First Outing with the Locals

The first night we were here we were wondering where to get things like pillows and sheets so we popped our head into one of the locals rooms on Lorna and Emma’s floor and after the three girls inside it talked amongst themselves in Cantonese they told us that they could take us out to dinner and show us around. So at seven us four went with about 7 HKU students to dinner. It was in a large fluorescently lit room that had cleanliness standards that I am sure my mom would not have stood for. It was an enjoyable meal though as we saw the ritual unfold before us. The only guy present cleaned the cups and bowls with hot water (Lorna had a bug in hers…) and then we got tea and soup to start. We went around introducing ourselves to each other saying our names and what year we were and what we were studying (the locals seem to really like to connect about what area of study they are completing). All the while, the dishes started pouring in with the first one being “kettle fish” which looked like mini octopus. I tried one tentacle but that was really all I managed. Hey, at least I tried! A lot of the dishes have egg and so we tried one with seafood and one with custard like texture. We had sausage with dressing, noodles with vegetables and the specialty rice dish there with red wine marinade and chicken. It was overall pretty tasty but I will admit that I had discovered some cookies from my past (little koala shaped biscuits filled with chocolate that will be my downfall) and so I ate a whole carton beforehand and ruined my appetite. Additionally, like the strange breed of squirrels in Berkeley, the flies here I swear are different in that they don’t flinch or move when swatted away. So when one landed on my plate and I tried to flick it away and it just stayed put I lost my appetite even further…The locals were all really friendly though and although we spoke mostly about Hong Kong culture they learned a little about us as well. They were amazed that we knew how to use chopsticks. After dinner they took us to “priceright” which is like a smaller version of Walmart and we got our comfort items (for much cheaper, everything in Hong Kong is cheap—except tourist traps and designer fashion stores) and were on our way.