March 31, 2008 at 9:46 pm · Filed under Knowing
There are apparently 7 dialects of Chinese - which is not much for an area so vast. Just think of all the different languages spoken in Europe. (Here I am recalling Jared Diamond’s analysis in Guns, Germs, and Steel, which I read about 10 years ago- so it may not be entirely accurate).
In Hong Kong the local dialect is Cantonese. Cantonese has 7 tones. So 7 words that sound the same phonetically, but have different tones, mean different things. Mandarin, the national dialect, and dialect of crouching tiger hidden dragon, has only 4 tones.
As some of you know, I have been taking Mandarin Chinese classes at the ABC Language Exchange in NYC. I highly recommend the school if you are located in NY.
As a result I can now count to 10 however I cannot curse! which is a shame.
Let me share with you some basics:
Wo - means I or me. So “Wo Jiao Meredith” Means my name is Meredith.
If you want to respond to a question or statement with the Chinese equivalent of “yeah yeah” say “dui dui dui, dui la.” Lian says this to his mom on the phone all the time.
Ni Hao means - “How are you?” It is the Chinese Version of “Hello, Ola, Man-eeshma.” But be careful, if you say Niyao - it means “pee pee.”
Hen Hao means - “Very good.” So when someone asks you “How you are doing?” or “Ni Hao?” You can say “Hen Hao”
If you are just “ok” then say “mama huhu.” This also means “horse horse tiger tiger”.
Now you are ready to converse with your local Chinese food establishment, or pick people up at the local chinese mafia run watering hole.
March 24, 2008 at 7:13 am · Filed under General
A heads up for all you early deal-seekers and itinerary-makers – while specific event details will be forthcoming (and whose leaks will be cleverly timed to maximize effect :-), we wanted to provide the above schedule to give you at least a general idea of which days to set aside.
1. For those of you already arrived in town, we were planning to hold some sort of lowkey NYE event on the night of the 31st.
2. Things may be slow on the 1st, so a daytrip to Macau, Aberdeen, Lantou Island, or the New Territories could be amenable.
3. There will be some sort of banquet event on the 2nd (most likely dim sum – a Guangzhou specialty. YUM).
4. And finally, the ceremony and dinner banquet and partay will be held on the 3rd. (Remember to take a disco nap)
As for airline and hotel deals specific to these days, we are digging around and will keep you posted on what we find. In the meantime, take a spin through kayak.com and hotels.com to get a lay of the land …
March 23, 2008 at 12:21 am · Filed under General
So, a bit of news.
We recently returned from a 10-day extravaganza in Hong Kong, where we met with our peeps on the ground, toured venues high and low, and sampled all sorts of exotic Cantonese cuisine. We have a wealth of information to share, all of which shall soon find their way in these pages, including bar, restaurant and shopping tips (including our favorite tailors – HK is famous for its bespoke culture), local protocols (behold the elegant two-handed offer of tender), transportation shortcuts (check your luggage in while you’re in the city – before you head to the airport), and the thrills and vicissitudes of gambling on the formerly Portuguese outpost of Macau (forget those bad-ass Triads of yore; be prepared to rub elbows at your Pai Gao table with nouveau riche Mainlanders – with renminbi to burn …).
Stay tuned!
March 2, 2008 at 6:10 pm · Filed under Eating
For serious, traveling the world over and sampling its culinary delights for a living isn’t really a career by any typical description, it is rampant decadence. But love him or hate him, admire or envy him, you can’t fault celebrity chef, explorer, media personality and author Anthony Bourdain for having arguably the best job in the world.
The following is the synopsis of his Hong Kong excursion from Season 3:
Hong Kong is a wonderland of colors, lights, and speed. A marriage of modern and traditional. It is also a mecca of food in Asia, and Tony arrives in Hong Kong, ready to take the plunge into all things edible.
Upon arrival, Tony meets up with Hong Kong blogger and fellow food enthusiast, John, to indulge in some famed Hong Kong street food - hot fried rice cooked in steaming clay pots, a wintertime comfort food on the streets of Hong Kong. Noting Tony’s disinterest in the Chinese sausage accompanying his rice, John takes him to a place that is sure to strike a chord - a backdoor noodle shop owned by a trio of body building brothers! Tony and John enjoy beef noodle soup, before heading out to sample one more street food snack - fried intestine on a stick. The next day, continuing on their foodie quest, John and Tony indulge in a specialty of Hong Kong - roasted meats. Tony is in awe of the tradition involved in creating such exquisite treats. One man, two specialties, two absolutely delicious plates of steaming goodness - roast suckling pig, and roast goose legs. Not only are they in search of perfect meats, Tony and John also want to find the perfect noodle, so John takes Tony to witness the tradition, care, and recipe of an old-fashioned noodle maker, working out of a tiny home workshop. His ancient methods and simple ingredients make for the most wonderful noodles Tony has ever tasted.
Needing to digest before delving into another cacophony of Hong Kong feasts, Tony spends the next afternoon at the local racetrack. After losing the majority of his money on a bum horse, Tony runs into Frank, a Hong Kong chef. Frank offers to introduce Tony to a street food wonder of Hong Kong. His hunger tearing at his insides, Tony gladly accompanies Frank to Dai Pai Dong, an indoor, upstairs fanstasy land of loud patrons, cold beer, and dozens of food stalls. Chef Bobby, a famed street food cook, joins Tony as he samples some local favorites - mantis prawn in noodles, fish heads, squid balls and squid ink pasta. Tony enjoys the pig knuckles, an unexpected treat. After greeting some rowdy fans and having a couple more beers, Tony and Frank head out. The next day they trek to a typhoon shelter, a place for boats to remain safe from storms, to discover typhoon shelter crab, a traditional dish made with crab, hot oil, chili pepper, and lots of garlic. Their next stop brings them to Bo Innovation, home to Alvin Liung, “the Demon Chef”. His intense love of food fuels his gastronomic deconstruction. Meat and rice ice cream, Szechuan lobster in dumpling skin, gummies made from flowers, egg tarts, and passion fruit. Each dish amazes Tony more than the one before. Alvin Liung is a modern light in a world of tradition.
Taking a short break from the food, Tony checks-out the Hong Kong film culture, particularly special effects. Channeling his inner-Jackie Chan, Tony is hoisted into the air by pulleys and ropes and performs flips and stunts with none other than Jackie Chan’s own stunt team. Tony and the crew work-up quite an appetite and decide to come together for lunch. They enjoy a steaming plate of pun choy, an old delight. Filled with chicken, seafood, mushrooms, and other vegetables, it is exactly the satisfaction that Tony’s stomach was waiting for. Filled with Hong Kong flavor, Tony says goodbye and retreats to the hotel.
On his last day in Hong Kong, Tony is treated to a dim sum brunch by Denny, a tour-guide from Hong Kong, and Matt, a friend Tony met while dining at Bo Innovation. As steaming plates of beef dumplings, radish cakes, and pork buns whiz by the tables, with diners calling out orders and requests, Tony can’t help but relate this scene to Hong Kong as a whole. Small spaces, lots of people, bright lights and amazing food in every direction.
Interest piqued? A link to the torrent file for this episode can be got here.
And you will need an .mkv player (Matroska is an open source video format, fyi), which you can download for free here.
