Q8 - How do the "locals" treat you & Cybr? Specifically Americans?

Another good question, Heather!

Cybr and I read some customs and etiquette books before we ever came here. One of the things we read is that Chinese people are quite often misconceived as being rude. This is often a perception based on behavior. Westerners tend to perceive many behaviors of this eastern culture as being rude.

When we first visited here last year, I did not stay long enough to encounter this "rudeness". I was only here ten days, during which I found most everyone to be pleasant and extremely accommodating. We received a few stares when we would enter "local" restaurants and be the only white faces amidst a sea of Asian faces, but these were not uncomfortable stares nor did they last more than a moment.

During our visit I spoke to a native Australian that had been living here for a decade and she asked where we had been during our visit and the "local" dining came up in conversation. She was shocked and appalled! She said "We just don't do that", meaning that if you are not "local" then you don't dine with "locals".

This struck me as odd and rude. Beyond rude, really. I mean, the food was good. The people were nice. So why not? The only answer I have is...we just aren't like the "everybody else" that she lumped into "we".

What I learned from this is that "locals" are mostly very considerate and accommodating. I have seen some "non-locals" behave in rude and appalling ways. Mostly Europeans, Americans and Australians to be specific.

During our initial visit, I did not experience any "local" rudeness; however, since living here on a day to day basis, I can honestly say that there have been moments that it was made clear that my presence was nothing but an annoyance. But mostly, there is just the realization that it is okay to butt in line if there is a gap between people and it is okay to sit at an already occupied table in a restaurant and it is okay to push your way down a crowded street if you are from here. It is not rudeness, just the way things are done here.

These have really been few and far between, though. Overall I would say that strangers in St. Louis have been more rude to me than anyone here. Hell, I have had so-called friends and family treat me worse than any of the locals here have!

More than likely, after adapting to life here, we will ourselves be considered rude upon returning to the U.S. and butting in line or pushing through a crowd. But we won't see it that way any longer, hehe! Our horizons have definitely been broadened in this area.

Q7 - What do you absolutly LOVE about Hong Kong? What do you NOT love about it?

Thanks for the question, Heather! This is a really fun questions to answer...

LOVING:
1) The sea
2) The simple fact that I finally moved out of Missouri
3) The food
4) The breeze coming off the sea
5) The idea that (HOLY CRAP!) I am in freakin' China
6) The cultural differences...too many to mention
7) The wet markets/cool shopping for food, clothing, etc...
8) The flowers
9) Tao Ti Apple Green Tea. Mmmmmm....
10) Extreme diversity
11) Not having to work right now.
12) How safe it is in our community, kids are able to roam unsupervised without danger. I know, impossible to believe unless you see it first-hand. Part of this has to do with the cultural belief that children are EVERY ONE'S responsibility and therefore perfect strangers look after children that are unattended. I swear that as crazy as it sounds, it IS SAFE.
13) Outdoor seating at many restaurants so you can take your dog with you.
14) The local pub cat that begs for food at our table while we dine and is ALWAYS there...has a big belly, too!
15) Trying new things constantly
16) Meeting really nice people from all over the world
17) Our view of the water with Disney fireworks across the harbor
18) Exploring "local" areas
19) Walking/riding bicycles as transportation and efficient, cheap transportation everywhere you wouldn't want to walk or ride
20) Everything that is Hello Kitty...and there is soooooo much


NOT LOVING:
1) Missing my friends and family
2) Being so far away in case of emergency
3) Being so far away all the time, especially on holidays
4) Not working right now (yes, it is a love/hate thing and I am exploring my options thoroughly)
5) Not having a Cecil Whittaker's
6) Not having a car/driving
7) No IHOP
8) How long it takes to get to certain areas due to public transportation
9) There is no "one-stop-shopping" here
10) Not having a yard for the fuzzy kids to run around in
11) No WalMart, Target or Kohl's
12-20) Missing my friends and family a lot...

Q6 - What foods will you typically refuse to eat? (fuzzy pork comes to mind)

I have actually tried the fuzzy pork. I didn't like it and won't do that again.

I refuse to put 100 yr old eggs anywhere near me. They are black and have been buried in dirt. I thought eggs went bad if you didn't refrigerate them and after a certain amount of time they went bad anyway. So to me, a 100 yr old egg is not a delicacy but more of a rotten egg. Ewww.

Anything that involves chicken feet. Need I say more?

Runny scrambled eggs...I just can't handle the runny-ness, it is like snot. That seems to be common here at any place that makes breakfast or egg as the main course dishes, they often seem to be a bit runny.

Ox tail. Won't even try it. It sounds like butt to me.

Shark fin soup, which is very popular, but I can't do it based on principal. I would probably like it, I just can't eat it. They catch the sharks and hack off their fins and toss them back in the water, or at least that is what people say. If it is true, I do not condone it and I will not eat it. Until I know for a FACT that this practice is NOT occuring, I will have to avoid it.

That is all I can think of for now...

Q5 - Have you been to any Hong Kong action movie auditions? (this could be a cybr question)

Thanks for the question, Yoshi. Please refer to Cybr for this question, as I have had no such experience.

He had a scene be filmed in the service apartment he stayed in before I got here. I don't know much else other than that but I am sure he would LOVE to tell you about it!

Q4 - If you had to move from STL to Hong Kong again, what would you do differently?

The only answer I have is...

I questioned how we handled shipping our pets, but I am not sure there is a better alternative even though I hated how stressed they were.

I have thought it may have been better if Cybr didn't leave 6 weeks before I did, that he would have been able to help out more...but in truth, his being gone gave me quality time to spend with family and friends, it kept us from having our stress take it's toll on our relationship, and in all honesty I think I got a lot more done on my own than if he would have been there.

Other than having questioned those two things, I don't think I would have done anything differently.

Great question, though, it really made me think. Thanks, KD!

Q3 - What foods have you been pleasantly surprised after trying?

I loves me some kimchee. This is odd because I hate cabbage and that is all kimchee is, but it is so freakin' good!

Red bean paste. Sounds odd, looks gross, tastes excellent. I have only eaten it in pastries and haven't been brave enough to try it in a beverage, since it looks a bit like vomit when it's in a glass.

Tofu Fa, or soy milk curd. Served cold looks like tofu snot, but tastes delicious. I could have eaten two. It also comes served hot, but that looks even more disgusting.

Sweet potato paste, also served in a pastry, and I wish I had gotten more.

I had this local treat and I have no idea what it is called, but it was sooooo good. This little old man stands on the street with a cart and takes these little crispy, wafer-y looking things and sprinkles them with what appears to be a cinnamon/sugar mixture and wraps it in a tortilla-like thing. Mmmmm...whatever it was, it was delicious.

I am really not a picky person and will usually try anything once. Anytime I hesitate to try something, it usually has more to do with texture and I will at least try something once. I even ate deep fried shrimp heads once. See, not at all picky. There are only a few exceptions, but that is a whole other post.

thanks for the question, Yoshi!

I already miss them and we haven't left yet...

That can't be good!

I am sure they will be fine, it is me who will be worried sick.

Little do they know, as Chini and Guinness prepare to take a ride in the back of a mini bus they will be saying good-bye to their mom and dad for two whole weeks. When they figure it out, they are gonna be pissed! Trust me, we will hear all about it when we return.


Q3 - Who will be watching the furry babies while you are in the States?-Ruff Ruffman

Dear RR,
The kids will be staying with the local in home dog-sitter close to our flat here in Discovery Bay. He takes dogs into his home to stay as long as they are social and friendly with other dogs. It is a much better alternative than kenneling. They can play and go in and out. Andrew takes them for walks four times per day. It is a good place for our kids.

Yet I still worry about them and already miss the hell out of them...

The kids waiting to board the mini bus.

Q2 - When are you going to post a view from your window overlooking the water?

Mae really wants a picture of our view and I have seriously been trying to get a halfway decent shot of it.

The big delay has been fog/haziness during the early winter, the scaffolding/mesh netting that was erected around our building for construction, and now back to fog/haziness. Hehe, I said erected.

Now I am going to be in the States for three weeks, so there's the next delay.

I swear I will do this. I will get a picture during visibility, if it drives me crazy(er) trying!

Q1 - What is it like to grocery shop in Hong Kong?

I absolutely love shopping for groceries here.

I take my environmentally friendly bags, which most people here do, and I shop for a day or two of food. Preservatives seem to be used less here, which creates a much shorter shelf life, even in some frozen foods.

For produce and fresh seafood (by fresh I mean still alive, even the shrimp) there are two ways to shop. You can purchase fresh produce and live seafood in grocery stores as well as at the street markets. There is a great variety for both and everything I could get in the U.S. plus things I have never heard of are available. They do not spray wax on the fresh fruit to make it look pretty and shiny, which is fine by me since I am not lacking in dietary wax...

As for chicken and beef, it is available very fresh at the grocery stores and is VERY affordable. We actually eat WAY better here than we ever did at home because everything is SO affordable here.

You can buy some really weird stuff here, too. All I can think of right now is chicken feet. A styrofoam tray, like what ground beef comes packaged in, but it is filled with chicken feet. Yes, the feet of a chicken just hacked off with skin and claws.

I initially thought it would be annoying to have to grocery shop daily, but after doing it for six months I find that it actually works well for us. When meats are frozen, I don't take the time to thaw them and we eat out. When I buy it fresh and unfrozen, I have no excuse.

There are several grocery stores to choose from here, much like in the U.S, but the one closest to us is called Park 'n Shop, which is kinda ironic since no cars are allowed here. Hehe.

Thanks for the question, Mae!