Is this not very unhygienic?

I was out shopping in Happy Valley today when I ducked into an alley to get to the bakery. This is what I spotted airing in the alley:

Here is a close up of what I believe are legs of (parma?) ham:

I can't tell you who these belong to but I can tell you that this alley runs along the back of the row of shops on the short lane called Tsap Cheung Street which joins King Kwong Street and Yuk Sau Street in Happy Valley. Also in the alley was a cat and a lady hosing the back of the shop next door (yellow hose in the top photo).

I can also tell you that if these are legs of parma ham, they are worth a fair amount. At a shop nearby, I noticed a sign advertising parma ham for $150 per 50 gms. BUT, would pay that amount of money if you know where these have been stored? This is not the first time I have come across this scene. One time, a man was washing them, giving them a good scrub right there on the ground! And the tub of water he was dipping his brush in didn't look all that clean either. Ew!

Enough said. Time for dinner.

Mahjong cake

I attended a birthday dinner last night and my contribution was the birthday cake. As the "birthday girl" is an old hand at the game of mahjong, I got her this beautifully crafted cake from Maxim's Bakery. The two "longevity peaches" were extras for HK$20. The mahjong table, tiles and dice plus the peaches were all  made of chocolate.

It was a pity to have to cut it up! I am happy to report that the cake was every bit as good to eat as it was to look at.....

Mahjong themed birthday cake

Note that the dice add up to "8" a Cantonese lucky number. The tiles make up a winning hand.... "Royal Flush" anyone? There are even tiny replicas of chips on each side of the mahjong table. Quite the work of art.

If you would like to check out this bakery's offerings, please note that it has a website and online ordering.