2 HUNGRY ITALIANS

I love this series and watch it routinely on AFC aka the Asian Food Channel... old school, old values, old ways of doing things ... my kind of sentiments on life and things in general.  These two characters, whose names I forgot, are well known 'retired' chefs who happen to be good friends for a long time. The show is based on their sojourn to different parts of Italy, with food & cooking as backdrop, but spiced by their interpretation of Italian culture, subculture and of course their sense of humor.  It is like the foodie version of a Laurel & Hardy show, with some slapstick, but it makes you warm from the heart as these two elderly gentlemen (sorry they just might be my age) are sensible, knowledgeable, open, sentimental and totally adorable ... a combination that makes the show a success. This was on the LH in-flight life style TV program which kept me up en-route.  I even took notes from a few recipes which inspired me to create new dishes when I get home.        

MY LUNCH @ LH LOUNGE

Our best-rate fare gives us the privilege of a 9-hour layover in Frankfurt, on our way to Boston.  To be precise we are talking about a saving of $7,000 each (!) which I would rather spend on F&B and in Dora's case, on retail therapy. Between a long and relaxing hot shower, a nice spacious Business Class lounge with comfortable sofas to nap in, efficient wi-fi connection to curb our withdrawal symptoms and, lastly, classic Frankfurter hot dogs with all the trimmings, German style, who is complaining?    

MILE HIGH BOWL

We were able to get a very favorable C-class fare on Lufthansa (LH) for my reunion in Boston, and subsequently to visit Munich & Berlin on the way home.  The routing was Hong Kong - Frankfurt - Boston - Munich - Berlin - Munich - Hong Kong.  LH just recently reconstituted and refurbished an old Boeing 747 for the Hong Kong - Frankfurt sector.  Seats become 180-degree flat beds, verses their time honored signature slanted seats. We were on that evening flight to Frankfurt and it was wonderful, including a toilet with a mile high view.

All in all LH has impressed us immensely this time.  Not only did it live up to its classic Germanic timeliness, the meals were very presentable and very edible.  Above all the service attitude of the cabin crew was most commendable, exceeding all our expectations. The notion that Asian airlines understand service better was thrown out of the window, without question.  LH, in my view, has taken a page from the Asian manual of in-flight hospitality and redefined it the German way which obviously works. That 'other airline' I no longer fly with has a lot to look up to. Alternatives have opened my eyes since I unshackled myself from years of belonging to a misnamed 'loyalty program' which, at bottom, is really a one-way street that offers loyal customers precious little.  Talking about learning new things as one gets older, here is a prime example.            

I AM BACK, AGAIN!

I am way behind in my blogging efforts, again, due in part to laziness and now, stupidity.  I kept convincing  myself that instead of hauling a laptop I will take copious notes on my travels, my cooking schooling and then crank out these posts in the calm of my study when I am home. That never happened as my retirement schedules take over ie nothing much gets done in the course of a day, and it is bed time already.  As the famous saying goes ... how did I find time to go to work, day in and day out, back in those dark days?

We just returned from Boston, Munich & Berlin for 2.5 weeks.  The former to attend the 50th anniversary of my singing group at Tufts, the Beelzebubs, the voices behind Sing-Off and Glee ... two hugely successful TV programs in America (more on this later) and the latter was leisure.  

I know I have unfinished posts still sitting in note form on my Istanbul cooking sojourn, my Burma exploration with the girls, and of course our Abercrombie experience in Italy but to resuscitate my blogging I need to start with this latest journey.  I must work fast before dementia catches up with me, that much I know and I ask for your forgiveness.       

THE RACING CLUB - NEW NOODLE BAR

Chef Cham Leong was one of my first Mentors when he was Chef de Partie at the Derby, working with Chef Donovan.  One of the most skilled, dedicated, people oriented but humble kitchen souls I have ever met.  Cham, as he was affectionately addressed and I have since become 'Brothers'.  When  he was promoted to head The Racing Club Restaurant on the 7F of the Happy Valley Racecourse I switched my allegiance, no questions asked.

Today is Mother's Day and we celebrated with 3 generations of Moms in the family, notably my Mother at 92, my better half at age XXX plus our eldest daughter at age YYY.  We dined at Cham's new playground (next to his contemporary cuisine nest which, in our book, can take on any M-Star outlet) ... The New Noodle Bar.

We did the Noodle Bar version of 'Omakase' ie the 'Chef decides' and were so impressed I have to blog this in the first instance. Opened 6-months ago to replace the Sushi Bar, the team is so well trained and agile one would think they have done nothing but.  A limited menu with authentic flavors & style, the best deal is to form a party of 6-8 and order 'one of each' to sample; the soup dumplings complete with a straw, the wide  selection of ramen & noodles, the stewed lobster savory rice, the pot stickers, the range of veggie dishes and do not forget to ask for Cham's special Chinese dessert.

We will return to this secret haven but I am sure it will not be for long.  Do note Full Members can only use The Racing Club on non-racing days.      

OSAS - OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME

For years Dora used to be jealous of my being able to fall sleep, almost anywhere, anytime ... 'Ray is so lucky, I wish I can do that'.  What she does not know is I was suffering, unknowingly, from OSAS which I only recently discovered.  The Mayo Clinic Web Doctor identifies the following as symptoms; sleepless twists and turns, toilet frequency, dry throat, easily irritated, tired during the day and, believe it or not, no sex drive.  That was me alright.

Apparently OSAS is under ENT and my specialist's first recommendation was a  'Diagnostic Sleep Study' in which I was wired for a 7-hour period.  To make a long story short, the Study showed 'severe features of OSAS, up to 65.8 disturbances per hour' or in laymen terms ... I stopped breathing almost every minute of every hour in my sleep, the worst recorded duration was 63 seconds or more than 1-minute.

I needed immediate medical attention and a CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Sleep Device was ordered.  Quite incredibly the disturbances were reduced dramatically from 60+ per hour to less then 10 now since I started using it.  I am a new man!

BTW doesn't the picture reminds one of Anthony Hopkins in 'Silence of the Lamb'?  My New Yorker brother-in-law had an even more graphic caption 'Silence of the Lamb Chop'.  Why? My doctor said excess body fat is the main culprit here, yes, guilty as charged.

MORNING LIBATION ETIQUETTE

Do you know Cappuccino is not supposed to be drank after 1030am as it is a breakfast and morning refreshment?  Do you know it is never to be served piping hot, as we like to order it in Hong Kong, but rather lukewarm so one can gulp it down and move on?  It is one of these etiquette lessons from our A&K Guide when we orient ourselves to the culture, or rather subculture, as the typical non-accidental tourist.

Speaking of orientation we were met at Milan Airport by a 'Guardian Angel' from A&K who is 'accessible 24-7 for the entire duration of our trip'.  We thought it was a marketing ploy until we needed help on the trip, including medical assistance, when we discovered how useful this service is.      

PECK

I am told that every foodie should make the pilgrimage to this sacred spot in Milan, a stone throw away from the Duomo. We did, but I am afraid the only thing that impressed us was the price tag, on almost all things. We were lucky that the Euro was low (under HK$10) but still we wonder how people can afford to shop there regularly. Perhaps that is why the place was not at all busy.  I picked a luxury item, a plain vanilla lobster salad ... yes, chunks of tail and whole claws in a mayo-like dressing with tiny dots of black truffle ... at E200 or HK$2,000 a kilo. Hello?  I am a low-brow when it comes to wines, and I know zilch about Italian wines so the cellar was a quick walk through. We then had tea upstairs ... 1 Espresso, 1 Tea with Lemon, 1 Torte, 1 Pastry for E30 ... thank you very much.

Peck is of course much better than CitySuper but it is a far cry from the Food Hall @ Harrods in London!  

DUOMO @ MILAN

Dora and I have been to a few places together but never traveled extensively in Italy. We decided to do that this year with Abercrombie & Kent, our first private tour experience. It was rather a costly proposition but as we get older ... hauling luggage in airports or train stations, rental cars even with GPS, asking for directions in a foreign tongue, reading tourist guides & maps with imperfect eyesight ... are hassles we can do without. Our girls said 'we are spoiled' or 'losing the adventure spirit' but we were not deterred.

The 18-day journey covered Milan, Verona, Venice, Ferrara, Bologna, Florence, Chianti, Modena and then back to Milan.  At our first stop we stayed at the Star Rosa Grand (the red roof at the back of the picture on the right hand side) ... 3 glorious days of acclimatization, of walking and of course eating.  The Duomo has to be one of the finest in Europe, no wonder Napoleon wanted to be crowned here as Emperor of Italy, 208 years ago in 1805.          

CATHAY PACIFIC C-CLASS

In my efforts to de-link from CX we redeemed what is left of our miles for 2 round trip C-class tickets to Milan. We have not been flying CX much and have since been unceremoniously downgraded from Diamond to Green or the bottom rink, so much for customer loyalty.

Airlines keep redesigning C-Class seats, where they probably make the most $ and this is the current configuration on CX. While it provides privacy which I am sure is welcome, especially by business travelers like me who dislikes 'small talks on planes' ... a favorite past time for American frequent flyers which used to drive me up the wall.  These CX seats are perfect as one can hide, and does not have to speak to anyone if one does not want to. The flip side is if one travels with company it is bad news because the divider in the middle makes it impossible. Then again, if you and your partner are not on good terms, or had a fight before you board, this would be God's gift.  Imagine being left totally alone, hours after hours on a long haul, what more can one ask for?