Chaozhou Chicken-Feet cuisine and other usual weekday activities

For the past weeks since I have returned from KL I have noticed a strange phenomenon:  a week-day routine has formed. Even with our crazy hours/schedules and haphazard adventures, there is a thread of expected activity of work, shopping, clothes to laundry etc, which in my case is a good thing.  My eyes are noticing the smaller details now during my walk abouts - a new dish on a menu, new dessert restaurant opening, even observing and learning some Chinese characters (I can read opening times- yay!). But even with the repetitiveness there are still interesting finds and delights, and this post is a collection from the past week.

1. Christmas decorations are appearing and Christmas jingles can be heard in the evelators and malls.
So with that are the inevitable Christmas Gift options popping up.
I saw this Marie Antoinette Action Figure in the stores this weekend. I like the originality but I can't see Barbie stepping aside just yet.

2. My favourite food item of the week: Rambutan. They are like a lychee inside, clear sweet juicy insides with a almond size pip. Good to satisfy my South African lychee craving.

3. For the street food sellers catering to Western tastes there are no waffles on offer but rather 'Checkered Cakes'. And eggs soaked in tea.  And egg puffs.  Very logical names I'd say.

4. One of the delights of shopping these days is seeing how many Happy Stamps I will get after paying. Usually one loyalty stamp for 60 HKD spent and when customers collect enough stamps they get the prize indicated at the marker. Each store has a special collection brochure printed for this season and their own incentive prizes and goals... So far I'm collecting Welcome stickers for a Blender and MarketPlace stickers for a Backpack. But with only two in the house to shop for numbers are slow, and the question is will I ever reach the goal in time before the end of the year. Only 10 days left in Hong Kong this year for me... Eeek, probably not going to make it ;-)

5. And on the subject of food shopping... anyone with a craving for pumpkin? These beauties will surely do the trick. I just can't see them fitting into any Hong Kong sized kitchen though.

6. And last week we were treated to dinner out with friends, Chaozhou cuisine style. Pronounced 'ChowChu' to my ear, this cuisine is from a fishing area on the east coast of China directly opposite Taiwan.  Surprisingly I enjoyed all the dishes!

On a side note: I say surprisingly because I will admit I'm not the biggest fan of Chinese food, sad I know considering I'm in Hong Kong.  But my recent diagnosis is that I'm not a fan of Hong Kong style Chinese food.  Eel, Jellyfish and Prawns with the shells on and then deep fried just don't blow me away like they seem to do for other foreigners. 

But with the Chaizhou dishes I ate it all -  Goose, duck, shrimp, even chicken broth with the chicken feet left in. Finally the noodle cake, with vinegar and sugar it was very more-ish.

7. Walking home one evening after sun set, the pink and yellow flowers with the streetlight shining through make a colourful composition. Some nature in the middle of the city.

8. And to end, Sunday's Cocktail treat with J at the Shangri-La hotel TST East. 

I had the Pomegranate Pineapple Martini, sweet and refreshing.

 Cheers!