Monday, March 19, 2007

The Substenance of Life and Study Abroad

So I've been playing catch up with my life recently; when intentions are always pushed behind something else. Something else always comes up, for better or worse. You'll probably see a lot of those something elses here. That's why I'm going to forego sleep for you, DJTHK. I've been neglecting you, and my loyal readers do not deserve this! Actually...I think my readership has plummeted and has contributed to my lack of motivation to reflect. If you want to hear more, comment. I do not know how people can subscribe to my posts, but I can inform whomever's when I sporadically update if you'd like. Though, who really cares?

This is a catch up post. I'm spicing it up a notch and I'm going to tell my story through only experiences with nutritional elements and my interactions with this culturally important part of the Chinese culture and essence (this includes the Special Administrative Region called HK). Pics with food will elaborate on topics of my feelings on both cultural immersion and cultural aversion. Hopefully only-food pics will cover how I feel about excitement, newness, and the nasty/weird/way-too-big-things that I've encountered here. Since nutrition consumption makes a significant part of HK life, I hope you enjoy and can pretend that you too are swallowing or refusing to swallow what I have encountered.


So we ate at Pizza Hut the third day that we were in HK. I didn't have McDonald's for another week and KFC for another month. I find it quite interesting how global businesses are run. How they keep their positioning or are completely different brands.

Look how happy we are; home sweet home...though when does anyone eat at Pizza Hut?














For example, KFC is huge in comparison to McDonald's, Pizza Hut sells salmon rolls and lobster pizza, and Espirt is actually trendy here. Also, 7-11 is worshiped and is as omnipresent as an ABC store in Waikiki, just more respected.

Yes, this is the interior of Pizza Hut.














One thing I noticed early on is that they eat dried anything. I wonder if this reflects their tendency to save and minimalize. I saw a pile of dried seahorses and that made me sad. (If you didn't know I had pet seahorses Yellie and Blackie, RIP) The question I have is, isn't it chewy?

Sam Sui Po, first week in HK



















Vegetarian Buddhist food. Quite amazing despite how gooey it looks. I must immerse myself! I have gotten very sentimental with vegetarianism. I was vegetarian for two weeks; it made me resepect life a little more. It's quite impressive how impeccably they imitate animate objects with tofu and seaweed. You may ask why not just use meat? For the animals. For the animals they pretend to be...

Fung Ying Seen Koon Buddhist Restaurant














Asia is a community-oriented society. However this is the cause for prevalent numbers of Hepatitis B amongst China. Must keep the immersion going...!


Sharing is caring.














An impeccable display of gender roles prevalent in Asia. It is quite prevalent in this society.














You'd be surprised what you can do with the limited amount of resources that small Asian quarters allow for. We baked a surprise bday cake out of cake mix, cream soda, crazy lil koalas, a microwave and borrowed Tupperware. Too bad it's butt ugly. People didn't want to be the first to try it.


U-G-L-Y homemade cake. Though I've made uglier...(ice cream cake that melted before I could give it to Jaimie...boo cruiser)














Beef Chow Fun. You can never go wrong with that order. Except for ordering...chow fun (higher tone), chow fahn (fried rice, sorta-lower tone), chow faan, cheuhng fan, chaow fuhn, chou fuhn...ok ok I don't really know, but this is how confused I always feel. They all sound the same!
Cheap cheap! After 10,000 Buddhas trek














Eating everywhere...not even looking at the gorgeous view over Lamma Island. M
ango mochi love.














I assume this is food too...



















Yup, still looks like a pig and it's ready for eating.














This reminds me of the song:

Timon: Luau. If you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat/ Eat my buddy Pumbaa here 'cause he is a treat/Come on down and dine/ On this tasty swine/ All you have to do is get in line/Are you achin'...
Pumbaa: Yup, yup, yup.
Timon: For some bacon.
Pumbaa: Yup, yup, yup.
Timon: He's a big pig.
Pumbaa: Yup, yup.
Timon: You can be a big pig, too. Oy.

I'm such a wimp. I still feel bad chomping on live-looking animals. Especially whomping off shrimps' heads and pulling off their legs. The worst is when their brain starts shooting out. Poor guy.

Lantau Island



















Hot pot buffet. Crowded. Dirty. Of course there's pushing and live sea creatures jumping at you. Look how crowded and popular this activity is. In the US it'd probably have an F rating. Nice.


Loved by
all the Asians and Asian Americans. I'm so not Asian enough.



















Look at everyone's faces. Me and Andy in disgust/awe, Lin with joy.














So some of the group decided that the almost dead but still jumping crayfish (aka peeing shrimp in Chinese for its supposedly well known abilities) had to go into the bubbling hot pot. I should get over the discomfort that I have for directly killing a living being. (esp. since mosquito season is coming up.) I mean I am the cause of many animals' deaths. They eventually get into my belly. Though, I do not usually see ostentatious hints of their past living.

Ok, so I'm not the only one thinking this eating experience is insane.














Showing us how to massage the peeing shrimp so you can pull it out of its shell in one go.



















Seafood rice! Ok, so pretty much everything you get here can be classified as "with rice" or "with noodles." I know I'm an ignorant foreigner but that's what it seems at least compared to MEAT MEAT America. Though HK is supposedly the meat capital of the world... Warning: I'm eating a lot of carbs, MSG, and greasy fried foods. That's ok, fat's back! My non-fat roomie bought a scale from IKEA two days ago. I am now 60 (I don't know the measurement or what that even means). I told her she doesn't need to take diet pills because she's already thin. I meant it in a truthful nice way as stick thin Asians for some reason want to look anorexic. (I shouldn't be suprised by now, women of the world always do.) And she was like, "Crystal, the only thing we know is that I'm skinnier than you." So...take that as you will, cuz I'm still a bit confused.














Food can truly influence your level of homesicknesses. I don't eat McDonald's at home...maybe once every 3 months. But here, whenever we see a McDonald's we have to at least stop for a dipped cone (0.40USD). We even make pilgrimages there because it is one of the few places where the dirty/cheap fragrance reminds us of a place outside of our everyday lives here. It makes my day when I can eat a $1.80USD 6 piece box of Chicken McNuggets that tastes the same as back home. McDs makes your stomach full and heart warm.

So...the first food I ate in the homeland (China) was...McDonalds...tear. I have no willpower. When we went in there was security. He asked us to not take pictures and was following us the whole time in our stay here. Enter China.

Shenzhen. First 15 min in China.

McDs stop your supersizing powers. I already cannot buy any shoes here as I'm a 41 which supposedly is massive as men's sizes start at a 42. That and I often can't even fit larges and the saleswomen make a verbal note on this.














Long noodles for long life. However, it makes it quite difficult to consume. Quite.



















So when I look at this picture I think talent. The Chinese like their food a little too fresh for my liking. They chop up fish without knicking the major organs. So in the markets even though the fish are completely butchered, you can see them still respirating with beating hearts.


Live fish. Not quite vegetables.














Still whole looking...almost to the point where it would jump and bite you in the face.














Of course we had to go to Starbucks.

What a relief it was sitting on these little couches...that and a sitting toilet in way too long.














The pastry shops here cover every block. With high levels of competition, we can buy ingeniously decorated and too cheap confectionary delights. Too bad I have a family history of diabetes, high cholesterol, and liking pasteries.














I bought this pastry from the girl as a bribe so that I could take a picture with her.














Yet another. Dynasty's! (Hey, but it was before a hike)












We had to do local pizza. No more Pizza Hut...hopefully. Please note me, on the right. I am wearing my ugly sweater, "Ugly." I bought it from Shenzhen, China for $5RMB ($0.80USD, maybe equivalent to 1 charsiu bau). Even the Chinese thought I was cheap. It is now unravelling. That's ok, it makes it more functionable as it is what I wear when I'm going out shopping at the markets and try to pull off the poor student or from Cambodia alibi. I say, "Pehng di la! Ngoh haih kohng hohksaang." (Ah! Cheaper please. I am a poor student.) It works. I pointed at all the holes in my jacket when I was bartering for a "Gucci" watch (I know...I can't believe I bought "Gucci"). They were like yeah...that is poor.

Don't I look like a talented waitress? Maybe that's cuz I am.














Starfish on a stick. How convenient.














New Territories














You're not supposed to eat/drink on the train. But if I ever get caught I'm going to pull the "Oh really? I'm so sorry...I'm a foriegner".














Ebineezers.














We get thirsty sometimes too.

4 comments:

shuinn said...

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHAHHHAHA...OH CRYSTAL. this entry has got to be the most amusing entry yet...i can just FEEL the american-ness oozing out of you. that's so awesome :).

though i must admit..even as an asian american with an asian stomach, some of that crap looks REALLY gross. like...killing the animals in the hot pot..um okaay that's gross. and dried sea horse? and starfish? ...man....

Anonymous said...

i agree with shuinn that this blog was HILAROUS. i swear all you do is eat there. lol. and i love how you showed the saleslady the holes in your jacket so she'd know you were a poor student.
other ppl who have gone abroad said the same thing about mcdonalds..it connects you to home
um, what else...i thought the cake you called ugly looked rly good, lol. i miss your cake making, and adding things not included on the box recipe
those pics of fresh fish were disgusting...i hate fish anyways, but when it looks alive its is even worse
and, of course, your hair looks AMAZING!

taikohana said...

enjoyable post. i esp love the pictures. you are certainly having a food adventure in china. can't wait to visit in may with my mom. well done on the koala cake ;). btw, did you streak your hair? you're becoming thoroughly asianized haha. me too.

Anonymous said...

oh wow, the food looks so exotic..especially the dried starfish! i'm eating soooo so so well here too..dinner amidst skinny peking u students shoving their elbows at you and stuffing their faces...the whole experience for only 20-30 US cents. love, love this food craziness..