Flower Market (Kowloon)

I buy flowers for my home regularly. After years of shopping with my 2 regular florists in Hong Kong, I finally made my way to the Flower Market in Mongkok. I must admit it is a bit of a trek from where I live but well worth the effort. I recommend that you either combine it with a visit to other markets in the Mongkok area (its right next to the Goldfish Market and the Yuen Po Bird Garden) if you just want to have a look or plan to buy quite a bit, to make the trip worthwhile. I had a great time there enjoying the blooms and plants. There are even shops that sell silk flowers, florists' materials, pots and everything flora related. The prices are a fraction of what you would pay at the florists elsewhere and the range is superb. I bought a bunch of 10 roses for $25, azaleas in full bloom for $30, an African violet for $15 and a bonsai for $58. The potting mix I bought was far superior to the ones I get from the supermarkets - it actually contains soil and no fillers such as polystyrene bits. I planned to just visit and ended up with more than an armful.

Directions to the Flower Market by MTR: Prince Edward Station exit B1, head east towards Prince Edward Road West turn left into Yuen Ngai Street. Then turn right into Flower Market Road.

Top 10 things to do in Hong Kong to avoid the summer heat

Only a few more weeks to the summer holidays. Unless you are lucky enough to be away all summer skiing in Australia, there'll be lots of days when you'll be wishing for something fun to do which does not involve sun and beach. Here's 10 cool things to do in Hong Kong to avoid the summer heat:

1. Ice skating
   
2. Indoor rock climbing
   
3. Paintballing
   
4. Learn a language for your next overseas holiday
   
5. Learn a musical instrument (recorder, guitar, electronic keyboard) or take singing lessons
   
6. Make digital scrapbooks for yourself and your friends as gifts (there are free and pay for use software for scrapbooking)
   
7. Plant a herb garden on your balcony
   
8. Learn to knit and make yourself a scarf or beanie for winter
   
9. Visit all the museums to learn about Hong Kong’s history and heritage (maybe even write a journal of your visits)
   
10. Watch movies on its first screening and write reviews on your Facebook

Insomnia in Hong Kong

Who has time for sleep?

Whilst sleep requirements can vary between adults, it is generally agreed amongst the medical profession that healthy adults need 7.5 to 9 hours sleep per night. In our busy lives, it seems that sleep gets the lowest priority. There is the never-ending to-do list and then surely, we must make time for friends and the ever important ME time. Eight hours sleep a night sounds good, but when are we ever going to find time to do that?

In an article ‘Prevalence of insomnia among Chinese adults in Hong Kong: a population-based study’ published in the Journal of Sleep Research (March 2011), the authors reported that insomnia affected a staggering 39.4%. That is equivalent to 2.2million affected adults in Hong Kong. Sleep deprivation can impair the human brain as much as alcohol can. Did you know that not sleeping for 24 hours causes impairment that is the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of 0.1? That is above the Hong Kong drink driving limit of 0.05! Poor sleep can contribute to confusion, memory lapses or loss, “bags under the eyes”, irritability, temper tantrums in children, weight gain, headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, an impaired immune system and symptoms similar to attention deficit disorder. Numerous deaths are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, 250,000 drivers fall asleep at the wheel every day in the United States.

There has even been studies that support the finding that sleep deprivation can suppress growth hormones thus affecting growth.

Truth is, we should make getting sufficient sleep a priority. Just as good nutrition and exercise are essential for health, so is sleep. The quantity and quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your day - your concentration, creativity, mood and over a longer period, your emotional balance, physical fitness, immunity to infections and weight.

When you stop and think about it - is there a more effortless way to achieve good health than getting a good night's sleep? So come on, stop feeling guilty about not getting through the week’s household chores or reading a report from work. You’d feel a lot better and function more efficiently if you go to bed early and wake up refreshed the next day.

The King of Kowloon 九龍皇帝 (2)

Calligraphy or Graffiti?

Most Hong Kong residents have either seen or heard of the Tsang Tsou-choi 曾灶財, the self proclaimed King of Kowloon and his writings on the walls (refer blog post of 25 May 2011). He travelled extensively across Hong Kong , adding his decrees to many a wall and lamppost. Aesthetics was not his aim; instead he needed an outlet to express his outrage at being deprived of his rightful inheritance. So, was it art or an act of anarchy?

Ironically for him, no one took his claim seriously despite a 51 year long crusade. Instead, his graffiti was elevated to the status of art. He first started writing on walls in 1956 yet it was not until 1995 when he was prosecuted for the first time by police. He was fined $50 for writing graffiti in a car park of a building. Often, his writings were painted over but he would return and re-write his messages as soon as the paint dried. In general though, he was left to roam the streets with his black ink and brushes. His scribblings have even been called “mural pieces……….Hong Kong’s unique treasure of art .(1)” In fact in 2003, Tsang was the first Hong Kong artist to have been invited to the Venice Biennale. On 23 September of that year, Tsang’s calligraphy was nominated by Hong Kong’s English language daily the South China Morning Post as one of the “Top 25 Reasons to Love Hong Kong”.

Tsang’s reputation as an artist was cemented when Sotheby's auctioned a board painted by him for $55,000. After his death, an acrylic on canvas calligraphy by Tsang went under the hammer at Sotheby’s for $500,000 in 2009.

Tsang enjoyed an iconic status. In addition to the various art exhibitions he also made guest appearances in two local films – Queen of Kowloon and Lavender. Tsang’s work even inspired a TV commercial. In the commercial for a household cleaner, Swipe, he cleans away his permanent ink graffiti with Swipe. He also attracted the attention of the likes of Hong Kong lifestyle brand G.O.D (t-shirt using Tsang’s art), toy manufacturer Dragon Models Limited (Hong Kong Brand used Tsang’s calligraphy as its logo) and Converse (shoe design based on his writing style).

There is struggle to preserve Tsang’s writing as they are on public installations. After his death, many people took photographs of his writings. Many worried that the government would “clean up” his writings. His graffiti is now on the official list of “Hong Kong identity symbols to be protected.” For example, one at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier has been sprayed over with a clear protective layer.

So, is Tsang Tsou-choi an artist? Evidently, many think so. In an interview with Colors, Tsang had this to say “I don’t care about money and fame. They should just give me back the throne. I am not an artist - I am simply the King”. He also said “Emperors in China have always been calligraphers.”

(1) Catalogue – Memories of King Kowloon exhibition by Artistree

The King of Kowloon 九龍皇帝

King or lunatic?

This is one of the questions you face when you consider the life of Hong Kong citizen Tsang Tsou-choi 曾灶財. Originally named Tsang Choi, he was born in Liantang village, Guangdong province on 12 November 1921. He came to Hong Kong at 16, lived with his uncle Sin Bak in Yuen Long and made a living as a peasant. He had also worked as a pipe-cleaner, coolie and garbage collector. He married Leung Fuk-choi who was 15 years his junior and they had 4 daughters and 4 sons.

Tsang started his street calligraphy in 1956, at the age of 35. Tsang had only 2 years of schooling, so in terms of calligraphy, his script was idiosyncratic perhaps even crude. He was definitely prolific – his writings could be seen on building walls, lampposts, utility boxes and other public property around Hong Kong. Over a period of 51 years until his death in 2007, it is estimated that he produced 55,845 pieces of work at 80 locations over Hong Kong. He’d even written on the walls and curtains of his home. Even the clock and his huxiang zheng "home return permit” were covered with his writings. So what drove this man to such passion and why was he allowed to continue?

Looking at his writings, one certainly gains a sense of rage and injustice. This was a man with an obsession. Tsang was convinced that most of the land of Kowloon belonged to his ancestors. One version was that his great grandfather Tsang Gwong-jing, was a prime minister in the Zhou Dynasty and owned a lot land in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong had become a British colony, he complained that his ancestor’s land had been appropriated by the British. Thus began his gripe against the authorities. His writings usually included his name, his title九龍皇帝 “King of Kowloon”, his family tree and the statement “Down with the Queen of England”.

Tsang was arrested several times for his graffiti but remarkably, he was usually only given a warning or a small fine. For example, on 18 August 2001, Tsang wrote his ancestral record on a stone pillar at the Star Ferry Pier. He was taken away for questioning and later released unconditionally. On 22 September 2002, Tsang was prosecuted and fined $500 for painting in the vicinity of Jardine House in Central. This was the last prosecution on record.

His two eldest daughters had emigrated to Britain and Holland. Tsang was proud of their settling abroad. His Majesty proclaimed “At least she can meet Queen Elizabeth and settle the dispute with me one day, and talk her into returning to me the Kowloon illegally occupied by Britain.”

Next - Calligraphy or graffiti? Art or defacement?

From now till 31 May 2011, you need not travel around Hong Kong to view the King of Kowloon’s “art”. There is an exhibition at ArtisTree, 1/F Cornwall House, Taikoo Place, Island East (free admission).

Turtle Day

Did you know that today, 23rd May 2011 is World Turtle Day? Curious?

World Turtle Day is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue “to bring attention to and increase knowledge of and respect for tortoises and turtles and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive”.

So, in honor of this special day, here are two photographs of my favorite terrapins, the lucky residents of Hong Kong Park.

This has led me to ponder: turtle, tortoise and terrapin – what’s the difference?

For a start, they all belong to a group of reptiles called chelonians. In general, turtles live in or near water and tortoises live primarily on arid land. Terrapins on the other hand fall somewhere between turtles and tortoises because they either live in swampy areas or begin life underwater and eventually move to dry land. Turtles have flatter backs than tortoises and have webbed or fin-like feet adapted for swimming. Tortoises’ shells are rounded domes so that they can withdraw their limbs and head for protection.

There are 9 species of chelonians found in Hong Kong. The Green Turtle is the only known species of sea turtles breeding locally. The nesting site of Green Turtles at Sham Wan beach on Lamma Island was designated a restricted area in 1999 to protect the species during the breeding season. This site is very important to the survival of this highly endangered species – in fact, it is one of the few remaining nesting sites in Southern China. The number of female Green Turtles nesting on Shan Wan beach is very small and there would not be nesting every year.

The restricted period is from 1 June to 31 October. Each year before the onset of the breeding season, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department organizes contractors and volunteers to clear the vegetation and remove garbage from the beach. So, if you feel inclined to do your bit for conservation, why not volunteer to help at Sham Wan beach?

Well in Hong Kong, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find a greeting card for this day. If you would like to send a greeting to your friends and loved ones, why not send a E Card instead? It’s environmentally friendly.

Have a Happy Turtle Day!

Lucky three

I am not one of the three very lucky people who shared in the first prize pool of Friday's Mark 6 mega draw. Are you? Apparently the odds of being a winner i.e. to pick all 6 numbers correctly out of 49 possible numbers is 14 million to one. OK, so the odds are very low, and it's not remarkable that I didn't win. What's remarkable though is how much the people of Hong Kong wanted to buy into this dream. The newspapers reported that there were long queues at the city's Hong Kong Jockey Club outlets. This draw generated a record turnover of $343 million. In a city of about 7 million, that's a bet of nearly $50 for each and every man, woman and child! Most of the people interviewed before the draw planned to spend their winnings on buying a flat - not a dream holiday? or a Ferrari? or retirement? Perhaps the policy makers should make affordable housing more of a priority, then we can all dream of the finer things in life.

$100 million dream

The Mark 6 lottery draw tonight will be a big one! The estimated first prize in tonight’s draw is estimated to reach $100 million. This will be the largest jackpot topping the nearly $71 million payout in 2003.

Does money buy happiness? Well, I’d certainly like to find out for myself. OK, so realistically, in Hong Kong, $100 million does not make one fabulously wealthy nor will it generate invitations to uber cool parties. What then will I be able to afford with a cool $100 million? Well, definitely not the 5,500 sq ft house on Severn Road, The Peak which has an asking price of $280 million nor the 5,545 sq ft house on La Salle Road, Kowloon with an asking price of $120 million. I’d have to settle for the more modest 4,267 sq ft fully detached house (with a huge 8,000 sq ft garden, mind you) in Sai Kung (asking price $100 million) or perhaps, a 4,094 sq ft house in Regalia Bay for an affordable $70 million. The house in Regalia Bay would earn me rental on $170,000 per month. That should be enough for me to retire in comfort with my very modest lifestyle….

OK so, I need to head out and buy myself a winning ticket. Wish me luck! I wonder what are the odds of winning the first prize and not having to share it with a few other just-as-lucky people?

Petrol prices

I don’t usually pay much attention when I my car is being filled up at the petrol station. That’s why I was rather surprised when I looked at the receipt this morning. $14.95 per liter ($16.45 per liter less $1.50 discount for credit card payment). Of this, tax was HK$6.06 per liter which translates to 40.5% of the cost. So I thought, I’d like to see what people in other parts of the world pay for petrol and where Hong Kong ranks.

The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) publishes a bi-annual survey of International Fuel Prices. The latest survey of the retail prices of gasoline was conducted in November 2010. At that time, the price of crude oil was equivalent to 51 US cents per liter. The 170 plus countries surveyed were ranked and placed in 4 categories. In order, from category 1 to category 4 are – very high gasoline subsidies (retail price 1-51 US cents), gasoline subsidies, gasoline taxation, very high gasoline taxation (retail price 147-254 US cents). You guessed it – Hong Kong is firmly in category 4, ranking equal 9th from the top with UK at 192 US cents per liter. Mmmh, maybe I should take the bus..........

Hand mixer

I bought myself a hand mixer today. My fancy “all in one” food processor, blender, cake mixer, meat mincer gave up the ghost after nearly 22 years of service. Well, actually, only the cake mixer half broke down but I retired the entire unit anyway. I have decided to go with several smaller units this time in the interest of uncluttering my kitchen. I’ll try and get by with this new hand mixer plus the juice extractor and the small blender that I already own. I might get myself a stick blender, but only maybe.

To test drive my new mixer, I made this tried and true butter cake. It’s my mum’s fail proof recipe. I made the chocolate marble cake version.

Butter cake
Ingredients
8 oz pure unsalted butter (at room temperature)
8 oz castor sugar
8 oz self raising flour
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced oven)
Method
1. Using a cake mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs, one at a time. Beat well after adding each egg. Adding eggs too quickly may cause the mixture to curdle and separate.
3. Turn off cake mixer.
4. Sift flour.
5. Add in a quarter of the sifted flour and stir in lightly with a spatula. Repeat until all the flour is added. Do not beat the mixture, only stir in one direction.
6. Pour the cake mixture into a lined loaf tin or heatproof glass loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Check that the cake is ready by inserting a skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

Variations
Marble cake (with picture) Mix 2 tablespoons of good quality coco or chocolate powder with 1 tablespoon of milk. Add 1/3 of the butter cake mixture to the chocolate mix.
Drop ½ of the plain mixture into the cake tin. Then add in the chocolate mixture followed by plain mixture.

Orange butter cake Omit the vanilla essence. Add the zest of 1 orange and the juice of half a lemon to the mixture above. Add a few drops of orange essence if you prefer a stronger aroma.

My word on the hand mixer – I picked the most powerful model after checking 3 shops – a 350W model, thinking that it would be the least likely to suffer a burnout. My verdict? I should have bought the 250W model. It is far too vigorous. Even at the lowest speed, it was stirring like crazy. Probably at speed 5, it would have jerked clean out of my hands and flown out the window. I wonder if I can return it for another model?

Scones

I thought I'd make a healthier version of my scones today. So I substituted the usual self raising flour with wholemeal organic flour. Well, I must admit I do prefer the 'original' version better. Anyway for those of you who would like to try, here are the recipes for both versions.

Plain Scones

Ingredients
500 gm self raising flour
2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar (removes floury taste)
3/4 cup milk

250 ml cream
Jam or marmalade

Preheat oven to very hot (210°C in a fan forced oven).

Method

1. Sift flour with salt and sugar.


2. Using a butter knife or with your fingers, cut or rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.


3. Pour in most of the milk and with light hands, mix to bind.


4. Tip pastry onto lightly floured table and knead lightly until the pastry is no longer sticky. Unlike pie pastry, scone pastry does not need to be smooth.


5. Using a rolling pin, lightly roll out pastry to about 2cm thick.


6. Cut into 2 inch rounds.


7. Gather up remaining pastry and repeat steps 5 and 6.


8. Place scones onto lightly greased baking tray and brush tops with remaining milk.


9. Bake for 15 minutes on a higher shelf of the oven.


10. When the scones are lightly browned, remove from oven. Wrap in a clean towel to cool.

To serve: Split warm scones in horizontally. Spread generously with jam or marmalade and top with whipped cream. In this photograph, you can see the wholemeal organic flour scones I made today, toppped with the kumquat marmalade I made and some whipped cream.

Variations:

Wholemeal organic flour scones
Substitute self raising flour with wholemal organic flour plus 1 tablespoon baking powder.

Raisin scones
Add 1/2 cup raisins to sifted flour (before adding milk).

Price of real estate

There is a report in the newspaper today of a 700 square feet, second floor unit of a village house in Lamma Island which sold for a whopping HK$3.3 million. This equates to HK$4,700 per square foot, the highest psf price recorded on the island. So how expensive is real estate in Hong Kong?

The most recent global list I can find was released in February 2009 by Global Property Guide. According to them, the ranking (based on a 120 sq. m apartment in the city-center) is:

                             PRICE (USD/SQ M)
1. Monte Carlo      47,578
2. Moscow             20,853
3. London             20,756
4. Tokyo               17,998
5. Hong Kong       16,125 (* approximately HK$11,540 psf)
6. New York          14,898
7. Paris                 12,122
8. Singapore          9,701
9. Rome                 9,166
10. Mumbai            9,163

By the way, according to Forbes.com (October 14, 2010), the world’s most expensive home belongs to Indian billionaire, Mukesh Ambani. Apparently, the 27 storey purpose built skyscraper in Mumbai called Antila is worth £630 million i.e. US$1 billion. Well, he is the fourth richest man in the world afterall!

Hong Kong weather

Yesterday, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a 'Very Hot Weather' warning with the temperature hitting 35°C in Tai Po and Sheung Shui. Then this morning, the Hong Kong Observatory raised an ‘Amber Rainstorm Warning' signal at 5.30 am. This brings me back 8 years. I arrived with my family in August and it was miserable. It just poured constantly and it was terribly hot compared to the winter we had just left behind. The children were about to start school and we had to organize school supplies, uniforms plus all things necessary to feed and clothe a family. It was so humid the tiled walls were dripping with condensation. Each time the sky cleared, we’d try to dash out to do some shopping only to have to rush back in before we even got to the front gate. We’d go out dry and come back in wet!

On the first day of school, we woke up to something new to us……. a ‘Black Rainstorm Warning’ which meant all schools were closed for the day. Well, it seems some black clouds in Hong Kong have a silver lining!

Whilst on the topic of Hong Kong’s weather, here’s a quick synopsis. Hong Kong’s climate is sub-tropical tending towards temperate for half of the year. From May to August, it is hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, particularly during the mornings. Afternoon temperatures often exceed 31°C whereas at night temperatures generally remain around 26° with high humidity. July to September are months most likely to be affected by tropical cyclones, some reaching typhoon strength (maximum winds of 118km per hour or more). The weather then improves as we head towards winter. During November and December, there are pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. January and February are cloudier, with occasional cold fronts followed by dry northerly winds. It is not uncommon for temperatures to drop below 10°C. March and April can also be very pleasant although there can be spells of high humidity with fog and drizzle disrupting air and ferry traffic.

Well, I’d say it’s not much of a day for going out (it is Black Friday, after all) so perhaps some baking would be in order.

For the meaning of weather and fire warnings issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, refer to http://www.weather.gov.hk/wservice/wservice.htm ).

Marmalade

Yesterday, I had an inspiration.

During the Chinese Lunar New Year season, I made a big batch of kumquat marmalade. Kumquat makes the most delicious marmalade - with a strong intense flavor and aroma plus it sets very well. The most tedious part about the cooking process is preparing the fruit as you have to remove all the seeds.

I thought to myself, what can I do with the last few jars? And here's my inspiration - kumquat muffins. This will be my next baking project, I'll let you know if I can come up with a good recipe. Meanwhile, here's my kumquat marmalade recipe..........believe me, its well worth the effort. I have many satisfied 'customers'. Many friends are amazed you can actually make jam just by boiling fruit. Well, here's the proof:

Kumquat Marmalade

Ingredients
1 kg kumquat
1 kg sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
500 ml hot water

Recipe makes 6 cups of marmalade so make sure you have enough clean, sterilised jars before you begin.

Method

1. Remove leaves and stems if any. Wash kumquat thoroughly and leave to soak in water for a while to ensure that the fruit is clean.



2. Cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds. Julienne the fruit. Retain as much of the juice with the pulp as possible.



3. In a deep saucepan, simmer water, fruit and lemon juice for about 45 minutes. Stir ocassionally.



4. Add sugar and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes. Stir the mixture gently but constantly to ensure that the bottom does not burn.



5. To check that the marmalade is ready, drop a teaspoonsful onto a dish and cool it in the freezer for a minute. If the mixture creases when you push it gently with your finger (ie not runny) it is ready. It will set when coool.



6. Remove marmalade from heat and allow bubbles to subside so that the fruit does not all rise to the top when stored.



7. Ladle hot marmalade into dry sterilised jars and seal immediately.



8. Leave to cool. Store in a cool dry place. Refrigerate jam after opening.

Tulips

Ok, so tulips have little (nothing?) to do with Hong Kong or cooking, but I love them nonetheless. In fact they are my favourite blooms. So I when I woke up to another sunny day, I thought of tulips and decided to learn more about them. So here's a little 'history of tulips'.

We naturally associate tulips with the Netherlands (or Holland as some people prefer to call it). But in fact, tulips were first commercially cultivated in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). It is thought that tulips originated thousands of years ago in a 'corridor' stretching along the 40 degree latitude between Northern China and Southern Europe. The first 'tulip mania' occurred in the Ottoman Empire during the 1500's when tulips were highly cultivated blooms developed for the pleasure of the royalty. By the 1700's the tulip reigned supreme as a symbol of power, wealth and prestige and the period became known as the 'Age of the Tulips'.

During the latter half of the 1500's, news of the extraordinary flower reached Europe. Tulips first gained popularity in Holland when Carolus Clusius became the Head Botanist at the Leiden Botanical Gardens in 1593, bringing with him tulip bulbs collected whilst he was clusius (prefect) stationed in Vienna which was just next door to the Ottoman Empire. Just like in the Ottoman Empire, tulips became a luxury item and a status symbol in Holland. The normally solid and sensible Dutch were willing to pay vast sums for the tulip bulbs and soon Holland was gripped by 'tulip mania'. Such was the craze that at the height of the 'tulip mania', bulbs of 1 or 2 Guilders could be worth 100 Guilders a few months later; bulbs could change owners several times before they even bloom for the first time! In 1635, a sale of 100,000 Guilders for 40 bulbs was recorded. This was equivalent to 10 times the average annual salary of a skilled labourer. In 1636, stock exchanges were established to trade in tulip bulbs and their future options!

Of course this hype had to end sometime. The Dutch tulip market crashed in 1637 leaving traders with not much more that a bunch of flowers.The Dutch may have been cured of this mania but have retained a love for these beautiful blooms. If you too would like to be awed by the beautiful tulips (or any blooms for that matter), the world famous Keukenhof Flower Garden near Amsterdam is probably the best place to head to. It is reputed to be the largest flower garden in the world. There are over 7 million flower bulbs and 4.5 million tulips in 100 varieties in the 32 hectare Keukenhof Flower Garden. The Garden is open for 2 months of each year and this year, it is open from 24 March to 20 May 2011.

So, you see, the tulip has a very colorful history (pardon the pun!).

Have a tulip day!

Buddha's birthday and Cheung Chau Bun Festival

The Lord Buddha's birthday is celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th month of the Lunar calendar. This year, it falls on May 10th i.e. tomorrow. It is a holiday in Hong Kong and even if you are not a Buddhist, there are places you can visit to be part of the festivities. There are lots of Buddhist temples in Hong Kong but probably the best known is at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.

A giant statue of the sitting Buddha is set serenely atop the Ngong Ping Plateau. It is the world's largest outdoor bronze statue of the sitting Buddha (there are larger statues of the reclining Buddha). You can admire it from afar or better yet, brave the 200 odd step climb up to the platform where the statue is seated to view it up close and to take in the breathtaking mountain scenery of Lantau Island. From there, it is short walk to Wisdom Path and a vegetarian lunch. Wisdom Path is an outdoor replica of the centuries old Heart Sutra, one of the world's best known prayers revered by Buddhists, Confucians and Taoists alike.

The Bun Festival takes place in Cheung Chau, another colorful outlying island of Hong Kong. Whilst it is celebrated on the same day as Lord Buddha's birthday, it is actually a Taoist festival. As part of the celebrations, a 60 foot tower is erected in front of the Pak Tai Temple. The Pak Tai Temple was erected in 1783 and is dedicated to the popular Taoist God of the Sea. Originally, people scrambled up a bamboo tower covered with sweet buns to see who could collect the most. The race for buns came to an abrupt end in 1978 when the bun tower collapsed, injuring 100 people. After a break of 26 years, the bun climb was re-introduced in 2005. For safety reasons, the tower is erected of metal scaffolding and the buns are plastic replicas. Instead of a free for all, the climb is now limited to 12 finalists. The scramble for the plastic buns will take place at midnight where they race to get to the top-most 'luckiest buns".

Th edible sweet buns with fortune messages printed in red can be purchased from the island's 2 bun makers. Leading up to this day, the entire island's residents go vegetarian for 3 days (even McDonald's) until the parade. The highlight of the parade must surely be the costumed children carried atop poles to look like they are floating.

Picture courtesy of Hong Kong Tourism Board website

Have a great day out tomorrow!

It's a sorbet day

Happy Mother's Day to all Mums.
Sunshine!
It's a beautiful day today - warm and sunny but typically muggy with 84% humidity. Definitely a day to spend some time outdoors and for something cool and refreshing.

Recently, I have noticed that there are lots of strawberries from Korea rather than the USA or Australia. At the supermarket today,the strawberries were looking luscious and fresh. Nice! So I thought, what a great reason to make a batch of refreshing strawberry sorbet. It is so easy to make, healthy and completely additives free. Here's my recipe, I hope some of you will try it. Its a favourite with my children and it's a very easy way to get them to eat a lot of fruit without even trying.

Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients

350 gms fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup hot water

Method
Make sure that the bowl of your ice cream machine is fozen before you start.
1 Wash the strawberries thoroughly and hull them. Cut them into quarters.
2 Place the strawberries in the freezer.
3 Mix the sugar with the hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then set aside to cool.
4 Blend the syrup with the cold strawberries.
5 Take the bowl of the ice cream machine out of the freezer.
6 Turn it on and pour in the strawberry syrup.
7 The sorbet should be ready in about 20 minutes.
8 Serve in a cone or in a dessert dish with a tiny sprig of mint.