some pix of beijing

here are some pix of beijing.... despite what i said about the people and culture there, these are quite nice......

Do we live in Parking Spaces in Hong Kong?

Here's an email I received on how expensive things were getting in New York City:

Subject: Most expensive parking space?!

Waiting List for $225,000 Parking Space in Manhattan

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3374094


And here is my answer to those who live in Gotham Cities all over the world:

I don't know what others added, but if u consider the sq footage, it works out to $1,389 a sq ft. for parking spots in NYC ....

In Hong Kong, a small apartment in Happy Valley, a very popular expat area on the island is $1,290 a sq ft. ..... so there, u may not have a sink and toilets, but it ain't that expensive! That's why they have all these speculators..... and we'll be in for another financial crisis.... more bubbles and people crying for a rescue. How can u save a fool from his money?

Hong Kong's MTR system

Thought my readers might find this interesting and cute:

http://www.oddee.com/item_96720.aspx

But more so, that none of these are taken in the HK subway, or MTR, which i assume means metro transit railway? In any event, my value add is that I find that the MTR HK is one of, if not, the worse in the world. Very typically HK, it is very efficient, but not very effective. Basically, crowd control is carried to the extreme, with little effect. Terrain, up and down, are so varied, it would take less time to walk on the surface, etc, etc.....

And I have been in the subways, in just about every major city in the world.......

Temporary.... in Hong Kong.

Temporary

If there was an adjective that would describe Hong Kong… it is a very simply one….. ‘temporary’…….

It has always been a temporary kind of place…. From the present name… SAR as the special exception in china… to the days of the sun yat sen hideout to the opium wars…. It has always been a place of transition, change and inconstancy…… (would say incontinence, but that would only be a semi-malapropism…)

Maybe that’s why it is such a great place for entrepreneurship.. or every man for himself… or flush it down the toilet if u don’t know what it is… in a while… it’ll be gone or you’ll be gone…..

With the temporary nature is superficiality… everyone looks at everyone else… even when they are not looking…… appearances count and ‘never judge a book by its cover’ is oxymoron-ed against ‘a man is what he wears’, or that ‘clothes maketh the man’…..

New things as a result are always available and changing hands….. every time someone moves into a new place everything is thrown out…. If u rent a place in HKG, expect at least a new toilet….. something to do with anal retention…… I think….. lol…… perfectly good cabinetry is discarded and air cons are dumped unceremoniously …. It is cheaper to buy new than to have to refit and recycle…. So much for environmentalism ….

The extreme case is that at all these dinner conversations of buying a fuel-efficient car, like a yaris, or ….. fuel efficient yes… but status….? More rolls and Porsches per capita than anywhere else in the world…. And it’s not the cheapy boxsters, but top of the line turbo porsches and brand new Quattro TTs….. absolutely useless technology in HK!!!

Tipping in Hong Kong

Tipping in HKG

Another one of those idiosyncratic issues with eating and drinking out… how much to tip….? And how much to tip in Hong Kong?

There is no need to tip in HK…. when it’s a cheaper place they do not expect a tip, but any change is ok… as in HK$2-5…. (That’s like 30c to 70c!). When it’s a more expensive place they will add 10% service charge…. And even some dumpy places will add the 10%... so there is really no need to give any more….. Just make sure u check to see if they have added the service charge.

All larger restaurants that take credit cards add a 10% service charge and I have heard that it should be rounded up to the next $10. But I must say that only the regulars do this… they do not tip otherwise … at any restaurant. With what I think is 8 million restaurants in this small city…. I would say that the chances of going back to the same restaurant twice is pretty unlikely… unless u love the place and are a regular fixture… and there aren’t enough of these restaurants in my opinion to deserve this rating…..

If the restaurant has any ‘service’ at all, call ‘expensive’ … 10% is added so there is no more tip needed. And if the service is particularly good… in ‘cheaper’ restaurants… leave some change when paying the bill.. They will only take cash anyways

Anything on credit card will add 10%.... so unless the service is exceptional… or u are a regular, read been there 5 times of more…. just leave cash… up to another 10% of the face value….. but these restaurants, for tourists, would be few and far in between… they will never remember you anyway…..

Same thing with taxis… only foreigners tip and the only tip they expect are like lottery winnings they didn’t expect … I remember I used to leave the change, but the way they make change, it could be $15 on a $25 ride…. There are $10 bills and coins as well!!!

Tipping is to ensure prompt service and chances are they will never remember u anyways…… so if it is to ensure they remember who the hell u are… as if u care…. then leave a big tip…… I’ll bet u double or nothing, they won’t remember you, or the restaurant won’t be around within the month…..

HKG's pace, eating and golf.....

everything else is going really well .... as u know the pace of hk is such that money talks and all else is a matter of efficiency... to the extent of ineffectiveness....... fast is not always better... but it is fast in hk... everything .. from spending money to making it to using the metro.... one of the worse in the world......; to eating in a restaurant...the bums' rush....; to simply walking on the street... its like a squash game.... push the other guy out of the way...; holding doors for women .... don't think anyone here under 30 know what this is all about......lol.....

but then we don't have West Nile.... etc... found this out when i was trying to give blood to lower my ferritin.....

yes... eating is a participatory sport in HK..... everything centers around food and all meals are booked for meetings etc..... there is protocol etc.... and prices are relatively expensive.... at 6 to 1 HK to C$... a 200pp meals is only $30. that's very cheap considering how little Chinese actually drink at meals.... an avg business standard meal is around C$100 pp and the different variations are phenomenal.. depending on the location, the same chain will have different prices.....

it is truly 'what the market will bear' pricing in HK. call it entrepreneurship.....

how're things shaping out in Ottawa. Must be golf season again... Here people play in the winter as the summers are too humid and hot.... a game runs around US$100 or HK$800 a round... so expensive... enjoy ur value golf while it lasts.....

experimental kitchens........ in HKG

The size of a Hong Kong kitchen is NOT suitable for experimentation.

#2, i will have to know who this guy is and why he is saying what he is saying, before i can start experimenting......

This 'grand experimentation' with the chillies... if u want me to do any more u will have to give me more details...... and just huffing about me not getting to it is not the route to take..... (that's a polite way to say.... what the hell do u want me to do with this stuff? I have already told u I do not make chili sauces from this stuff.... and do u want to use it for cooking, for eating... what...? I can make up a sauce that is completely useless.... like cin's chillies...... and she has the staff.....!!!!).

If u ask me what I would do with it... I would say... add olive oil.... BUT.... to which one.... 1) just the chili skins... 2) the leftover ingredients, incl peppercorns, lemongrass, seeds, and meat skin or 3) just the meat skins..... with a little bit of the other stuff......

I have separated the contents into three sections.... the chicken skin... very little, but will provide the meat flavour.....; the chili skins.... which will provide the spicy hot flavour, which in turn essentially highlights the taste of the ingredient used, but adds a hot spicy flavour...; then there is a bunch of peppercorns, lemon grass and 'ripe' chillies skins and seeds, which is the 'numbing' ingredient in the szchewan style that has been popularized in HK at this point.... I say that because i have no idea whether this is the correct procedure to prepare a szchewan dish... and u will remember my comments at Lumiere about the ma po tofu..... as being more spicy than necessary, having eaten it just about all over the world.... except for modern HK.... so ... I think it is due to this last batch of ingredients, ie, the peppercorns, lemongrass, onions and misc spices that they perhaps put into the food.... causing that 'numbing' feeling....., that i am confused about....

(I can consult with andrew on the ma po tofu if u'd like...)

but back to the experimentation...... i will continue, but there is no room or anything and I would have to wash up the blender, every time i use... and I still don't know how to use it at this point.....

anyways.... i will keep these ingredients separate... and we can discuss.... and i don't know if i agree with throwing the chicken skins out or pork rinds... they are too small to determine what they are useful for .......

and last but not least, what do u want me to make for this guy?

and u know know that i only got up the gumption to do the jap noodles because we were give the ponzu sauce... otherwise i would have not bothered... as it is, I know what it is and have used before....kikoman has the same thing, but i think the specialness in this one is the fact that sobayama specializes in udon and other noodles, so their ponzo... is probably special... and yes i do taste the difference... but it all depends again on the format.... ie kitchen, place, usage etc.....

ciao........

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