Drunk Chicken Props Up Rice Lid 醉 雞 撐 飯 蓋 Not long after I started learning Cantonese, I learned 死 雞 撐 飯 蓋 (sei2 gai1 chaang1 faan6 goi3), a cute and interesting saying that literally means "the dead chicken props up the rice lid." When a dead, whole chicken is placed in a pot, either because of nerve reflexes or rigor mortis, it is not unusual for the legs to stick straight up, thereby propping open the pot lid. But of course, the chicken is already dead, and any kicking or propping by the legs won't do any good. So 死 雞 撐 飯 蓋 actually applies to a situation where someone already is a goner or in trouble and yet tries some futile move to avoid the inevitable. Something like grasping at straws.

Yesterday, I got to see 死 雞 撐 飯 蓋 for the first time. A couple of weeks ago, 星 島 日 報 (sing1 dou2 yat6 bou3) the Singtao Daily published a recipe for 醉 雞 (jeui3 gai1) drunk chicken by 曾 太 jang1 taa12, the wife of HK Chief Executive 曾 蔭 權 Donald Tsang. I decided to go first class and bought a freshly-killed 走 地 黃 毛 雞 (jau2 dei6 wong4 mou4 gai1) free range chicken. Following the recipe, I marinaded the chicken and then placed it feet up in a pot to steam it. That's when I saw the chicken's legs propping the pot lid open 死 雞 撐 飯 蓋! By the way, the 醉 雞 drunk chicken tasted great, better than the small, cold servings that I sometimes get at Shanghai restaurants. Love that flavor of 紹 興 酒 (siu6 hing1 jau2) Shaoxing liquor.

I just got an email from my health club, 24 Hour Fitness, telling me that I can use the California Fitness clubs in HK free for 30 days. That's because of a reciprocal agreement between 24 Hour Fitness and California Fitness. So that gives me at least one great place to work out when I go to HK in May. I will have to figure out which location is most convenient--Mong Kok, Hunghom (Whampoa Garden), or Tsim Sha Tsui. The real question is: Which one has the cutest women? It should be fun to compare the HK gym with my local gym and to take a few exercise or weight training classes. I wonder whether the instructors use Cantonese or English.

I have a legal calendar in my office that has daily sayings. Some of them are pretty funny. Here are my recent favorites:

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music. -- Groucho Marx

From Actual Court Records
Attorney: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning?
Witness: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
Attorney: And why did that upset you?
Witness: My name is Susan.

In his will, German poet Heinrich Heine left his entire estate to his wife, provided she remarry, "because then there will be at least one man to regret my death."  ¶ 6:17 PM