Flavors And Sounds of Hong Kong

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Instead of being productive and transcribing audio files from data collected for my dissertation, I thought I’d write a little about the delicious tea and coffee drinks I’m enjoying in Hong Kong. And, if you like to listen to audio files, I’ve recorded an English version of the local weather forecast. For those in the U.S., you’ll have to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit. Firstly though, the tea description.
I’ve previously explained that my meals are delivered from a local canteen called Asia Pacific. One of the women who delivers my meals is especially nice. Her English name is Bess. She speaks a very little English, and she is teaching me words in Cantonese for fork and spoon, etc. For Valentine’s Day, she brought me three chocolate candies from her children. Her gesture touched my heart. She is one of my surrogate mothers over here. I’ve got two others that I should also tell you about sometime. Anyway, when I go to Macau next week as part of the Fulbrighters’ mid-year meeting, I will buy some little gift for Bess. Her kind voice comforts me on such a deep level. We’ve even exchanged mobile phone numbers now!
Now, on to the tea. In the mornings, I typically have some “milk tea”. I’ve never heard of tea being called that in the States. But, it’s tea with warm milk added, and it is delicious! I usually add sugar to this brew as well. As I listen to a audio book or the latest pod cast from NPR or the BBC, I sip my tea in the morning after having my breakfast. It really helps me start the day out just right! And, now, I’ve learned how to make my own milk tea, even without the use of a refrigerator!
In the U.S., I’ve never seen boxes of milk to purchase that are not refrigerated. But, I’ve seen them in Mexico City, all over Western Europe, and here in China. (I wish we had them in the U.S. too!) After I come to work in the morning, especially if I’ve not slept much the night before, I bring along one of these little boxes of milk. They are the same size as juice boxes and are packaged identically - complete with the little straw attached to the box. So, I boil the water for my tea in a hot pot. Then, I put the tea bag in my University of Illinois cup and pour scalding water over it. The final step usually involves me dribbling some of the milk onto my desk, but I wipe it up immediately. I poke the straw into the hole provided in the top of the box. Then, I gingerly try to dribble milk into my tea. I wait about five minutes, and I enjoy lovely, comforting tea!
Of course, coffee is also widely available here. I have some juice box teas in my dormitory room now. At this time, I have lemon and peach tea. They are usually consumed after I return from the office and hike up those 76 stairs to my dormitory. (By the way, that trek is getting easier daily!) Another drink that often comes with my meals is a kind of caramelized chocolate drink. I think they make some kind of hot chocolate with carmel in it. Then, they add some ice. So, by the time I drink it, it is about room temperature. Again, a very enjoyable drink. As I find the food to be very local and my preferences for food not to be very flexible, I savor the familiarity and delicious flavors of the drinks here.
Those of you who enjoy noting different accents will get a kick out of the weather forecast I’ve recorded. In Hong Kong, one can access an hourly-updated weather forecast by dialing 1878200. The number one does not signify a long-distance number. The recorded voice has a distinctly British accent. But, the computer generated voice is American, sort of. I find that this reflects the state of English in China. While English students used to aspire to speak British English, increasingly, they are learning American English. I make no political statement here, other than to observe that, perhaps it is time for Americans to begin learning to speak other languages such as Mandarin Chinese.
In a week or so I will post a description of the mid-year meeting of Fulbrighters from the U.S. who are studying in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. There are many students from ivy-league schools that plan to attend this meeting. Well, being intimidated is nothing new for me. It’ll be nice to share a native language and a similar culture with the Fulbrighters. I’ll probably be the only American one who speaks little to no Mandarin or Cantonese there. That is a excellent subject for a posting. I do feel guilty that I don’t speak more of the language here. I am trying to learn some basic words. But, that falls far, far short of the level of English that those around me have learned. Since I’m in their country, shouldn’t it be the other way around?
If there are any pictures from the optional trip to Macau for the Fulbrighters, I’ll post them too. I get to ride a hydrofoil jet ferry over to Macau. I’m looking forward to that! So, stay tuned for next week!

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Comments

[ally]

audio book shop in macau
I heard there's this great audio book store in Macau but I just can't find it. Any clue?