Eat your love ones

Some friends have asked me before whereabout the good places for food in Yuen Long. My answer is always the same: come in the evening, you'll will see it yourself. As they are not easy to spot during the day.

Green Bean Dessert

Green beans with herbal rue 芸香 ( 香草、臭草 ) is a popular dessert for southern Chinese. Herbal rue smells good from a distance, but may be awkward when getting close for some people. Therefore its chinese name contains both good and bad smell. Herbal rue can also be used to drive mosquitos and small inserts away because of its smell. No matter you use rue from markets or your own pot, pick the ones with fragrance, without the fragrance, they don't achieve their purpose.

Green beans herbal rue is particularly welcome in the summer as it helps dissipate your body heat.

Central Harbour Front at night

Some pictures were taken from the fly wheel as it's only $10 for senior citizens. It goes 3 rounds. The 1st two stop regularly at good spots allowing passengers to take photos from above. The last round runs quickly for a good recap. No complaints for non senior citizens as all they need to pay is only $20.

懷璧其罪

May 14, 20:34, at the Central flyover on the eastern side of IFC 1 heading to the marine museum, five nice young teens got seized by a police squad. They're all looked very decent to me. However，they were all wearing the same Nike black shirt. It reminds me an old saying： 匹夫無罪，懷璧其罪。

what can we learn:

1. don't dress in black unless you have very good reasons such as "We are ALL BLACK" - All Black is NZ world known Rugby team.

2. no team walk - even you are a basket/football team, do not go in a team as there are plenty of reasons to get you into trouble such as not observing the social gathering order (less than 5), illegal gathering, potential plot etc.

3. Under the NSL, there is no need to prove your guilt, it is only when they believe you are guilty. See news on the Judge verdict on 23 April 2022: 唔需要「證據」同「證明」， 只要話事人「肯定」被告犯罪便成。

Be advised to observe the law.

Oysters 舊日蠔情

There is a frozen food brand recently opened in my area. Their ad emphasises oysters which reminds me my old days.

1. Mersea Oysters - claimed to be the best in the world. Mersea is not too far from central London, about 72 miles north east. Following the same direction, 19 miles away is Brightlingsea where I spent many weekends there serving as a waiter/dishman. On its south east is Clacton-on-sea. It is a seashore fun park for many UK easterners and pensioners. I loved to be there as long as I had a moment.

2. Bluff Oysters - Bluff is situated at the southern dip of South Island of NZ. Kiwis don't eat shellfishes from civil dwelling districts. Places such as Bluff and Nelson are particularly good for their sea farms. It was hard to get Bluff oysters in the local markets in the 80s because most of them went for Japan export. It was only after the Japan econ bursted that our kiwi fellows could taste the products from our own waters. When I viisted friends in Sydney in the late 80s, most Chinese restaurants there sold impressive size NZ oysters to lure gourmets, however, it seemed to me they were not NZ oysters because the best NZ bluff oysters were tiny. When I sent my children back to NZ in 2009, I was happy to see bluff oysters was available in many fisheries. I certainly did not miss it.

In the years before 2000, I bought blue cods in weekend market at the price of 5 for NS$10. In 2009, NZ$20 could only get you 1 piece. Blue Cod is only found in NZ waters. Shortly after I landed on NZ in the mid 80s, I realised grouper fish was not gourmets' choice, Blue cod was and still is.

mixed vegies

I cook and I cook for myself rather than for others. I'm not demonstrating how to cook here because I'm no chef, just a domesticated home fellow. I'm showing some pictures here so that I can refer and won't forget how to cook pumpkin with mixed vegetables.

Ingredients:

pumpkin， broccoli(芥蘭花）, Chinese broccoli (芥蘭），red dates, water spinach (蕹菜/通心菜），dragon beard vegetable ( 龍鬚菜);

Herbs:

gingers, garlic, spring union, coriander

Ordering:

after heating up oil, gingers first followed by garlics,

pumpkins, red dates, spring onion for less than 20 sec

add water 200cc, cover with lid for 1.5 min

put broccolis and dragon beard veg for 1 min or the smell of Chinese broccoli comes up.

add water spinach to absorb the juice - ready as long as it boils.

add coriander before dish up.

I finish up all including gingers because ginger is a good taste absorber.