Shark fin soup: status symbol or shameful practice?

Status and power are very important in Chinese culture and shark fin soup is considered to be one of the key culinary status symbols. It is considered a symbol of wealth, power and prestige and is traditionally served at special occasions such as weddings and business deals. With a bowl of shark fin soup costing up to $100 the shark fin business is highly lucrative for fishermen, retailers and restaurants.

However, the consumption of shark fin soup is surrounded by much controversy as the practice of ‘finning’ - the removal of the fins from the sharks - is often criticised as being cruel and wasteful. Fishermen cut the fins of the live sharks and throw the rest of the animal back overboard where usually bleed to death or die from suffocation.

Shark finning is largely unmanaged and unmonitored and every year, the fins of up to 73 million sharks are harvested and sold, the majority of which end up on plates in luxury restaurants in China and Hong Kong. In the lst 30 years, global shark population has dropped by 90%, mostly as a result of finning.
The saddest part is that the fin doesn’t actually contribute to the flavour of the soup but rather adds a certain texture which can also be provided by other ingredients such as eggwhites, which is often used in Chinese restaurants overseas.

Fortunately, public opinion is slowly turning against the practice of finning and the consumption of the soup with an increasing number of businesses pledging not the buy or sell the soup. Hong Kong Disneyland, for example, has removed the dish from its wedding banquet menu and the University of Hong Kong has also stopped  serving the dish on campus. Let’s hope more restaurants will follow suit.

Not all locals feel the same way and some are so set on having their beloved soup  that they get pretty upset if they don’t get it. For example the lady in the video below.

See you next time!

Keeping Cool in Hong Kong - Expat Style

As summer is slowly coming to an end we can look back at another warm and fun summer. One of the favourite weekend activities to escape the Hong Kong heat is to go on a so called ‘junk trips’.

Traditional wooden junk

 

Leaving the city behind

 Junks are traditional Chinese wooden ships, although nowadays most junks aren't made of wood anymore. You pretty much book a junk, gather a group of 20-40 friends and set off for the day. Usually the boats set sail for one of the beaches along the coast of the New Territories where you drop anchor for lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon swimming, sunbathing, eating and drinking.

Fresh seafood on the BBQ

There are different types of junks packages ranging from self-catered to fully catered. While the latter are a bit more expensive the staff on board will make sure that you don’t go hungry or thirsty. They even throw you bottles filled with cocktails while you are swimming!

After a lovely afternoon the boat heads back into town which is often followed by a night in town for those still standing!

Junks are an amazing way to escape the busy city and the heat! Can’t wait till next year!

Ciao!

Bare baby bottoms

I recently travelled to China and one of the first things I noticed was the many baby bums you see everywhere. The children aren't naked, they just wear crotchless pants! These special pants (or Kai Dan Ku) are worn by most Chinese children as part of their toilet training. No underwear or diapers needed!

Chinese toilet training involves holding a baby by the hips over a potty while whistling softly to imitate the tinkle of urine. Parents begin to toilet train their child as early as one month and by the time they can walk, most babies know how to squat down in their pants whenever they feel the urge. While this sounds great in theory, in practice this means this usually happens in the most inappropriate public places, such as on public transport, on the sidewalk, in restaurants etc.

Numbers two's on the Great Wall of China

Recently I was having lunch at a restaurant and at the table across from me a little boy was standing between the legs of his mother. While his mom was trying to feed him he was happily peeing on the floor under the table. I looked around but apart from me nobody seemed to be the slightest bit disturbed by this. For me however, the sight of the yellow puddle under the table ruined my appetite for my Chinese soup!

Even statues of children have crotchless pants!

Diapers have been introduced in China a long time ago but they are still considered a luxury product and many parents therefore continue to prefer the traditional way of toilet training.

While the sight of tiny baby bums is in fact very endearing, I do feel sorry for those little bottoms in winter time as temperatures in most parts of China drop to sub zero temperatures! I also can’t help but think that carrying your child around on your arm is just an accident waiting to happen…

See you next time!

Keeping Cool in Hong Kong – Part I

It’s summer in Hong Kong and that means it’s hot and humid, very hot and humid! For those of us lucky enough to live and work in air-conditioned buildings this means avoiding the outdoors as much as possible unless it’s to go to the pool or the beach. For those not so lucky I’d like to share some tips on how to beat the HK heat local style…

This week a tip specially for  men: pull your t-shirt all the way up to your armpit so your belly can get some nice fresh air!

Watch this space for more tips on how to beat the heat!

Ciao

1 July Protests

Friday 1 July was a public holiday to commemorate the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China in 1997. While I was escaping the summer heat by the pool, thousands of locals took to the street to protest in the annual 1 July March.
 

©Epochtimes

Unlike residents from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong residents enjoy the right to protest and the 1 July March provides an opportunity for Hong Kong residents to channel their demand for democracy and a variety of other political concerns. This years protest focused mainly on high property prices, the increasing poverty gap and proposed anti-democratic legislation.

Since the handover back to China Hong Kong is governed under the principle of “one country, two systems”. Under this principle, Hong Kong has a different political system from mainland China and maintains a “high degree of autonomy” in all matters except foreign relations and military defence. Despite the fact that the handover agreement guarantees that Hong Kong will retain its capitaist economic system and civil liberties for at least 50 years, increasing criticims is being voiced against the political rule and anti-democratic legislations.

©Reuters

During the sweltering evening heat thousands of protesters marched through the streets of downtown Hong Kong, although the exact number of protesters is unclear. According protest organisers almost 220,000 people joined in the demonstration, however the police estimate  the amount at only 50,000. More than 200 protesters were arrested during the protests.
 

©AP

In response to the protest, the Hong Kong government released a statement on Friday night saying that it will better address the needs of the people but it remains to be seen if anything will happen.

Walking your dog Hong Kong style

How to walk your dog Hong Kong style:
- Step one, while still in your apartment put the dog in the dog stroller.
- Step two, take the elevator down and push the dog, still in the stroller, 300 meter to the dog walking area.
- Step three, lift the dog out of the stroller and let it do its deed.
- Step four, if desired, take a walk while pushing your dog in the stroller.
- Step five, roll the dog back to the appartment and go back inside.

The dog stroller guarantees minimal physical activity for your dog and will keep your dog clean and protected from any broken glass, trash or other hazards on the sidewalk. Your dog will also have a good view of the environment and his unfortunate fellow canines that actually have to walk.

Do you live in urban areas and are you worried that their dog will relieve itself on the sidewalk? This women will show you what to do:

Buddha’s and Buns

One of the great things of living in a place that is at the crossroads of Asian and Western cultures is that you get double public holidays. On one hand we get all the Western holidays like Christmas and Easter but we also get all the Asian public holidays including the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year and yesterday, Buddha’s Birthday.

On Buddha’s Birthday, Buddha statues all around Hong Kong (and the rest of Asia) receive special treatment and are given a bath. It is said that this bathing ritual particular impressive and important at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, home to the world’s biggest outdoor seated Buddha. While I live on Lantua Island, I was put off by the massive queues and crowds trying to make their way up to the monestry. As it was one of the first really warm and sunny days in Hong Kong I decided to do some bathing myself and spend the day at the pool instead. I'm sure Buddha enjoyed his bathing as much as I did!

Buddha’s birthday public holiday is the ultimate embodiment of Hong Kong’s mixed cultures and spiritualities, as it also coincides with the Taoist Bun Festival on Cheung Chau Island. This festival is probably one of Hong Kong craziest with thousands of locals and tourist descending on the tiny island of Cheung Chau to watch men and women scramble up the side of a 18 meter ‘bun tower’ to pull off as many bread buns as they can. Originally, hundreds would climb up the tower but as a result of some serious incidents in the past - including the collapsing of the tower and people getting crushed - the event has been toned down in recent years with only 12 people participating in the final climb.

 
Another major part of the festival is the parade with floats and dragon dances through the streets of the Island. A highlight of the parade are the floats with children, dressed up as gods and hoisted up on a pole making it look like they are floating.

Happy Buddha and Bun day to all Buddhist and Taoists!

See you next time

sources:
http://gohongkong.about.com/od/hongkongfestivals/p/buddhasbirthday.htm
http://gohongkong.about.com/od/hongkongfestivals/a/cheungchau.htm)

Posh Paper Offerings

Yesterday, locals here in Hong Kong celebrated the Ching Ming Festival, a public holiday dedicated specifically to ancestor worshipping. Ancestor worshipping is a Chinese tradition that dates back thousands of years and is based on the belief that the spirits of the dead continue to live in the natural world and have the power to influence the fortune and fate of the living. The goal of worshipping ancestors is therefore to ensure the continued well-being of the ancestors and at times to ask for special favours or assistance.

On Ching Ming, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, Chinese families remember and honour their ancestors at their graves or burial grounds. They gather together to pray, sweep the tombs, burn incense, make offerings of tea, wine, food and burn joss paper offerings.

Joss paper, or ghost money, are sheets of paper that are burned to enable the deceased to have all they need in the afterlife. Traditionally the joss paper is made from rice or bamboo and resembles real money.

Traditional Joss paper

However, more contemporary varieties of joss paper include paper credit cards, cheques and a variety of paper accessories such as clothes, food, houses, cars and even servants! In the days leading up to the festival you’ll find many shops around Hong Kong displaying the most amazing paper items. Below you can see some of the more interesting paper assecories I came across.

Cans of coke

A car

A suit

Designer tie and socks
(note how they misspelled Louis Vuitton, very typical!!)

A whole suckling pig

A plate of sushi

Teeth, toothpase and toothbrush

Even a massage chair!

Not bad, seems like they have everything they need in the afterlife!

Ciao

Under Construction

Walking through Hong Kong, you can’t help but notice the bamboo scaffolding covered with green netting all over town. While bamboo scaffolding has largely been banished from most high-rise construction sites in other Asian countries, the practice continues throughout Hong Kong.

The sight of the skyscraper tall bamboo scaffolding is pretty amazing and to my unfamiliar eye it looks very unsafe and flimsy. Particularly when you see that the bottom of the bamboo skeleton is resting on the diagonally cut ends of the bamboo and that the bamboo components are hold together by a thin piece of plastic.

But no matter how unsettling it may look, it is argued that bamboo is in fact very strong and surprisingly functional. Defenders of bamboo scaffolding argue that it is strong, extremely lightweight, flexible, cost-effective and eco-friendly as bamboo is the fastest growing type of wood. Bamboo also has an advantage over other types of scaffolding in typhoon prone areas such as Hong Kong as bamboo bends in high winds, while steel scaffolding breaks.

Despite these arguments in favour of bamboo scaffolding, bamboo scaffolding has been banned from many other countries mainly for safety and environmental reasons. It remains to be seen whether it will also be banned from Hong Kong or if the sight of buildings clad in green netting and bamboo scaffolding will remain part of the Hong Kong skyline.

Bye for now!