take away my 為 食 鬼 title. For some reason, many Westerners do not like to eat fish or seafood at Chinese restaurants. That's not the case with me. Ever since I was a boy growing up in Canada eating fish 'n chips, I have loved fish and seafood. Chinese food is no exception. Here are some of my favorite fish and seafood items:

蠔 hou4 oyster(s) 豉 汁 蒸 殼 蠔 steamed oysters on the half shell with black bean sauce or 薑 蔥 生 蠔 煲 oyster clay pot with ginger and scallions
蜆 hin2 clam(s) 豉 汁 炒 蜆 stir-fried clams with black bean sauce
鮑 魚 baau1 yu2 abalone
魷 魚 yau4 yu2 squid 蝦 醬 鮮 魷 squid in shrimp sauce
墨 魚 mak6 yu2 octopus 墨 魚 丸 octopus balls
[to be continued]  ¶ 8:21 PM 0 comments

  A Petty Heartbreaker The quintessential American rock ‘n roll band. That’s what I would call Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I was lucky enough to have tickets to their show on Saturday night at the Greek Theater, a 102-year old classical amphitheater on the University of California Berkeley campus. Walking up the road to the entrance, I ran a gauntlet of people asking to buy tickets to this sold-out concert. By the time I got into the theater, the opening band, the Black Crowes, was already playing its first song. For the next hour or so, they played a high energy set of gospel- or soul-flavored rock. The crowd seemed to like the Black Crowes, but their music did not appeal to me. I was there for the main act.

After a 50-minute wait, during which the crew rearranged the stage and repeatedly tested the equipment, the crowd was getting restless. But once Tom Petty and his band appeared, the music was worth the wait. They were on stage about two hours, playing many of my favorites–-Refugee, I Won’t Back Down, Free Falling, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, American Girl, etc. During the whole set, the sound was tight and perfectly blended, with superb musicianship. The songs generally sounded as good or better than the CD. And the light show that accompanied the music was spectacular. It resembled a huge mosaic on the screen behind the stage, with geometric scenes that varied from bright lights to close-ups of the band members playing and singing.

The crowd, which must have totaled about 10,000, was energized the entire time. Many stood up dancing the whole time. During certain songs, the audience sang along loudly, obviously knowing and loving the lyrics. I had a great view from my seat. It was near the center about half way back in the theater–-close enough to see the band clearly but far enough to not be deafened by the music. The acoustics and sight lines in the Greek Theater are hard to beat.

This show probably will be my musical highpoint for this year, but I also have tickets for the Green Day concert in September. Green Day just got a bunch of awards at the the MTV Video Music Awards, so they should be pretty hot. It will be interesting to compare the sound of Green Day’s modern punk with Tom Petty’s classic rock ‘n roll.

When I go to HK next year, I would love to see a Cantopop concert. It will be interesting to see what acts will be playing when I am in town and how difficult it would be to get tickets.  ¶ 8:37 PM 0 comments

  Something Fishy Something fishy is going on in Hong Kong. I have been reading that HK consumers have stopped buying one of my favorite foods--鳗 魚 maan6 yu2 or 鱔 sin6 (eels). How come? HK health authorities have been checking eels brought in from Mainland China and have found traces of 孔 雀 石 綠 hung2 jeuk3 sek6 luk6 (malachite green), a suspected carcinogen used as an industrial dye and a fungicide in aquaculture. It seems that the health authorities and the eel vendors have been playing a cat and mouse game. While the health authorities check into the problem, the government has barred the import of eels from Mainland China and pressured eel vendors to destroy any questionable eels. The eel vendors, being sharp business owners, want the government to order a recall, so the eel vendors will receive compensation for any eels that have to be destroyed. Some vendors have even increased their prices, hoping to get more compensation in the event a recall is ordered. In the meantime, it seems that HK consumers are voting with their pocketbook--they have stopped buying eels.

The first time that I tried eel was in a wonderful restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan called 山 西 餐 聽 Shanxi Restaurant. Ever since then, I have loved eel. Here in the Bay Area, I occasionally order 韮 黃 炒 白 鳝 (white eel stir-fried with yellow chives) or 韮 黃 炒 黃 鳝 (yellow eel stir-fried with yellow chives). I hope that the eel problem is straightened out by the time I arrive in HK next year. It would be a shame to miss out on one of my favorites. That's what happened to me last year in Macau. I wanted to try a Macanese duck dish called 血 鴨 hyut3 ngaap3 (blood duck) but couldn't get it at the restaurant because of an avian flu scare.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Hit & Run Rice Noodles Last night, at the last moment, I decided to go to a concert to see a young bluegrass group from Colorado. Their name is Hit & Run, and they're fresh from winning first place in a national bluegrass competition in Nashville, Tennessee. According to the concert description, Hit & Run plays authentic, yet contemporary bluegrass and has been compared to Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek--two young bands that I have been waiting to see. They ended up sounding even better than I expected. Hit & Run's lead singer, Rebecca Hoggan, has a strong, spirited voice that probably is among the top five female voices that I have ever heard. Besides that, she (mid 20s, blonde) is seriously hot. Other strong points are the band's polished vocal harmony and their excellent dobro guitar, mandolin, and flatpick guitar playing. What an enjoyable evening!

I promised to finish the story about 米 線 mai2 sin3 (rice noodles) in Hong Kong:

Yunnan Province has more varieties of rice noodles than Hong Kong does. The production of rice noodles can be divided into two large categories. With one type, before the rice is ground into flour, it first goes through fermentation. That type, which is popular in the area around 昆 明 Kunming, feels softer, carries a sour taste, and is called 酸 獎 米 線. The other type doesn't go through fermentation and is called 乾 獎 米 線. It feels firmer and is the type most commonly eaten in Hong Kong today. Formerly, there were some shops in HK that sold the first type. However, only Yunnan people like the sour flavor. HK people wouldn't accept it. Rice noodles spoil easily, and there wasn't any way to maintain the business catering to the few Yunnan people in HK. That's the reason why you can't find the the first type (酸 獎 米 線) in HK today. Yunnan people use 紅 米 (red rice), 黑 糯 米 (black sticky rice), 紫 米 (purple rice), etc. to make rice noodles. However, noodles made with 白 米 (white rice) have the smoothest feel and are best known.

There are even more ways to cook rice noodles than there are rice noodle varieties. Of the ten most common methods, 過 橋 go3 kiu4 (cross the bridge) is the most common. Besides that, there's also 小 鍋 siu2 wo1 (small pot--the rice noodles and other ingredients are placed in a pot and cooked, thus causing the rice noodles to pick up the flavor of the ingredients), 酸 辣 (hot and sour), 涼 拌 (cool tossed), etc.

Although rice noodles have a long history in Yunnan, they have only become popular in HK within the past ten years. It used to be that HK people did not know what rice noodles (米 線) were, and all the ingredients had to be brought in from Yunnan Province. Perhaps the oldest rice noodle shop in HK started in the old section of 荃 灣 chun4 waan1 Tsuen Wan, where rents were cheaper and quite a few new immigrants from Yunnan had settled down. As more people came to try the rice noodles, it attracted more competition. Within a ten-year period, not only did more than ten shops appear in the area, but there were five alone on short 路 德 園 lou6 dak1 yun4, turning it into a special rice noodle district (米 線 區).

The rice noodle business in HK isn't as good as it once was, in part because the younger generation isn't willing to take over the grueling work. Interestingly enough, the HK health authorities have forced a change in the traditional rice noodle cooking methods. In Yunnan, the ingredients to make 過 橋 米 線 are cooked by placing them raw into hot soup stock. (Note: that's the way I had it recently in Vancouver.) In HK, however, the health authorities have insisted that the ingredients be pre-cooked in soup stock, and that's the way that HK rice noodle shops make 過 橋 米 線. There may be some HK shops that follow the traditional method, but they are subject to prosecution by the health authorities.

According to the article, the following are two of the best shops for rice noodles:

雲 南 過 橋 米 線
地 址: 荃 灣 亨 和 街 96 號 地 下
電 話: 24902013

彩 雲 南
地 址: 銅 鑼 灣 信 德 街 18 號 地 下
電 話: 28818992

Isn't that more than you ever wanted to know about rice noodles?  ¶ 9:00 PM 1 comments

  My Weird Habits I have been tagged by two other bloggers to list my weird habits. I don’t know whether these are all that weird, but here goes:

My weird eating habits:
(1) When eating in a restaurant, I always use hot tea to clean my chopsticks, no matter how clean or elegant the restaurant is.
(2) If I really like a dish, I will eat it to the last grain of rice or last drop (i.e., leave absolutely nothing on the plate).
(3) When bringing my lunch to work, I am not afraid to bring smelly but tasty dishes like 鹹 魚 雞 粒 豆 腐 煲 (salted fish, chicken, and toufu hot pot) or 蝦 醬 鮮 魷 (stir-fried squid in shrimp sauce).
(4) I tend to save my favorite dish for the last, so that the taste will linger in my mouth.
(5) I am absolutely nuts about 四 川 腐 乳 (hot bean curd) and love to eat it with many dishes, especially 枝 竹 羊 腩 煲 (goat and dried bean curd hot pot).

Other weird habits:
(1) When I borrow a library book and see that few or no people have checked it out before, I worry that I am weird or out of step.
(2) My back tends to itch, and I love back scratching, rubbing, etc. (probably a throwback to childhood).
(3) I must have a big bladder, because I can go the whole day without going to the bathroom, especially when on a long hike or trip.

Tomorrow, I will try to finish the story about 米 線 (rice noodles) in Hong Kong.  ¶ 9:00 PM 2 comments

  Let's Talk Turkey

Saturday was a hectic day, but I at least managed to go 飲 茶 yam2 cha4 at 牡 丹 閣 Peony Restaurant in Oakland. This time, they had a new variety of 點 心 dim2 sam1 called 膶 腸 卷 yeun2 cheung2 gyun2 (liver sausage rolls). It’s a variation on 臘 腸 卷 laap6 cheung2 gyun2, only instead of using 臘 腸 laap6 cheung2 (reddish Chinese sausage), they use 膶 腸 yeun2 cheung2 (Chinese sausage made with duck liver, dark brown or black in color).

While trail jogging on Sunday, I ran across my friends the wild turkeys at the same place where I saw them the first time. Again there was a flock of 10-20 birds that quickly ran away as soon as they caught sight of me. It looks like the turkeys have moved into the area where I do my jogging. I look forward to seeing more of them.

Later Sunday, I drove down to Pleasanton Ridge to check out different trail access points. Turning up a narrow lane, what should I see but m-o-r-e wild turkeys foraging in an adjacent field. On the way back down the lane, a couple of turkeys ran across the lane in front of my car. It was surprising how quickly the turkeys moved. By the time I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car, they had disappeared into the creek. Determined to get a picture of the elusive turkeys, I hid behind a bush and waited for some more to cross the road (see above photos; click to enlarge). The top photo is a female (hen) turkey. The bottom one appears to be a male (tom) turkey.

In Cantonese, turkey is called 火 雞 fo2 gai1 (fire chicken). I have the impression that turkey probably is not very popular in Hong Kong. Most Chinese consider turkey to be dry and not very tasty. When I was young, I used to prefer the white meat of the turkey. Now, after years of eating Chinese food, my taste has switched to dark meat. (Note: The turkey I eat is the domesticated variety sold at the market. I do not eat wild turkeys.)  ¶ 9:00 PM 2 comments

  Turkeys and Rice Noodles This week, I continued to see my deer friends while trail jogging up in the hills. On Tuesday, some new friends that I had never seen before appeared--wild turkeys. Jogging down a narrow trail, I suddenly saw a flock of 10-20 turkeys. They didn't stick around to look at me. Crashing through the brush as they ran away, the turkeys were gone in a few seconds. I hope to see them again.

Wednesday night found me at the Freight & Salvage Coffee House, another of my favorite music venues in Berkeley. There are two reasons why I like the Freight so much. With its small size, you are almost guaranteed to get a good seat. And the Freight attracts a wide variety of musical performers, from bluegrass to jazz to folk, with lots of traditional, acoustic music. Wednesday's program was Beppe Gambetta, an acclaimed flatpick guitar player from Genoa, Italy, and David Grisman, a master on the mandolin who plays a mix of bluegrass, gypsy, and other music styles. I really enjoyed the way these two masters blended their music together, especially the Italian-American songs that they played. One song was so soft and peaceful that it almost put me to sleep like a lullaby.

Lately, I have been reading an article about rice noodles 米 線 mai2 sin3 in Hong Kong. The first time that I tried 米 線 was when I went to 桂 林 Guilin in 2001. Since then, I didn't eat it again until I went to Vancouver last month. According to the article, while 米 線 is most widespread in 雲 南 Yunnan Province, it also can be found in 湖 南 Hunan Province and 廣 東 Guangdong Province, where it is called by different names. The Hunanese 湖 南 人 call it 榨 粉, and the Cantonese 廣 東 人 call it 米 粉. The taste and appearance are different, but all are made with the same ingredients--rice and water. In Yunnan, since each household eats 米 線, 米 線 shops can be seen everywhere, and it's common for a family to have 米 線 for three meals a day. Although 米 線 has a long history in Yunnan, it has become popular in Hong Kong only during the past 10 years. Next week, I will continue the story about 米 線 in Hong Kong.  ¶ 7:32 PM 4 comments

  The Case of the Elderly Butcher We all have heard of love triangles. But sometimes the geometry of love can be more complex. Would you believe a love pentagon involving one woman and four men? That’s what is emerging from a sex case that must be the talk of 柴 灣 Chai Wan Chaai4 Waan1.

The case revolves around 阿 英 Ah Ying A3 Ying1, a small woman (小 巧) with an ordinary appearance who lives with her son and grandchildren. Judging from her nicknames–-盲 雞 英 "blind chicken Ying" and 矇 豬 英 "blind pig Ying"-–Ah Ying doesn’t sound like a stunning beauty (unfortunately, the newspaper didn’t print her photo). For a woman with an ordinary appearance, Ah Ying had great success in attracting older men. It seems that her MO (modus operandi) was to show up at 4:00 in the afternoon when the old men gathered to talk about the latest news. Since Ah Ying routinely brought 滷 味 lou5 mei3 to the afternoon gatherings, she was welcomed by the old men, who reserved a place for her.

Ah Ying reportedly was closest with Mr. Yu 余 yu4, a 75-year-old man, who now has been charged with murder and assault. In what is being called the "Case of the Elderly Butcher" 阿 伯 屠 夫 案, the police suspect that Mr. Yu was involved in the following incidents:

June 29, 2005 – Mr. Lee 李 Lei5, a 70-year-old man, was injured in an attack
July 17, 2005 – Mr. Chiu 趙 Jiu6, a 64-year-old electronics businessman and factory owner, was injured when he was hit in the head with a hammer while at a tea house with Ah Ying (the attacker wore a baseball hat and mask)
August 4, 2005 – Mr. Gong 江 Gong1, a 76-year-old man, was killed when he was hit in the head with a hammer while at a tea house with Ah Ying

According to neighbors, Ah Ying previously travelled with Mr. Yu to Hainan 海 南 Hoi2 Laam4, paying more than 3,000 HK dollars for the trip. The suspect, Mr. Yu, was scheduled to make a court appearance on August 13. So far, it looks like Ah Ying has not been charged with any crimes and is in the clear.  ¶ 9:00 PM 3 comments

  Rabbit Princess


Sunday’s hike had animals at the beginning and the end and lots of scenery in between. Not far from the trailhead, three deer (2 adults with a fawn in the middle) dashed across a grass field into dense creekside vegetation and then emerged in another grass field on the other side of the creek. It was impressive how fast they ran, covering a half mile in just a few seconds.

Near the end of the hike, a small animal suddenly ran across the trail in front of me. It turned out to be an adorable rabbit that stopped in the brush to look at me. Hurrying to get the camera out of my backpack without scaring the bunny, I was surprised that she stayed still for me to take her portrait (see photo).

The place where I was hiking is a ridge called Las Trampas, which means “the traps” in Spanish. It’s a place that always brings back good memories for me because I used to hike and play there as a teenager. Views from the ridge are beautiful, especially of Mount Diablo (see photo), which means “devil” in Spanish. With its 3849-foot elevation, Mount Diablo dominates the local landscape. According to legend, Mount Diablo got its name from a battle between local Indians and Spanish soldiers that occurred near the mountain. At the height of the battle, a scary Indian who looked like a devil suddenly appeared and scared the Spanish away. It’s hard to say whether the legend is true, but it makes a colorful story.

Driving home from the hike and admiring the roadside scenery, I suddenly saw something that made me feel like I was in Africa. It was a zebra (see photo). Now that's something you usually don't see in my local area!

When I was in Hong Kong in 2001, I visited 長 洲 cheung4 jau1 Cheung Chau to check out the sights and restaurants there. One thing I wanted to see was 張 保 仔 洞 jeung1 bou2 jai2 dung6, a cave with a colorful history like Mount Diablo’s. At first, I had trouble locating the cave, but I ended up running into three women who also were looking for it. Joining forces, we found the cave entrance and used the flashlight in my backpack to climb through the narrow, pitch-black cave. It was fun and exciting to imagine that we were exploring the hideout of the infamous pirate 張 保 仔. I was tempted to dig in the cave for buried treasure!  ¶ 9:00 PM 4 comments

  Typhoon Season 打 風 季 節 Saturday night, while eating dinner (清 蒸 塘 虱 ching1 jing1 tong4 sat1 steamed catfish) at 迎 賓 樓 China King Restaurant, I heard the couple next to me say that they just had returned from Hong Kong. They said it was 熱 yit6 hot, 濕 sap1 wet, and 打 風 da2 fung1 stormy. That's similar to an email that I just got from my contact S, who is in HK on a business trip: "By the way, it's "bucketing" down with rain here this week - August is typhoon season!"

When I lived in Taiwan for almost a year, I never got to experience a typhoon. Next year (May-July), when I go to HK, I certainly hope to be able to see at least one typhoon. Come on, HK. Don't disappoint me now.

Recently, I had a 客 家 haak3 ga1 Hakka dish called 梅 菜 扣 肉 mui6 choi3 kau3 yuk6. It consists of pork stewed with preserved vegetables. When I first started eating Chinese food, I didn't like this type of 家 鄉 菜 ga1 heung1 choi3 (home style cooking). However, the more Chinese food I eat, the more I find that I enjoy this type of food, too. When I was in HK last year, I didn't get to try a 客 家 restaurant. That's on my list to try next year.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Central Market
Recently, I saw an interesting description in Chinese of 中 環 市 場 jung1 waan4 si5 cheung4 Central Market, which is located on 皇 后 大 道 中 Queen’s Road Central between 域 多 利 皇 后 街 Queen Victoria Street and 租 庇 利 街 Jubilee Street:

After Hong Kong was established, the Chinese liked to gather on the Central waterfront to sell things. Because the peddlers mostly came from Guangzhou (Canton), people called that place 廣 州 市 場 gong2 jau1 si5 cheung4 Canton Bazaar. Much later, in 1895, the government constructed the Central Market in the same place. The Central Market, which belonged to the Victorian style, was three stories tall with a tower in the middle. This Central Market was torn down in 1937.

In April 1939, the present new Central Market was completed, officially opening in May. The ground floor chicken, duck, and fish stalls started in operation on May 3rd; the second story meat stalls on May 4th; the third story fruit and vegetable stalls on May 5th. During the period that Japan occupied Hong Kong, the name was changed to 中 央 市 場 jung1 yeung1 si5 cheung4. It resumed operation after the war.

For a more detailed description of the history and architecture of the Central Market, including some interesting photos, see "A Study on Historical and Architectural Context of Central Market" by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. Some things I didn’t know:
The entrance on Queen’s Road is on the second level because the market is on a sloping site.
The new market building that opened in 1939 was a design influenced by the modern architecture of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany. (My ancestors came from a village near there.)
The Central Market ceased operation in 2003 and presently is under consideration for preservation.

When I visited Hong Kong last year, I walked through all the districts from 堅 尼 地 城 Kennedy Town in the west to 鰂 魚 涌 Quarry Bay in the east. However, I didn’t do much exploring on the 九 龍 Kowloon side. Next year, when I go to Hong Kong, I plan to explore the districts in Kowloon (油 蔴 地, 紅 磡, 等 等) and the New Territories. There should be many more cool things to explore.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  Year of the Deer 鹿 年 My deer streak is still alive. I saw one today while trail jogging and another one last Sunday while hiking. Both of them ran away so quickly through the brush that I only saw them for a few seconds. With all the deer that I have seen this year, this year should be 鹿 年 luk6 lin4 (year of the deer) not 雞 年 gai1 lin4 (year of the rooster).

Some of my best animal memories are from the years that I spent as a young attorney in Redding, about 215 miles (350 km.) north of San Francisco. One time near sunset, as I was driving home from a court appearance in Alturas, I saw a migratory herd of wild deer (probably 50-100) running in a line near the side of the road. It’s a special feeling to see such a large herd and to experience the grandeur of nature in a wild, unspoiled condition. Another time near dawn, I was driving to a deposition (someone else’s, not mine) in Susanville in the middle of winter. The landscape was blanketed with heavy snow on both sides of the road. Suddenly, as I reached an open area, I noticed three pronghorn antelope approaching me through the snow. In few seconds, they were gone. That's the only time I have ever seen antelope, but I always will remember their gracefulness as they moved through the newly-fallen snow, blending in almost perfectly with it.

In 2001, when I was in Hong Kong, I took a hike with a group to 牌 額 西 坑 Pai Ngak West Stream in the 西 貢 Sai Kung area. One of the group was a botanist they called 靓 仔. As we hiked up the dry streambed and along various trails, 靓 仔 collected samples of all kinds of weird plants. When I go hiking next year in Hong Kong, I will be watching closely for animals. Judging from some online information, I will not be able to see deer, but with luck I may be able to see some wild cats, monkeys, Chinese porcupines, wild boars, squirrels, and bats.  ¶ 9:00 PM 4 comments

  Seeing a Person's Heart 見 人 心 One of my favorite Chinese sayings is 路 遙 知 馬 力, 日 久 見 人 心 lou6 yiu4 ji1 ma2 lik6, yat6 gau2 gin3 yan4 sam1. It translates as follows: It takes a long road to find out a horse’s strength, and it takes a long time to see a person’s heart. This saying is very true. If you know a person long enough, his or her real character eventually will come out. This can be positive or negative, depending upon whether the person shows a good side or bad side. In my life, I usually think of this saying when something bad happens--when someone deceives me, lies to me, or disappoints me. Even though I know that people can change over time, it doesn’t make it any easier to accept the truth. When someone who you thought was your friend, lover, or confidant turns out to be untrue or unreliable, it hurts! This is one thing that most depresses me about life.  ¶ 7:50 PM 1 comments

  Nature As Far As the Eye Can See Sunday was a good day for food and hiking. First, it was 飲 茶 yam2 cha4 at 牡 丹 閣 Peony Restaurant, one of my favorite tea houses. They had a new 點 心 dim2 sam1 that I had never heard of before–-香 芒 糯 米 慈 heung1 mong1 lo3 mai2 chi4. It resembled a sushi roll, with rice paste (mochi) and coconut flakes wrapped around a filling of fresh mango and mango pudding. Just writing this is making me hungry! Anyway, it was scrumptious. 食 過 一 次 就 上 0左 癮. I wonder whether they have this 點 心 in HK? It actually reminded me of a mango dessert that I had in 西 貢.

After 飲 茶, I finally got to go hiking in a place where I had wanted to to for a long time--Saratoga Gap. It's located up in the Santa Cruz Mountains southwest of San Jose and south of San Francisco. The hike was about 10 miles round trip, but the spectacular scenery made the distance and time pass quickly. My destination was Castle Rock Falls, a waterfall located in Castle Rock State Park. The trail there had unbelievable views. In one place, I looked over a vast forested area that probably exceeded 100 square miles. As far as the eye could see, there was no sign of human habitation. No roads, no houses, no people, no vehicles, no antennas, nothing except nature. It's unusual to find a place like that in the San Francisco Bay Area. As hot and dry as the weather has been lately, I was afraid that there would be no water at the waterfall. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise--a narrow ribbon of water cascading down a rock cliff about 100 feet high. What a peaceful, serene place!

On the way back from the hike, I stopped at one of my favorite Chinese shopping centers-- Milpitas Square 南 灣 Milpitas 環 球 廣 場, located near San Jose. This time, it was a quick dinner at Golden Island Restaurant 金 島 潮 州 酒 家, which specializes in Chaozhou cuisine. I ordered 沙 嗲 芥 蘭 牛 肉 (stir-fried beef with satay sauce and Chinese broccoli). Although that dish is a common one, it usually is a good indication of the chef's culinary skill. In this case, the beef was tender and juicy, and the vegetables were fresh and slightly crisp. Healthy and hard to beat.  ¶ 9:00 PM 0 comments

  White Ants 白 蟻 On Saturday, I spent several hours crawling under my house dressed in a funny-looking suit that looked and felt like a space suit. My suit consisted of heavy blue coveralls, a respirator with filters on both sides, and a baseball hat turned backwards. Whenever I talked or breathed with the respirator on, I sounded like Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies.

What was I doing in such a goofy-looking suit on a beautiful Saturday morning? Would you believe that I was after white ants 白 蟻 (baak6 ngai2)? That’s what they call termites in Cantonese, and that’s what I was doing–-spraying under my house to protect it against termites and to kill the ants that have invaded my kitchen this summer.

With help from my nextdoor neighbor G, the job took 2 to 3 hours. G brought over his airless sprayer, which is the kind that professional painters use to paint large houses and buildings. As I crawled around on the ground under the floor, shooting the spray everywhere, misty clouds swirled around. It’s a good thing that I had the respirator on, but even so, I still could smell the powerful chemicals from time to time.

With so many steel and concrete buildings, HK probably does not have much to attract termites. On the other hand, there must be at least some wooden buildings in HK. Also, I have heard that termites are so aggressive that they even will go after buildings that do not have wood in them. Somehow, I would be surprised if termites are not a problem in HK, too.  ¶ 6:27 PM 3 comments

  Networking in HK Recently, to prepare for my stay in HK next year, I had a long phone conversation with S, a construction consultant who works for a major international tax and accounting firm in San Francisco. I first met S in connection with a major construction lawsuit that I am handling. While interviewing S as a consultant/expert witness for that case, I learned that he had spent a lot of time in HK dealing with construction projects and disputes.

Here's what S told me about business opportunities and conditions in HK:

* Although HK is a major city with a big population, the business community tends to be small and close knit.
* News about any business activity travels around surprisingly fast.
* Most construction disputes are handled by a small circle of HK law firms. The large ones tend to be British, Australian, or American firms. The medium and small ones tend to be Chinese.
* For someone with my background in construction law and Cantonese, the best prospect probably would be one of the medium-sized Chinese law firms.
* Expat businessmen in HK often get together after work to socialize at pubs, clubs, or restaurants. A lot of useful and enjoyable networking occurs in those places.
* The key to getting a job in HK is networking. There is no substitute for meeting business contacts face-to-face over drinks or dinner and asking them for advice and referrals.
* Most expat businessmen like to go out for drinks or dinner and readily accept an invitation from a newcomer.
* If you go drinking with expats, especially Brits and Aussies, be prepared to drink a lot.
* Major construction activity in HK is winding down. Building construction still is going on, but it cannot compare with the huge public works projects that recently have been completed. As a result, some large British and European construction firms are leaving HK or scaling back their activities.
* The business climate in HK is becoming more challenging for foreign companies. Business is not as lucrative and easy as it used to be.
* Virtually every expat has his or her own exit strategy to return home. It is rare to find an expat who plans to live the rest of his or her life in HK.

Next year, when I go to HK to study Cantonese, I plan to check out job opportunities in the legal and construction fields. S has given me some good contacts, and I plan to network with them. It will be interesting to see how things go for me.

I promised to finish the Cantonese insect words:

蟻 ngai2 -- ant
蜜 蜂 mat6 fung1 -- bee
蝴 蝶 wu4 dip2 -- butterfly
蟋 蟀 sik1 seut1 -- cricket
蜻 蜓 ching1 ting4 -- dragonfly
烏 蠅 wu1 ying1 -- fly
草 蜢 chou2 maang2 -- grasshopper
蚊 man1 -- mosquito
飛 蛾 fei1 ngo4 -- moth
蜘 蛛 ji1 jyu1 -- spider
黃 蜷 wong4 hyun2 -- worm
飛 虫 fei1 chung4 -- flying insect (any kind)

I’m saving one more as a surprise. (Hint–-it has some connection with what I’ll be doing this weekend.) Stay tuned for my report.  ¶ 8:00 PM 0 comments

  Jogging in Hong Kong Not much blogworthy happened this weekend. Pretty much all work and no play. The best thing was a dinner on Saturday at Fook Yuen Seafood Restaurant 馥 苑 海 鮮 酒 家 in Millbrae. I ordered 無 錫 骨 mou4 sek6 gwat1, a braised pork dish served in a hot pot. It comes with a sauce that resembles sweet and sour but not as sweet. 無 錫 (Wuxi in Mandarin pinyin) is a city near Shanghai in Jiangsu Province 江 蘇 省 in China. I assume that the dish originated there, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the 無 錫 骨 that I ordered at Fook Yuen was tasty, not too fatty, and ample in quantity. 幾 送 得 飯.

Today (Monday), I went trail jogging over lunch hour with my friends B and A. Lately, I have been thinking about the jogging or trail jogging possibilities in HK. When I was in Macau last year, I found a great place to jog--a paved path that circles the hill where the Guia Fortress and Lighthouse 東 望 洋 山 堡 壘 are located. Not only were the views of Macau and the water spectacular, but there was a good mix of local joggers. Afterwards, when I went to HK, I was looking for a comparable jogging route near my hotel in Tsimshatsui 尖 沙 咀. First, I looked at the path that runs along the waterfront, but it looked too crowded. I ended up jogging around Kowloon Park 九 龍 公 園, but it also was very crowded and did not have a convenient circular route. Besides, I saw only one other jogger during my loop around the park. I'm hoping to find something better when I go to HK next year. Perhaps Shatin 沙 田, with its hilly terrain and pretty parks, will offer something better.  ¶ 7:47 PM 0 comments