London Calling

Hey everyone, I will be traveling to London for the next 10 days, getting back to Hong Kong around June! Sorry there won’t be any updates in that time, but when I come back, I promise I’ll have tons of London restaurants to write about – plus a couple more highlights from Bali and an intriguing Shanghainese place in HK called Osama Tony (enough said). See ya on the flip side!

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Top Chef Season 7 Rant

Ok, so I know this topic is a bit beyond the scope of my blog, but OMG Bravo, what the heck are you doing to Top Chef? Last season featured such unbelievably talented cheftestants. This cycle feels like something the Salad Shooter spit out. For one, there are so few likeable candidates. It’s hard to root for anyone when they’re all douche-baggy! On season 6, there seemed to be a real respect among the candidates. It was kind of like, “Wow, you’re a great chef. I really gotta push myself to out-cook you.” This season, with Ed admitting on the finale, Part I, that he was trying to get under Angelo’s skin, reads more like, “Hmm, you’re a good chef and I’m intimidated by you. I better put you down to make me feel better.” Come on, folks. You’re supposed to be cooking professionals, right?

And what’s up with all the gimmicks? Tom charging in and demanding two dishes from all contestants in the finale? Staging a TEAM CHALLENGE in the finale? How the heck can you suss out who deserves to stay and who deserves to go? I remember thinking “gimmick!” when watching earlier episodes, too, but at the moment, I can’t dredge up all the moments.

And what’s up with all the dramatic subplots a la Ed and Tiffany flirting, and Angelo’s mentoring of Tamesha, which may or may not contain ulterior motives? Perhaps the producers realized the cheftestant’s cooking was subpar this go-round, and the only way to keep people watching is to take the focus OFF of food and divert the audience with Real World antics.

I miss my Top Chef, when good cooking was the focus. Anyone else have any thoughts?

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Ewwwww, Shrimp Legs!

As you may know, I don’t eat seafood. However, certain circumstances dictate a compromise of values, and last Sunday night was one of them. P came over to help me make chocolate rice krispie balls for my students (I pretend to be nice to them once in a while), but we were waylaid at my door by my middle-aged HK neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. C. They’ve invited me to dine with them several times, but I’ve always been too busy. Sunday night, P and I basically walked into the opportunity – the Cs were hosting a small dinner party with three of their friends on the terrace.

We sat with them, and, in true Chinese fashion, were immediately presented with bowls of fried rice, chicken and – to my horror – plump, pink shrimp. In China, many animals are served to you whole, with heads, eyes, antennae, legs, etc, fully attached. I believe this is to indicate that the cook has not cheated you, that in fact, you have in front of you EVERYTHING the creature has to offer (for those who are in the know, am I right in assuming this?). Also, in some cases, parts of the food attest to its freshness, i.e. the color of a fish’s eyes after it’s been cooked.

Anyways, I didn’t want to be rude, so I looked away and snapped off the shrimp head as everyone directed. When it came time to strip the poor thing of its legs, however, I choked. The shrimp had more limbs than a Rockettes line! After several aborted attempts, P finally had to do it for me. Oh, the trauma!

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Love from HK!

The best skyline in the world (IMHO, of course!)

Orson Welles once said, “Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”

That’s a question I ask often, along with, “What’s for dinner?” And while we’re at it, “What’s for breakfast?” My queries for food stem from my lack of domestication; specifically, my inability to cook. Among my circle of friends, I am notorious for being the girl who threw spaghetti into a pan of not-yet-boiled water; the one who baked a frozen pizza with the cardboard tray still underneath. I’m the most likely to produce a Bridget-Jones-esque blue soup, poison a loved one (but with good intentions, I swear!), and burn the house down. In a nutshell – I’m a klutz around the kitchen.

But, a girl’s gotta eat! In response to my culinary shortcomings, I’ve ended up dining out frequently (ok, excessively). Thanks to some foodie friends I met last year, I started appreciating (and photographing) my meals a lot more, and I wanted to share my finds. Thus, this blog will be a depository for my food adventures in my current home of Hong Kong. I hope to do justice to all the wonderful eateries in this city that keep my belly full – and my kitchen clean.

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