Day 348: The Queens of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China

I think the three days I spent in Hong Kong had been perfect. I was able to see the different facets of community in Hong Kong: the busy central and touristy metropolitan; the posh coastal “riviera”; and today, the genuine residential district known as the New Territories.

The New Territories of Hong Kong probably made up the most part of the Hong Kong. I probably would compare NT to the Queens borough of NYC. It’s where most middle class families lived. It’s made up of sub-communities of different immigrant groups. It’s where Hong Kong is at its truest, I think.

I was lucky that Kelvin, a Hong Kong-nese that I had met while in the hostel in Seoul Korea, happened to be in town. Being home for the break from his school in the States, Kelvin was eager to show me his hood. First thing first, we had Cantonese Dim Sum. While I thought I know pretty much the customs of Dim Sum-ing, I actually learnt a few new things. In Hong Kong, people douched their bowl, cup and chopstick with the hot tea first prior to using, for hygiene purpose. This is the norm and not considered rude, as the waitress will also bring a big bowl for the customers to dump the wasted tea. And the habit of tapping two fingers (index and middle) on the table when somebody pour you your tea originates from the custom of kneeling and bowing. It’s like a simplified shorthand of it.

After lunch, we meandered through the residential area of Tin Shui Wai and Yuen Long, passing by historical buildings and temples. Although not at all commercialized, some of these structures were built way back when the first immigrants settled in the area.

For dinner, Kelvin and I met up with his dancing partner Amy to have dinner in Yuen Long. We hit up most hyped up restaurant; then it’s off to a gaming center (rather like Pachinko of Japan) to play some arcade games; and ended the evening with a visit to the coolest dessert alleyway.