My Life Changing Guide to Hong Kong
When I close my eyes and think about Hong Kong, I remember this one place with transparent plastic entry curtains. It was a hole in the wall 20 meters away from my house entry where I got my comfort food - the spicy noodle chicken soup. It was red from chili oil and topped with minced meat and crunchy peanuts. So spicy that it made me sniffle. That soup and Hong Kong have a special place in my stomach and soul.
Let me take you on a journey to vibrant Hong Kong of 2010-2012 when I moved there to pursue my career in finance. I had traveled extensively by then, but it was my first immersion into Asia and constant oddities were tickling my mind - and changing me forever. It was the fourth country I lived in, but it was the place that made me a citizen of the world.
Housing
Housing is one of the most sensible topics for Hong Kong. The property boom made apartments rent unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of people, who are forced to live in subdivided flats also known as 'coffin homes'. Even expats who are relatively well paid mostly live in 'nano' apartments - while searching for an option with a terrace to organize rooftop parties and barbecue. Up to 35% of the salary is spent on the rent - which was also my case. I lived on Queens Road in Wan Chai and loved that place! About 20% of it occupied my bathroom with a bathtub and shower - pure fanciness! The flat was freshly renovated and even had a 1m*1.5m hole between bathroom and bedroom. The hole did not have any glass. The landlord shared the designer's vision: while bathing, one could chat with people in the bedroom, share food and drinks, or watch TV. I requested to install at least a glass and called it a window.
Skipping Floor Numbers
In Hong Kong's elevators unlucky floor numbers such as 4, 13, 14, 24 are just skipped. The reason is Tetraphobia. In Cantonese number 14 sounds like "will certainly die" and 24 like "easy to die". Considering how superstitious people are, no wonder that you won't see half of the numbers on the elevator's display. I wonder if my friends who stayed longer in Hong Kong internalized this fear. I am sticking to my culture and avoid only number 13.
Feng Shui in Architecture
In some of the Hong Kong skyscrapers you can see an odd rectangular hole in the middle. These holes are 'dragon gates' which allow dragons to pass from the mountains to the ocean - and while passing through these buildings to bring prosperity and good luck to the people and businesses located in them. At least half of the developers hire a feng shui master to consult on their construction projects. This behavior simply fascinates me. I am looking for a comparable scenario where a pragmatic western business would splurge millions to guarantee a cultural appropriateness.
Fashion
I love finding one brand that represents the place. Shanghai Tang founded in 1994 is definitely the face of Hong Kong's fashion. It delivers "disruptive and modern take on Chinese culture, aesthetics and craftsmanship". Today was the first time I saw their prices in 10 years - no wonder I do not own a single piece! But what I do still own are 15-20 high end designer pieces bought at sample sales. The concept of regular sample sales is quite unique for Hong Kong which is a global apparel hub. Hundreds of buying offices and manufacturing companies get quickly filled with clothing from catwalks, showrooms, and samples sent from factories for control and review. Before popularization of the sample sale concept these items often ended up in landfill. Now they are just sold at a fraction of the price.
Shoes
I was not able to get any elegant shoes of my size, which is European 39-40. So a friend of mine recommended that I order custom made shoes. We entered together a very nice shoe store where they professionally took all the necessary measurements and offered me to choose from dozens of possible materials and models. I got really excited and waited patiently for 10 days - only to get another two pairs of pumps that were about a size too small. I wore each pair exactly one time under the motto: It cannot be that bad! But it was even worse.
High Tea
High tea was a new experience for me and I just loved it! Oh my goodness, these tiny cakes, finger sandwiches, and scones beautifully presented on the two tier serving platter. All the best hotels in town offer high tea and try to outdo the competition: Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, and Rosewood among others. I am still a little obsessed with the concept and literally just yesterday was trying to buy a golden two tier platter.
Chicken and Rice
In Hong Kong I got crazy about two versions of chicken rice: Hainanese Chicken Rice and Siu Mei (White Sliced Chicken). Both have the simplest white rice and chicken boiled in water, but resemble the most delicious and healthy food. I did learn to replicate these recipes quite closely and, as often it is, the effortless simplicity of the dish - is a result of substantial effort. There are a number of tricks like exfoliation with salt and alternating boiling and ice cold water. The essence of both dishes is in the purest chicken taste, which is further brought out through a combination with unique sauces. In the case of Siu Mei it is a ginger scallion sauce - I had to learn a phrase in Cantonese to ask for another serving. Every single time.
Street Food
There are different stages in becoming a local. I definitely passed to a new level once I started eating street food from a steamy food cart next to my busy office building. Oh, that place smelled strange. Fishy strange. First I got hooked by Siu Mai (Shumai) - golden yellow wrappers filled with fish and pork paste. It is the most iconic street food that has been sold on the streets of Hong Kong since the 50s. Then I moved on to curry fish balls - perfectly shaped balls made from unknown ingredients which taste magically with spicy chili sauce. Both dishes prepare the perfect ground for after work drinks so common in Hong Kong.
Do you still remember that place with a plastic curtain at the entrance? It was definitely not for everybody. Soon enough I realized that I could be friends only with people who enjoyed this experience. All of it. Including the chicken chopped into pieces in the middle of the bones - which resulted in the occasional tiny sharp bone pieces in your food.
Expat experience changes you once and forever - if you let it. You pay the price of never becoming your old self, but you also gain a superpower: open-mindedness and adaptability.