Friday, November 07, 2008

WHY I LIVE WHERE I LIVE IN HK

1. I am several blocks away from HK's oldest street market, where I get my weekly supply of fresh seafood and thrice weekly supply of fresh vegetables.

2. I am a few blocks away from 2 Italian delis where I get my deli meats, cheese, fresh bread, fresh herbs and other Italian bottled condiments and sauces.

3. I can count at least 6 private kitchens that I can walk to, if I'm so inclined. One Cajun, 2 Cantonese, 1 Sichuanese, 1 serving Sichuan/Beijing cuisine, 1 French. Pierre Gagnaire's PIERRE and Joel Robuchon's Atelier can also be reached by both my legs, in less time than it takes to eat lunch.

4. I live 20 minutes away from work, and on my way I pass by hidden slices of local life and culture (think stores selling paper houses, cars, LV bags and other material possessions the Chinese bring to the other world; dried seafood and herb stores with abundant displays of aromatic and medicinal bounties of the sea and land; small shops selling extremely inexpensive clothing from Korea and China).

5. There are supermarkets all around me, with one selling prepared sushi, sashimi and Chinese roasted meats.

6. I live 10 minutes away (by walking) from the premier restaurant and cafe district of HK, SOHO and NOHO. I'm a few hundred steps away from innovative food, leisurely Sunday brunches, decadent desserts, dimsum restaurants older than I am, a snake soup shop, the yummiest burgers and thinnest thin crust pizzas, noodles and wontons galore. Oh and did I mention I can have my pick of the following cuisines? Ukrainian, Russian, French, Mexican, Lebanese, Nepalese, Egyptian, American, Chinese regional, Chinese desserts, Finnish, Swedish, Canadian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Moroccan, Japanese, Indian, Singaporean, Filipino, Spanish, Australian, Argentinian, Cajun, African, Malaysian, British, Irish...

If visitors ask me where I live, I won't rattle off my address. All they need to know is that if they visit me, they will surely be well-fed.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

girl,i love your blog.makes me smile in this very problematic world. - blueberry cheesecake

Unknown said...

re gindaco... really? that's fast... just been there last may... i guess that's hong kong... thanks for the info... will be back there by december, i hope to find gindaco by then... :)

Anonymous said...

Would you mind sharing the location of the street market? The hubby and I would love to explore this when we visit HK again. My sis in law is based there but can only point us to the best places to eat. I want to make usyoso in a real street market. Thanks!

ragamuffin girl said...

Hi anonymous! It's the Graham street market in Central, near the Mid-levels escalator. The market is on Gage Street, and passes through Peel Street as well. It's HK's oldest street market with many old-style stores flanking the road selling sundry items. Other districts in HK have their own street markets as well. Wan Chai has one near queen's Road East, and there's Bowrington Road market in Causeway Bay. If you go to Bowrington, go up the cooked food market and try Hoi Kee Roastie Shop they sell yummy curry lamb brisket noodles. Here's the link:http://ffrenzy.blogspot.com/2008/09/adventures-in-wet-market.html.

bexieville said...

hi, its my first time to read your blog and i really enjoy it! I think you live near where we used to live when we're in Hkg. =D I love living there with my sister although it was only a brief period. =D You can walk mostly everywhere you want. But I hate the climb when the escalators are all going down in the morning! Tiring! =D

bexieville said...

I was far too young to appreciate the cafes and restaurants at SOHO that time. bummer! hopefully I can come back and visit them again really soon =D

Unknown said...

Hi bexieville, Soho is my favorite area! I love exploring the side streets and alleys. The walk up is indeed a bummer but in winter i consider it excercise. :)thanks for visiting my blog- ragamuffin