Hong Kong apparently has more skyscrapers than New York City which is astonishing. Not only due to its size, but more so the fact that they use bamboo scaffolding.
This one is within the falling radius of my room so let’s hope there isn’t a panda plague in the city over the next few days. More about the buildings later, I’m hungry.
Based on the streets around the exits of the MTR stations are the street food vendors (that makes perfect business sense). The good thing there are a few obligatory ones which I was more than happy to sample.
First cab off the rank, fish balls. To prepare get bits of fish or something that tastes like fish and compress it into a sphere. Boil in water and then cover in a curry sauce. Either serve in a cup with a toothpick or serve on a skewer. Slightly chewy (locals call it bouncy). Grade: B
Next up, the appealing looking egg waffle. Make up a batter and splosh it into a unusual shaped waffle iron. The result is a waffle where you can break pieces off, slightly chewy, sweet. Because I don’t travel with a collective of food stylists here is the photo in a half ripped paper bag. Delicious. Grade: A
Now I passed up on three things. Stinky Tofu, the local delicacy but it does smell like it has been sitting at the bottom in a fishtank that has not been cleaned in twenty years. Also the deep fried pig intestines did not make their way to my own. Same to be said for the octopus tentacles (only because they didn’t look all that fresh).
And while techincally not street food the other night I ate like a true local. Congee. The utilitarian stomach fuller which is usually eaten at breakfast – made from the rice left over from the night before. Congee is a rice porridge and can have an endless permutations within. Think peanuts, fish, pork (basically any meat), rgg, some chopped shallots and the star of the show a fried donught. A lot of the congee places are geared to the locals so their menus are not in English so I adopt the point-nod-smile technique.
If you are reading this over a bowl of Special K, this will be be up your alley. Grade: B+
Must go, phone battery dying and I have clocked up 12km walking.