Hip Hop & Barbecued Pork Hella funky! That’s how I would describe the House Jacks, a group that I saw at the Freight & Salvage on Saturday. On their website, they describe themselves as a “rock group without instruments.” Going to the show, I didn’t know much about the House Jacks’ music but was expecting smooth harmonies from them. What I wasn’t expecting was the funky beat that they create with their voices. I have never heard anything like it before. They sounded like a hip hop band with occasional tastes of gospel, soul, and even country. That’s incredible when you realize that they do it all with their voices (no musical instruments). The House Jacks are scheduled to perform in Japan in November, but I don't see anything scheduled for HK. If HK likes hip hop, I'll bet they would like the House Jacks.

On Sunday, I travelled up to Sacramento to visit friends. Whenever I go up there, I stop by an excellent Chinese restaurant called 順 風 海 鮮 酒 家 New Canton Restaurant. The owners evidently come from 廣 東 省 Guangdong Province, and the food is authentic and excellent. Our meal on Sunday was 黑 椒 牛 柳 條 (hak1 jiu1 ngau4 lau2 tiu4) peppered beef strips and sliced peppers seared on a hot plate, 豉 汁 蒸 殼 蠔 (si6 jap1 jing1 hok6 hou4) steamed fresh oysters with black bean sauce, 蒜 蓉 芥 蘭 (sun3 yung4 gaai3 laan2) stir-fried Chinese broccoli with minced garlic, and 密 汁 叉 燒 (mat6 jap1 cha1 siu1) sliced barbecued pork. The entire meal was good, but the barbecued pork was the best--tender, moist, and flavorful.

I am totally addicted to 叉 燒 barbecued pork and have often wondered what HK restaurant has the best 叉 燒. Fortunately, I have a good tip. I'll share it in a few days.  ¶ 9:00 PM