Hong Kong Surprises

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Does your family have any traditions? Special foods on specific holidays? Christmas PJ sets? Summer camping trips?

Mine does, and other than the Christmas PJs (thanks mum!) they all center around food and drink – no complaints here.  Christmas is a time for mimosas, fondue, buckeyes, butter tarts, shortbread, turkey with all the trimmings, egg nog, and so much more. It’s pretty glutinous/awesome.

That’s a long list, to be sure, but with both Other Half’s and my parents being divorced it means four times the fun. And quite truthfully, things can get a little hectic around any major holiday, because one family dinner turns into four (or three depending on the holiday – one half of mine lives on a different continent).  While the initial organization can be daunting, the delicious outcomes always seem to make it alright (err, and the delightful time spent with loved ones too, of course!).

Being in China however, meant things were going to be different this year. No Christmas fondue, turkey, egg nog, baked goods, or other delights. No large, loud, family dinners. This year we were travelling.  We knew it was going to be difficult and that we would miss many things about our usual Christmas traditions, but the cost and the opportunity to travel meant that travel we would. 

All was going according to plan, or so I thought, but when Other Half took me over to Hong Kong for the weekend and out popped my mum and step-dad, I was suddenly the recipient of a surprise of a life time.

For background: My step dad has been living in another country since I was 12, and my mum joined him when I went to university at 18. Despite (a lot) of distance, we have always been together over the holidays.  I guess for some traditions die hard, and Halle-friggin-lujah for that! On top of the usual traditions (the PJs, overstuffed stockings and champagne) I got to spend two glorious days with my loved ones roaming around and exploring a new city. It. Was. Awesome.

My only other time in Hong Kong had been a day trip with some of the other women at school to do some shopping.  So I still had a lot to see, to say the least. 

Photo from: Langham Place Hotels

We spent our evenings in the Langham Place hotel, which is probably the swankiest establishment I have had the privilege to lay my head, and if your looking for a touch of luxury to add to your stay in Hong Kong, I couldn’t recommend this spot enough.  For Hong Kong, the rooms are spacious and outfitted in a contemporary feel. Service is impeccable, they can’t do enough for you, and if it’s in the budget, the L Club is a humongous perk – think unlimited food, drinks, an old school video game room, and so much more. Lux, lux, lux!

Our days brought us to some typical, and not so typical tourist locations. We started our morning with a trip across Victoria Harbour on board Hong Kong's iconic Star Ferry. A vessel that sends you back to a time of lace parasols and morning suits.  I loved the crafted charm of the ferry and thought the only thing missing was refreshing mint julep. At only 2 Hong Kong Dollars a ride, it was an inexpensive and pleasant way to see some different areas of the city. 

Our next stop of course took us on a trip up victoria peak. We caught the vintage-style tram to take us up, which was a fun way to climb through the many levels of the city, on the surprisingly steep journey up.  It should be noted that while the peak itself didn't seem overly busy, The tram station was monstrously packed.  I highly recommend going early in the morning  to venture your way up this up, it will be well worth the early start for the difference in the length of the line and number of number of elbows in your side as you jostle for room on the tram. We didn’t follow this advice, and while it was worth it, and we lucked out with tram location, we couldn’t help but feel a bit hemmed in. 

When on the peak you can choose from a variety of activities that range from lounging in the sun with coffee or ice cream (or both), to exploring the many trails and paths that wind their ways around, up, and down the peak. We opted for bit of both. The weather was a stange mix of warm, overcast and sunny, which made it the perfect activity for a bit of variety.  The level of activity on the peak matches that of the city down below (read: lots!) but instead of cars and people rushing this way and that, it's puppies and joggers, or mom's and strollers, all enjoying a lot of green in the centre of a large city.

After making our way down from the peak we explored the jade market and a few other interesting locations before taking a leisurely route back to the hotel.  Dinner was another big surprise with an evening at Ming Court, a Michelin two star that just so happened to be in the hotel. The food was predictably excellent, though I do recommend ordering off the menu and not choosing the set menu. And do go with the wine pairings. Do.

Day 2 let the awesome continue with a trip to Kowloon Walled City Park and Chi Lin Nunnery (que the "get thee to a nunnery" jokes here).  Kowloon Walled City Park's history is a fascinating one of debauchery and illegal dentistry. Originally Kowloon Walled City was the only part of Hong Kong not ruled by the British, or anything for that matter. It has a shady past where Triads were the main rulers and eventually came under inspection and eventually conviction in the 80's. After years of open drug use, prostitution, and organized crime, the "city" was torn down and turned into a public park.  Today the park is peaceful and manicured and a great space to stroll and explore.

The Chi Lin Nunnery stands out in my mind due to the fact that they entire structure was built without using a single nail. Given is intricacies and size, it was a shock to think of the work that has been put into creating something like that. Set away from the core of the city, the grounds themselves are quiet and peaceful. And while you can't take photos everywhere, they do allow you to fully explore. A great option if your looking for something a little different.

Too soon it was time to say goodbye. To the city, to the most amazing bed in the world, and most of all to my mum and step-dad. I am fortunate beyond compare to have been able to spend the weekend as i did, with the people I love - thank you, thank you, thank you!

Reflections on a New Year

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New Year's Eve - Hanoi - So'n Tinh (rice wine)

First of all – Happy New Year!

2012 brought me a lot of greatness in the form of family, friends and adventures and I am extremely thankful for every last second of last year.  Plus, there is always that slightly awkward added bonus that the Mayans were totally wrong, and I get to keep on enjoying my days. Sweet!

One thing I love about the New Year is resolutions.  I know they almost never stick, but the thought of taking a minute to reflect on what you want for yourself/family/whatever this year is a really nice one, and perhaps one we laugh off too quickly because we know it wont last.  Well, if that’s you then I dare you to take the minute (even if it is a few days late) and think about one thing you want this year. Then you can either work toward it or completely forget about, but you’ll know you at least took the time chill out for a second (or 60) – win win!

I’m feeling pretty positive about 2013, and while my resolutions may not be as formally composed as many peoples, I do have some goals for myself that I’ll be trying to work on throughout the year which loosely involve blogging, cooking, and running. 2 out of 3 of which I am confident that I will do more than once this year. Still counts.

As far as this blog goes, I’m really counting on being able to keep it updated on a regular basis. As planned it has made communication with the home crowd much easier, and your positive words of encouragement make it ever more worth it. Thanks! Let us all keep our fingers crossed that the Great Firewall of China doesn’t go for another all out crackdown.

What about you, do you like resolutions? Did you make any solid ones? Do share!

These may never see the light of day again... I hope they had fun!

Wide Angle: vol. 4

Pin It It's been a busy couple of weeks (okay, more like months) since I've been able to post regularly, some of it interesting, some of it not so much (grading essays is so much more time consuming than grading math tests).  To give you an idea of what's been happening on a more behind-the-scenes level, I present to you another installment of Wide Angle, a casual look at my day-to-day ... captured on my iphone.

I have a lot of stories and posts in the works to catch up on from the last couple of months, and even more beyond that based on the next couple months (we're in the midst of our big travel time over here). I'm going to try and keep it in sequence and ignore that it's actually Christmas and New Years holiday, and show you some photos as far back as Hallowe'en. Just roll with it. And so, in light of the fact that it is the holiday and I'm sitting in a hotel room in Hanoi, I'm going to move right on the photos now.

1. Ask and I will deliver - this is what the Ikea sign looks like in China.
2. I can't resist the colours on these shoes! I smile everytime I look down.
3 & 4. Hallowe'en - 1 dress, 2 ways. #3 is my representation of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and #4 is Ms. Frizzle of Magic School Bus fame. The kids in the elementary half of the school still call Ms. Frizzle more often than not. I'm totally okay that association.
5 & 6. My very frist trip to Hong Kong involved leaving the boys at home and heading over for a day of shopping and seeing. These two are taken on the way to (#5) and at (#6) Stanley / Stanley Market. A pituresque portion of Hong Kong that feels very un-Hong Kong.  The best part is grabbing a drink or some eats along the water, and the shopping ain't bad either! Note: it's market style, occasional haggling accepted, so places have clearly fixed prices. Generally if it's marked it's fixed, if it's not, it's not!
7 & 8. I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Beijing, which was my first (and so far, only) time there.  It was a brisk in and out trip, but I did manage to make it to the old market (#7) where I indulged in some snacks of the creepy crawly variety (#8). More specifically I sampled the scorpion (after some serious pep talk from some complete strangers), and I have to say that it was actually quite good, crunchy with a nice smoky BBQ flavour. In fact, I ate two.

And there you have it, a small glimpse into what's been happening in my day to day recently. It's been a pleasure communicating with you more regularily after such a long break - fingers crossed it continues!

Until next time!

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Pie"

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Ever wonder what happens when you move to China, don’t speak the language, and then contract a wicked virus like pneumonia? Yeah, neither did I. 

But I can now tell you, because it happened to Other Half, and it wasn’t fun. At all. What started as an innocent cough, quickly escalated into some wild inflammation in the lungs, which led to weeks of exhaustion, a lot of missed classes and too many trips to a Chinese hospital to receive antibiotics via IV twice daily. Slowly, slowly he’s coming around to the healthy side of life, but with a too heavy work load, an environment that’s more polluted than the body is used to, it hasn’t been easy. What a trooper, he deserves a cake, no? Well lucky for him, not only did he pull through like a champ, he also had a birthday, which means double reason for cake! Yay!

Traditionally when it’s Other Half’s Birthday I would bake him up something gooey and sweet that involved chocolate and peanut butter.  Without access to a proper oven, it was time to get creative.  I still managed to pull off the gooey, the sweet, the peanut butter, and the chocolate with just a little ingenuity and some vague memories of no bake classics. After all, a Birthday isn’t a Birthday without some cake!

Cake is perhaps a bit of an overstatement here, it was really more of a… pie? Ish? It had two layers, that I know for sure, but neither of them were traditional cake, or pie.  Working with what I had on hand and access to (which we know isn’t much) I sort of dreamed up this concoction and hoped for the best.

To start we have a layer of pseudo no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookie, and then we add a layer of whipped peanut butter creaminess. Combined it made a decadent, and rather delicious (if I do say so myself) Birthday treat.

If I were to make this again I would adjust a few amounts of certain things here and there (which is how I’m presenting the recipe below – adjustments made) as I found the bottom chocolate layer a bit too wet, and the top layer could have used a more traditional icing sugar (didn’t have).  

At the very least, China is forcing some creativity out of me, and if the results are like this, then I'm not complaining!

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Pie"

all measurements are approximate as this was a very little-bit-of-this-little-bit-of-that recipe!

For the base:

1 1/2 cups of oats

1/4 cup of whipping cream

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

For the topping:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

 1/2 cup of whipping cream

1/3 cup icing sugar

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and add in cream, sugar and vanilla
2. Stir in cocoa powder, when combined, mix in oats and cook for a couple minutes until softened
3. Pour mixture into a greased pie plate - spread evenly and place in refrigerator while preparing the topping
4. In a medium bowl, using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the cream and icing sugar until you have a light whipped cream texture (will take a few minutes)
5. Fold in the peanut butter to the whipped cream mixture until fully combined
6. Spread evenly over the base layer and refrigerate until both layers have set (about 1 hour)
7. Enjoy!

When life blocks you from the internet... make salad.

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Oooooh boy! It’s been awhile… Sometimes I forget that we’re living in China.  When daily life gets overwhelmingly busy and I don’t have much time to do anything other than work and prepare for work the next day, it’s like I could be living anywhere in the world. Then I’ll try and do something totally normal like use Google, write on my blog, and stalk my friends on Facebook, and I’m blocked from all of it. All. Of. It.  And I’m frustrated back into reality.  I’m having a blast here in China, but there are many things that show themselves as the reality of life here and I have to remember that sometimes ignorance is bliss.  We’re slowly getting the use of certain tools back that allow us to work around the firewalls here on the mainland, and so hopefully I’ll be able to get into a routine again. Hopefully. (note: I’m not always blocked from using Google, but for reference it is blocked about 85% of the time). 

But I'm back now, temporarily at least, and I have lots of lit bits and pieces to share with you! I'll hopefully be able to continue with some semi-regular posting and life sharing, hooray! Let's have a celebratory salad... yes, salad. A nice, fresh, simple salad. Ah bliss.

While one reality is living behind a virtual iron curtain, another reality of living here is the fact that people don’t seem to cook food without an inch of oil in the bottom of the pan.  It’s not greasy, it’s oily. For the first time, I understand the difference, and so do my innards.  It’s time for salad.  I’ve craved salad before, but never like I do here.  Fresh foods are often considered quite sketchy, organic foods (if you can find them) are generally about as organic as that Channell bag is Chanel and if you even go near an article written about the farming and inspection practices in the newspaper you’ll want to eat nothing but imported soda crackers for the rest of your life.  Needless to say, fulfilling the salad craving isn’t always easy. Slowly, with time we’ve learned where to shop, what to trust, and what to turn a blind eye too. 

And so it is that this salad, while simple, was borne from weeks of planning and searching for various ingredients.  Never has so much pre-work gone into a couscous salad. I’m certain of it.  Happily, this turned out to be exactly what I needed.  It was fresh, it was crisp, it was refreshing.  My body rejoiced after this one.

There is nothing earth shatteringly new about this recipe.  In fact it’s a very simple couscous salad that uses minimal ingredients and requires only a few steps easy steps, but the result is a highly flavourful, healthy salad.  Oily innards beware!

Mediterranean Couscous Salad 

Approximately 1 – 1.5 cups cooked couscous

200g feta cheese, cubed

8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ of a small cucumber, diced

1 can French Lentils, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ tsp ground white pepper

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

salt to taste

1.     Combine the couscous, feta, tomatoes, cucumber and lentils in a medium bowl

2.     Add the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Combine thoroughly

3.     Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to allow flavours to meld