On location with...something...

Katherine and I were doing some shopping in Wan Chai on Tuesday evening and, after dinner, we stumbled upon a film crew in action right outside The Pawn restaurant...



The crew didn't want anyone taking pictures, and they hurried us along, but I managed to sneak these two (albeit blurry) shots. You can at least make out the camera (which was running on a track) and some lighting equipment. They shot a number of sequences with actors coming in and out of the green double-doors, but we didn't recognize anyone. Still, an exciting accidental discovery!

GameNight 3!

We've attempted to have a GameNight each month this semester, but March got too busy for us to maintain that pace. We were able to host April's edition last night, though...

The poster advertising the event

As you can see on the poster, I decided to introduce our students to shrimp étouffée (sticking with the Cajun theme established last time)...

Katherine peeling the shrimp and squeezing out the head fat

Jerry, a resident, helping dice the veggies

Many of the ingredients:
celery, scallions, onions, bell peppers (under the onions ;>), a creole spice mixture, and baked roux

Melting the butter, a base component of the sauce

The shrimp head fat, an important flavoring

Activating the roux

The finished product, before being poured over rice

I also decided to bake a dessert this time, and cobbler was the first sweet southern specialty that jumped to mind. I originally wanted to make a peach, blueberry, or blackberry cobbler, but none of those are in season here, so none of them were available (except for perhaps canned / frozen versions, but I really wanted to make something completely fresh). That meant I needed to improvise. Katherine suggested mangoes, which are always plentiful here, and I thought that was a brilliant idea. Mango Cobbler it was!

Sliced mangoes, sugar, lemon juice, and butter

The crust dough, ready to be rolled

The crust is fitted atop the fruit, so we're set to bake

Digging in with vanilla ice cream on hand

The chow triangle rings!

It was a great night, with a great turnout (over 30 residents), and we're looking forward to the next one!

Superpass!

"Superpass" is a long standing HKU Hall tradition that celebrates the end of classes and marks the beginning of the rigorous examination period. (It is also meant to generate good luck for those exams.) Historically, during this celebration, students use Chinese calligraphy to write blessing-filled couplets on red rectangles of paper...

A couplet given to us by one of our residents
("forever knot same heart")

In the last few years, a new ceremony has been added to the tradition: roast pig carving. The carving of a roast pig has long been common in Hong Kong as a way of blessing a new endeavor (the opening of a new shop, the commencement of a film's principal photography, etc). This week, Katherine presided over our own carving ceremony...

This little piggy went to market

Katherine preparing to perform the Warden's portion of the ceremony: splitting the pig in half, top to toe

Bifurcation time!

One of our resident tutors (like a "resident assistant" in US dorms) getting ready to continue the chopping

Many residents, like this one, take turns with the cleaver

I also was invited to hack off a slice, and I did, but we didn't get it caught on camera (maybe next year ;>). Here's to wishing a "superpass" for all our students!

Yak and Yeti!

A few months back Katherine and I noticed this Himalayan restaurant in Jordan while on a bus ride home. The name is fascinating, so I've been wanting to try it ever since. Last week, the dream became reality! The menu was mostly comprised of north Indian, Nepalese, and Pakistani food and it was generally quite good. Let's take a peek...

Ready to crouch behind yaks to avoid the yeti!

When I think of yaks and yeti, I also think of a slinky, martini-serving lady

Samosa with mint chutney and a delicious, spicy Nepalese sauce

Nepalese "chilly momo" - pan-fried pork dumplings tossed with grilled vegetables in a spicy sauce

Tandoori pork belly

Flaky paratha

A yummy spot that's not too far from home, so I'm sure we'll go back.

Recent Hall Performances

The residence hall where Katherine and I live has many student-run organizations and we like to go support them in their activities whenever possible. This month, we had a few to attended...

Our Drama Club putting on a show in the Inter-Hall Drama Competition

The Drama Club celebrating after their performance

Our Hall Rock Band getting tuned up before their very first gig

Bringing the house down!

The students are about to enter an intense exam period, and then summer break, so Hall activities will slow down until August.

A tasty Macau joint!

Katherine and I were back in Causeway Bay for a little shopping on Monday evening and decided to try a Macanese restaurant that we had recently noticed...

It was mighty good (although perhaps not as good as the restaurants we tried when we were actually in Macau with Carson). Let's see what we shared...

Curry soup noodles with fish slices, potato, and bean sprouts

Water spinach stir-fried with garlic, chilies, dried shrimp, and shrimp paste

Roasted pork neck with sweet-and-sour sauce and crispy potato wedges

Portuguese-style egg tarts!

After dinner we took care of our shopping and ran into a new Japanese taiyaki snack shop just outside Times Square..

Taiyaki are basically fish-shaped waffles that have various fillings. (We tried apple-custard-cinnamon, chocolate-banana, and red bean.) Here's what they look like coming off the griddles...

So cute and yummy! They left us a little parched, though, so once we had our fill of taiyaki it was time to wash it all down with a nice cup of tea...

Tip me over and pour me out!

Exploring new Hong Kong fusion...

Last night Katherine and I went to Causeway Bay and stumbled upon Red Ant, a creative Cantonese-Japanese-Italian-American-Thai-Macau fusion restaurant (which translates to "must try!"). Each dish didn't have all those combinations, but every dish seemed to have at least two.

The interior of Red Ant was both modern and rustic.
Very warm with lots of wood and brick.

A hot, sweet red bean drink

Garlic baby back ribs with a tangy tomato sauce

Baked rice smothered in a Macau-Portuguese sauce with scallops, chicken, and veggies

Potato skins stuffed with beef chili and cheese

Lasagna filled with spinach, crab meat, and pumpkin puree

We entertained the dessert menu for a moment, but quickly realized that we were absolutely stuffed, so we fled before anything else tempted us too greatly.