For those following my search for treasures in the markets I had no luck. I could flat out lie and say I bought a star fish which I used as a ninja star after some heavy shit went down with the Chinese Triads but it didn’t happen. Fake news! Instead I spent a bit of time combing the markets, trying to locate an airplaine adapter with bluetooth so my new headphones would work with the plane’s entertainment system. No luck.
My last half day has saw me check my bags in the city, grab some lunch and then entertain myself at the airport for the next seven hours. However the good folk at Qantas are here forcing me to eat, bum their free internet while they ply me with drinks.
Before I went to the airport there was a sichwan restaurant at the train station. I had never had their cuisine but I was intrigued due to their love of heat and the mouth-numbing sensation of the foundation ingredient, sichwan pepper.
I had some hot and sour beef soup. Amazingly it wasn’t super hot as a normal chilli dish, however my lips were tingling for the next twenty minutes in much the same way as if you hummed for 36 hours straight. Made me want to delve deeper and try some more dishes in the future. The chicken soup was also calling my name.
Last time I mentioned how the two litres of Chinese tea had me buzzing like a cornered blowfly. Plan B wasn’t any improvement unfortunately. I tried soymilk from the 7-Eleven near me. Didn’t actually taste too bad as they had spike it with sugar.
And even a sidewalk stall blending green concoctions of capsicum, celery, apple, carrot and ginger. After a few chugs of that I had more green in me than a nose with a sunus infection. Tasted pretty good actually, but it’s not an everyday food. Both of these didn’t help the sleeping patterns (stupid hard bed). Hopefully I can get some shuteye on the way home between episodes of Season 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm which I am yet to see?
Yesterday was Easter Sunday here but the Easter Bunny and I didn’t cross parhs. Rather than celebrate with chocolates I saw the day come and go with a bevy of dumplings. I went to order a couple of boxes at the markets and the lady kept on loading up the plastic bag with container after container. I was a deer in the headlights, she assumed that was a cue for her to keep shovelling them in. Five packets of dumplings for $8AUD.
I possibly couldn’t eat them all on my own so I found one of the parks in town and shared my bounty with a couple of strangers. That sounds all warm and fuzzy but if I knew I could have polished them all off I would have and they wouldn’t have got a crumb. They were a bit hesitant at first nut when they saw it was not possible for me to eat them all they joined me.
Steamed vegetable dumplings with peanuts.
Fried beef dumplings
Sesame Balls (kidney bean paste wrapped in glutinous rice dough and fried. My favourite).
Spring rolls with cheese, corn and pineapple. When I pointed to them I thought it was a mango cream.
Wouldn’t have these again.
Steamed buns. Unknown filling at point of sale. They were beef (again).
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The flight back was delayed by two hours meaning I couldn’t catch the early flight back to Toowoomba. Sentenced to 10 hours in the lounge I am passing time with loaves of bread, a sandwich press and various fillings.
Also whipped up some Bircher museli.
Back at work tomorrow, whilst I wish holidays would continue forever, it is time to get back to normal eating habits. Even the signs are starting to mock me in Hong Kong.
