nanamoose

Nostalgia Reigns on Gough Street

I have become somewhat of a word junkie of late. In fact, it has been so for quite some time now. Actually, thinking about it, it has been so for as long as I could remember. I used to keep a list of my favourite Chinese words handy just in case a baby pops out of nowhere and I had to name the kid. Amongst some of the words I used to deem favourite were “Qiong Yao” (瓊瑤) -esque words like: 逸, 旖, 涵, 烟…and dozens more I cannot remember.

Have been reading less and less Chinese books these days and even if there were the occasional one or two they certainly do not contain beautiful names. So gradually I developed a mental list for English words. The list is quite extensive but the two words that come immediately to mind are: LURE and NOSTALGIA. Why these two? English words cannot be used to build names so my affection for them stems from the degree with which they resemble the meaning they are to convey. This might be a somewhat a difficult notion for certain people to grasp as the figurative look and sound of the word itself can convey no meaning on its own. However, just as I find the look of some numbers “cunning” (like 4 and 7) and others, “nice” (like 6 and 8), I find the word LURE, especially the sound of it with the combination of U and R (making your lips bulge out in extended “O” shape) very alluring. So much more so than its synonym “tempting” in the very least. Is it easier to see what I mean in comparison?

The word NOSTALGIA however, has no comparison...

Love for thy Neighbourhood (Part II of III) - Hong Kong's Cheung Hing

Ok ok, I do not exactly live in Happy Valley now, but I did so for about fourteen years since I first moved to Hong Kong. Ok ok, then again I did not exactly live IN Happy Valley but above it, but I did go to school there and had been going to lunch at Cheung Hing for as long as I could remember. Cheung Hing therefore holds fond memories for me, especially memory of that once when we, as fourteen year olds, got to share a table with Michael Wong!

When most people think of Cheung Hing they think of old Cheung Hing with its 70s 阿飞正传Hong Kong old school drab look and autographs of celebrities pinned up all over their walls. Old Cheung Hing does exude an old world charm hard to replicate in modern Hong Kong, so if you are looking for that particular experience look nowhere else. However, for good cha chaan tang food the new Cheung Hing is the way to go. At old Cheung Hing the noodles are on the soggy side and the Hong Kong style iced milk tea watered down. At new Cheung Hing however (with my old friend Mr. Ma, who has worked at Cheung Hing for almost twenty years, providing excellent service), the food is always (apart from the occasional Saturdays when there is horse racing in Shatin and the chefs therefore get distracted), the noodles are al dente and the iced milk tea perfecto. The 茶走 (cha chaan tang language meaning 茶走糖, i.e. tea without sugar and instead with condensed milk) here is also the best I have had anywhere in Hong Kong. My favourite is 五香肉丁出前一丁(with one egg). The 五香肉丁 comes straight out of a can but I am a firm believer in the fact that the simplest foods are often the most difficult to make, even when it is as simple as cooking a pack of instant noodles and pouring canned meat on top of it. Believe me. The五香肉丁出前一丁 here is unparalleled.

Next time you are in Happy Valley I advice you to fill up your stomach with food from the new Cheung Hing, then hop next store to the old Cheung Hing for some pineapple buns with butter and egg tarts.