CRAB AU NATUREL NINGBO

Sitting on the Board of a listed company with manufacturing facilities in Ningbo has opened breath taking new horizons, not only on the fiduciary duties of an INED, but on the food front.

I am madly in love with the rustic country style cooking of native Ningbo, and the attached could well be the epitome.  Crabs in the neighboring rivers and lakes are ever so sweet, and there must be hundreds of ways literally to prepare them.  My favorite is the 'au naturel' ie using Chinese wine, soya source, vinegar & sugar .. period .. and fresh crabs, preferably in season, are cured in this simple concoction, then served.  The taste is captivating, is mouth watering, is additive and yes, it is evil.  While this is common place at most eateries in Ningbo it does not fetch the same following in Hong Kong.  To start with we should be suspect of where they are sourced and how they are made, unless they come from reputable venues like the Shanghai Fraternal Association in Central or, better yet, home made as the one I just had for lunch.  Good bye, lobster & crab sashimi!        

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

"I did not say that I do not have illegal structures ...."

This has to be the most talked about phrase today (Dec 11th 2012) in both Cantonese & English, across the soil of the HKSAR.  I am truly amazed!  Mind you, not by the author of the statement who obviously lost even more grounds and respect from his subjects, but by the depth of the English language.

Double Negative, as I was taught by the late Mr Kwong Sum Wood aka "Kwong Lo" who was feared but revered by all when we were at St Paul's Co-Educational College.  A Cambridge graduate, I believe with 1st Class Honors, he taught us the rudimentary of the language.  Notably ... in English there are Rules & Exceptions, but always be mindful that there are more exceptions than rules.  Then there is the Double Negatives, and his stern command still rings, after almost 50 years.  "Do not even bother to try unless you are absolutely sure how to use it!"  

I wonder where our Fearless Leader went to secondary school?