You can't read this blog or follow me on Facebook very long without hearing me talk about living in Asia as it relates to food. I decided to make a mini post about some fruits and snacks we get here in HK. I could probably blog several times about this subject. Maybe I will do one soon about real food for all my foodie friends.
This window display might not be very exciting to some people. If you find yourself living without familiar food items for awhile as a result of being in a foreign land you would possibly get excited at the site of a jar of peanut butter or a box of cereal. Living in Hong Kong we can find almost anything, our friends who live in more remote places across the globe do not have the option to purchase a majority of these items. I don't really feel deprived- many items that are from America we are better off without due to high sugar content. I find it interesting how much we are identified by our food taste. After being here for about 6 months I remember getting very excited when I spotted a can of Cherry Coke. Yes- you could only buy it in single cans and it cost almost $1 USD to purchase. That is more of the case here in HK -we don't have to make our own cheese, or anything like that- it all comes at a price. Finding Cereal under $4USD in a decent size box is a bargain.
My friend from the Philipines talked bout being excited to return home to eat some kind of salty fish.
We have missed Mexican food (at least cheap mexican food) most since being here.
I would be interested in any comments regarding what you look forward to eating when you go home - if you are an expat reading this.
Here are some fruits we don't necessarily see that often in the US
Durian- very popular fruit sold here in the markets. It is possibly more known for its very strong odor than its flavor. I believe it has the smell of a bitter-rotten fruit. Some people say it doesn't taste that bad, I haven't had an occasion offered to me to try it and don't have any real desire.
Lychees - were just in season around June- July. We saw the trees full of them in Lam Tsuen. They are very sweet and juicy. They have a pit, and for the small amount of fruit you get- you may find them a pain to peel and eat.
Mangosteens- these are not native to China but you can find them here. Known for their health benefits. These to me are similar to Lychees. The shell is harder but once inside the white fruit is sweet and juicy.
The 7-11 symbol a welcomed sign when you are dying of thirst in the hot summer, when the kids are crying out for a snack.
Not only on every corner but sometimes within a few of feet of a different one. They are so convenient made more convenient with the use of our
Octopus card.
One of my go to snacks found at most 7-11. Yummy flavored "pretz" tomato and pizza are the best flavors in my opinion.
We had a sleepover with the girls - I had let them go to the clubhouse to get some drinks from the vending machine. After a few minutes of drinking the Sprite they complain that it taste funny. We quickly noticed it was green tea flavored. Green tea is a popular flavor here. Ice cream is one of the many food items you can get in green tea flavor.
This is a picture of the kids inside
Celadon a local tea shop here in Tai Po. The couple that own it are Chinese but lived in Canada for awhile so they are easy to talk to. You can taste the teas before you buy them.
To me one of the great benefits of being here is for the tea. It is part of the culture and history not just a beverage. I have been blessed to get to try some of the best Green tea the country makes. called
BiluoChun . You can start to understand why people would pay hundreds of dollars for good tea once you have had a taste of how good it could be.
We love Ramen. Elliot now eats his with bok choy in it, so thankfully we can add some nutrition for him. This ad was in one of the MTR stations dedicated to Nissin Ramen. You can buy ramen in the states, what is different here is the variety. A whole ramen aisle in the stores, not just a small shelf with a choice of two brand and beef and chicken. We are hooked on Nong shing Korean clay pot.
Pocari Sweat-
a Japanese drink. With the word sweat in it you wonder why anyone would ever drink it?
Nathan likes it, this is his photo from Korea. It has been described as tasting a little like sweat. After a good workout and a lot of sweating maybe your body needs to be replenished with "its" sweat?
Another item that is popular here is aloe. Not only for your skin, but in your food. Minute Maid makes a drink with Aloe chunks in it. This green colored bottle with chunks floating around in it doesn't look good to me. The kids and Nathan say it isn't all that bad. Yogurt with aloe in it is something else on the shelves here.
The list really does go on and on but I think highlighting a few is enough information. If anyone would like to send me a case of Cherry Coke feel free to attempt to it ;-)
