WTF

WTF ... 3 pitiful English words, including one which is called a 'bad word' when all it does is to explain copulation in the vernacular.  Why not? I do not see any movement for a better, more expressive alternative so shall we let it be, and not make a capital case of it?

Cantonese cuisine in Vancouver has benefited from Hong Kong immigrants, both culinary professionals as well as gourmands. We were taken to a leading restaurant, which will remain nameless here and you will not believe what I am about to share.

On the corridor there was the de rigueur open tank to highlight freshness of the sea food, albeit freshness at a price.  In that tank were one hardly moving fish, one on its side clearly in rigor mortis as shown, and one belly up. Bad press, I said to myself and then in absolute shock I noticed a sign board with a bilingual display that said ... 'It is normal for healthy fish to be belly up, due to the difference in water pressure between the sea and the fish tank'.

Now, this is when WTF comes in. What the Fuck? Can you  believe this bullshit, at a rated restaurant, in down town Vancouver?  

COSCO & SUPERSOTRE

Bulk is bliss!  Imagine the savings on bulk purchase of 5 rolls of Foil or 10 rolls of Kling ... when even 1 can get you going months, not to mention savings on detergent, Reese candy bars, sports socks, soft drinks, beers, vitamins, pain killers, disposable razors, sanitary napkins, paper plates, batteries, dental floss, tyre polish, shower gel, giant size condiments, BBQ sauces, meats, frozen food of variety ... you name them COSCO & Superstore in Canada will carry them, in bulk at wholesale prices.  The point is why do we need bulk? Well, in North America there is also space, to store the purchases but not in Hong Kong, when a standard size flat can ill afford a store room and this is why the concept went completely south at home.

These stores have become 'a must' for Hong Kong visitors ... the first timers are amazed in disbelief and, after crossing the river of no return, addiction sets in. It is a cardinal sin to not bring an empty suitcase for the Cosco or Superstore run.  I am not all talks, I have proof.  I can show you at the check-in counter on departure.  This is a ritual only the Land of Plenty offers, do not miss it.  My family thrives on it, and they are not unique.

Finally, before we leave the subject of shopping  ... instead of taking me to department stores, malls, outlets and wholesale venues you might as well shoot me in the parking lot, to spare me a painful death.      

OUTLETS

This train station is Wusterpark, about an hour from the center of Berlin and, literally, in the middle of nowhere. Why do people come here? Bargain hunting at the outlets where 'basement prices for penthouse goods from the most sought after brands are on offer'. You can shop till you drop, bringing home goods that more than justify the money you spent, not to mention the deep seated satisfaction that you beat the system, and you are ahead of this cat and mice game between up-market retailers and high-end consumers looking for deals. Wrong!  You will never win. The fact that you made it all the way to these outlets means only one thing, you lost already, even before you begin.

Outlets sell goods the retailers cannot move via normal channels, period. They represent mostly surplus, out of style, off season, slightly damaged products that appeal to consumers who are determined to own a certain brand but are not prepared to take the full hit .... Chanel bags, Prada shoes, Ferragamo suits all the way down to Brooks Brother shirts at the low end ... the brand I was faithful to my entire career, but I buy them at full price in their Central flagship. What does this behavior tell us?  

We had a free morning in Berlin recently and intrigued by the flowery language in the ad Dora wanted to visit Mecca, since she missed the one in Milan. We made Wusterpark alright, being the only passengers who got off, stared by bewildered eyes inside the train, probably saying 'only the Chinese would do this'.  The outlets can only be reached by taxi, and we can only call one which we could not since we spoke no German. It was frustrating, so frustrating we quit but still had to wait 45-minutes for the train back.

This, is another reason why I hate shopping.

LIFE CYCLE OF SHOPPING

I hate shopping, period, no ifs or buts ...

Living with 3 daughters and 1 wife one would have thought one gets used to it, but one never. I was imprisoned in this monstrosity the last two days, the West Edmonton Mall, which the locals take huge pride 'that it is the largest in the world' ... but of course since the lion share of the population needs somewhere to take refuge when the merciless elements hit in the Winter.  I had lots of time to 'think' hence my flowchart on the 'Cycle of Shopping'.

* Teenager : loved to shop with parents & for myself
* 20+ : loved to shop with girlfriends
* 25+ : still loved to shop with girlfriends, chance to check out other girls
* 30+ : loved to shop with wife
* 35+ : loved to shop with wife for kids
* 40+ : did not mind joining wife and daughters for shopping
* 45+ : began to find sporadic but unsuccessful excuses not to join
* 50+ : began to not like shopping but relucantly tagged along
* 55+ : successfully created elaborate excuses not to join
* 60+ : openly declared dislike of shopping, a singularly monotonus task
* 65+ : ..... I will just not show up, period
* 70+ : ..... if I am lucky they might leave me alone
* 75+ : ..... shopping again, in a wheelchair, not by choice because 'It is Good for You, Dad'
* 80+ : ..... tombstone says 'Here Lies One who Fought & Lost the Shopping Battle'

The last 4 points are what I guess may happen, and I do not think I am far off. Damn it!

BEST EVER SCI-FI

I am not a big science fiction fan as my better half but this one I love to death ... 'Close Encounter of the Third Kind'. The year was 1977 and the whole world was 'wowed' by Steven Spielberg's rendition of what it might be like when visitors from outer space show up at our doors.

Spielberg already made a name for himself two years earlier with 'Jaws' in 1975, and this classic was in the same league, only to be followed by 'E.T.' in 1982 ... needless to say all top Hollywood box office hits. It is not the story line but Spielberg's technical wizardry that has captured my enthusiasm right up to this very day. I just watched it again on HBO Classics and all the emotions came right back.

Two other names, equally my favorites as well, added nobility to the film ... Richard Dreyfuss, again of 'Jaws' and subsequently 'American Graffiti' fame, plus John Williams from the Boston Pops whose music in the movie was foundation stones for future outer space and alien adventure flicks.

Oh ... I almost forgot about 'Barbarella' in 1968, when I was a Freshman at Tufts.  That of course has little to do with sci-fi but everything to do with one Jane Fonda, notably her anti-gravity strip tease veiled by the film's opening titles.  Speaking of moments one will never ever forget, that was one.

NIGHT HARBOR SCENE

Let me ask you ... when was the last time you took a walk on the Avenue of Stars, better still, do you know where it is?  Drew a blank?  This is what attracted literally millions, from China and around the world, who wanted a piece of this memory.

We took these before a Hong Kong Philharmonic concert at the Cultural Centre just before dusk, in the midst of mostly Mainlanders, with a splattering of Eastern Europeans ... signs of our times. Indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words.  Need I say more?  The best time is about 630-ish to watch the setting sun, the lights coming on, and lastly the nightly Light Show from the roofs of key landmarks on the Hong Kong side. It is magic, one of the few things left in the gradually decreasing list that we can still be proud.      

TV SERIES

I was never a fan of TV series before retirement, primarily because of fatigue. To me the headhunting business personifies 24-7 ... by the time I finished with almost daily prayer telcons with partners, clients and candidates on the East Coast the only option left was sleep ... in hind sight even sex took a back seat, can one be more pathetic than that? Sometimes I wonder how I survived a quarter of a century in executive search and I am just too glad that is my past.

Back to the subject matter ... Dora and I have been watching quite a few of the made-in-China series, especially the quasi history ones.  We love them, and would be glued to the screen until the wee hours at the drop of a hat.

Then came two award winning western or rather, American, series : Homeland & House of Cards. The story, the ploy, the intrigue, the dialogue but above all the acting are first class. We are talking about entertainment, per se, the kind a viewer can identify with, can enjoy the moment and can relish the enjoyment afterwards ... like a memorable fine dining experience we marvel at the table, and then relive and talk about later. Kevin Spacey portraying a crooked politician in Washington D.C. is the ultimate testimony that his Oscar is well deserved, if not more.  Before these we also loved The Sopranos & The West Wing but it is amazing how TV series can change as our world changes. Watch them, if you have the luxury of time.        

PALCO

How about Italian food in Chai Wan? I kid you not, Chai Wan, where the MTR Island Line terminates.  Take Exit A, look for Youth Square, the tallest building at the heart of Chai Wan, take the lift up to the 4F and there it is.

We had the same 'are you sure' expression when we were told but after our first meal, dinner on a Friday, we became fans.  It is clear why Palco, without the baggages and pretenses of most theme restaurants, has a following. The young Chef Ken Lau hails from Gaddi's at the Peninsula, and his interpretation of Italian classics is a definite thumbs-up. In the picture Ken was preparing his signature pasta ... using a wheel of aged Parmesan as his wok.  Torching and then scraping that renown cheese directly from the wheel, the end product was deliciously creamy in a thick sauce reinforced by splashes of Bacardi rum, stock and truffle paste.  A must!

We were a group of 16 and ordered a 'top value for money' tasting menu of :

* Open Grilled Scottish Razor Clams
* Smoked Eel on Arugula  
* Mushroom & Black Truffle Pizza
* Fettuccine Carbonara .. another Ken Lau interpretation
* Lobster Risotto
* Ox Tail braised in Red Wine
* Dessert Trio .. Tiramisu / Ginger Souffle / Mousse

The wine list of affordable Italian Prosecco & Lambrusco was very complementary and the young service staff, though slightly overwhelmed, was pleasant and helpful.  Eva the Supervisor and Aaron the Manager were extremely efficient, one feels like one is dealing with a star rated restaurant. I believe they are open 7-days a week but I suggest you go for dinner, and book early.

The only thing I would fault Palco is their soups, which need improvements.

PALCO @ 4F Youth Square 238 Chai Wan Road - 2618 8383

DUDDELL CLUB

We were recently invited by very good friends to yet another newly minted exclusive members only dining outlet ... the Duddell Club ... right above Shanghai Tang's flagship store on Duddell Street in Central.

The owners have invested heavily, not only on bricks and mortars, but the more esoteric end of modern living. We were surrounded, literally, by millions of dollars worth of original Chinese paintings, the ones that art museums sought to exhibit globally, we were told.  Being singularly illiterate in the art world, I have yet to decipher that link with what were presented on the table. It was simple Cantonese fare, dishes like soya sauce chicken (outstanding) to char sui (mediocre) to pan fried sea bass (which was sent back) ...  I am not playing Food Critic here, as I am not good enough to be a critic of anything other than my own amateurish home cooking at TKT.  What I described was the collective view of a party of 8 confirmed foodies in town.

Food aside, the Club is tastefully and beautifully appointed.  The dining floor is a large open space encircled by private rooms, a la China style. To me the winning stroke was upstairs where there is a super sexy bar, a quiet corner in the form of a library, where every book is immaculately positioned, sans dust, even the slanted ones ... lastly, the huge, breezy, green potted plant lined oasis in the form of an open balcony where the young, the beautiful, the wealthy 2nd or 3rd generation 'chill' as our not so young anymore offspring would say (and often do) ... now, this is where the big $ is, not from steamed minced pork patties with a solitary salted egg on top!    

 

ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD

I used to be able to go on long business or leisure trips without any home cooking but I think age has changed that.  2 weeks, maximum 3 weeks if push comes to shove is all I can manage now, when I long for a simple bowl of congee. To me the Mother of Comfort Foods is Chicken Congee, Cantonese style, as shown. I made some from a left over French poulet yesterday and had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was a wonderful cleansing ritual. Anyone can do this at home, I mean anyone, if I can.

* cook rice in chicken stock or clear chicken soup to congee texture
* add chicken carcass & wings, left over from a roast is best
* thinly sliced dried oysters, salted eggs, thousand-year-old eggs
* slow cook 2-3 hours until ingredients combined with congee
* serve with a sprinkle of white pepper, Indonesian preferably
* garnish with finely chopped scallions, both green & white parts    

TYPHOON UTOR

Taken at 630am this morning when the #8 signal was hoisted as Typhoon Utor 'skirted' Hong Kong on her way towards Guangdong Province and Hainan Island.  Billed as 'the strongest globally this year' Utor may be 300km away but her 140km per hour wind speed is enough of a warning.  This has been our home for 14 years and while it is idyllic to look out, all the way to the South China Sea on a clear day against a cloudless blue sky, the magic of a severe tropical storm is even more mesmerizing.  Our complex is located at the heart of a valley and during a typhoon we can watch and pace a storm, via the direction the vegetation sways, from one side of the valley to the other. We probably had about a dozen hot ones from #8 - #10 since we moved here and I, for one, is never bored by them.  In the comfort and safety of my favorite armchair at home I love watching this ultimate show of power, beautifully and convincingly by Mother Nature.

How about making 'Typhoon Watching' mandatory for our Leaders and Politicians?  Lock them in their cushy conferences rooms where they run us from positions of vested interests, ignorance, incompetence ... and make them watch a #8 or #10 typhoon ... perhaps they will see the light, will realign their egos, and will begin to 'Serve the People' per Chairman Mao's legacy.  Sorry, I am dreaming again!        

"AIR SUPPLY"

Graham Russell & Russell Hitchcock met 40 years ago in 1973 in Bitchfield UK and started singing together in 1975.  An unbeatable 38 years career in the pop world, with 100 million albums sold, and hugely admired across the age groups. 'All Out of Love', released in 1980, is still popular whenever and wherever it is played, today.

We were at their concert at the Asia Expo last Sunday and what a trip down memory lane that was, just marvelous. The crowd was an interesting mix of ages, ethnicity and styles ... one that you do not normally see around town, certainly not at the same spot which goes to show how music unites. This is our second time, the first was in the early 90s but nothing seems to have changed since their first ever tour to Hong Kong back in 1981.  'Hello Hong Kong .... ' they cheered, and what followed was one more chapter for the history book as the 60s something, like us, bathed in nostalgia, the 40s in memory recall, the 30s in amazement, and the 20s in absolute awe because today's artists simply do not produce this sound, these lyrics and this kind of music anymore.  The 2-hour concert finished in a blitz, and we loved every minute of it.

Google YouTube 'Air Supply - All Out of Love' and make sure you have a box of tissues close by!