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Staying in the rural home of a Hong Kong eco-cook

Joyce Man — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Joyce Man

Amen Tsang opens his home and kitchen to share his low-carbon way of life with urbanites.

I am in a rural home in Tai Po and there is an impressive spread before me: soft sticky rice in a crispy tofu skin, a fiery green papaya salad with squid, scrambled eggs with shrimp, deep-fried tofu that's crunchy outside and succulent inside, “three-cup chicken” prepared with rice wine, vinegar and basil, as well as a banana and avocado dessert with a hint of lemon.

But more notable is the origin of each dish.

The papaya hails from a tree next to my table and the basil and lemons from the garden just meters away. The eggs and bananas come from the Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden that is half an hour’s stroll down the road.

The venue is a private kitchen called Sik Yam Sik Sik, which is paired with rural homestay Yuen Hideaway; both are located in Tai Om, a community of several hundred in Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen, which comprises 26 hamlets and dates to the Song dynasty.

Andy Warhol exhibition in Asia: 15 minutes clearly isn’t enough

CNNGo staff — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:45:51 +0000

by CNNGo staff

Five cities in Asia are to be hit by pictures of canned soup, a hamburger and a colorful representation of Chairman Mao, apparently wearing lipstick, over the next two years.

The artworks are traveling as part of the “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal” exhibition, the biggest retrospective on Warhol’s work ever to be shown in Asia.

Warhol, who died in 1987, is famous for declaring: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

The show will start at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands hotel on March 17, 2012, and will then travel to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo before it ends some time in 2014.

Specific date and venue details for the other cities have not yet been released.

Old friend, new face at Cathay Pacific's flagship lounge

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:35:35 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Cathay Pacific's flagship lounge at Hong Kong International Airport reopened on January 31 after a major ongoing facelift.

Dubbed The Wing, the 14-year-old Cathay Pacific lounge has completed renovations for its business class section. Construction for the first class section will be complete by the end of the year.

Covering almost 3,000 square meters, the split-level space has been redesigned by London-based architects Foster + Partners. Everything is bigger, plusher and better-looking.

"When we first opened in 1998, it wasn't to universal acclaim," said Alex McGowan, head of products for Cathay Pacific.

"There was a water feature that passengers accidentally went paddling in and a noodle bar that was once described as a boarding school dining room. But over the years, The Wing became an old friend to frequent travelers and there was a real emotional attachment formed with the space. We want to retain the personality of the original -- to reinvent the old friend."

Buy the world's 'oldest' cheese ... in China

Andrea Fenn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Andrea Fenn

After "most skyscrapers in the world" and "world's biggest bottle of cooking oil (nearly five meters tall)," China has another superlative to add to her list. And it is the least likely one of all.

What has been claimed to be the world's oldest piece of edible cheese is currently located in China.

Get this: the owners want to sell this extra old cheese to Chinese people.

For the Chinese, cheese itself does not have a meaning, it’s basically an ingredient of other foods like pizza

The phenomenal "relic" is a 20-kilo cut of Italian alpine cheese called Bitto, produced in 1997 and valued at HK$2,500 (about RMB 2,040) per kilo.

Walk down Rua do Cunha, Macau, where the cookies are made of meat

Hiufu Wong — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Hiufu Wong, Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Koi Kei bakery's billboard at the mouth of Rua do Cunha, featuring Chua Lam, the patron saint of almond cookies.

There's a street in Macau that everyone goes to for a kick in the snackpants: Rua do Cunha.

This sliver of a pedestrian street, just five meters wide and stretching for about 115 meters, packs in a dozen snack shops and eateries each famed far beyond the former Portuguese colony.

Located in Taipa Island's old town, Rua do Cunha is quintessentially Macau. It is physically small, unashamedly commercial and appealing to tourists, yet has an overwhelming Macanese charm achieved through colorful colonial architecture and the folksy hospitality of locals.

Also on CNNGo: Best of Macau

Capsule hotel coming to Hong Kong

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:05:46 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Shelves for storing sleeping humans.

Popular in Japan, the capsule hotel may finally take root in Hong Kong.

Eric Wong, managing director of Galaxy Stars Ltd., is bringing the sleep box to the city to provide cheap, basic accommodation.

Each capsule measures about 90 by 180 centimeters, comfortable for a small adult, but they can also be tailored to fit any size.

For now, Wong only has a showroom for the capsules and they cannot be rented for use at the moment. He hopes to partner with hoteliers in the future to open a capsule hotel in Hong Kong.

The Lunar New Year pudding showdown

Joyce Man — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:00:02 +0000

by Joyce Man

'Tis the sticky and gooey season: Lunar New Year puddings in all their random anti-traditional forms.

Lunar New Year is here and the puddings have appeared.

There is nian gao, a sweet and sticky pudding made of glutinous rice. Some prefer turnip pudding, which is savory and made with Chinese sausage and dried shrimp.

Other classics are water chestnut, taro and osmanthus pudding.

Not only do these provide a sweet way to ring in the new year, they also have symbolic meaning. Nian gao is a homonym for “higher year," which signifies progress.

Best of Macau

Zoe Li and Maggie Wong — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Zoe Li and Maggie Wong

Having long ago left Vegas in its gambling wake, Macau is reaching for the sky. It just might get there.

Asia’s Vegas? Not anymore.

These days, it’s more accurate to call Vegas America’s Macau.

After all, it’s been five years -- 2007, if you’re into counting numbers -- since the former sleepy fishing port of Macau surpassed Las Vegas as the world leader in gambling revenue.

Still, the former Portuguese colony doesn’t have the glam image of other gambling capitals.

West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre: Viva la Cantonese opera

Christopher DeWolf — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Christopher DeWolf

The West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre's opening night was probably the most glamorous launch of a temporary stage.

Tickets for a series of 11 Cantonese opera performances over the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong sold out almost immediately.

The shows, which are being staged inside a traditional temporary theater, mark the launch of the construction of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) and will give a glimpse of what the future arts hub will be like.

The demand for the shows may be due to curiosity over the Cultural District project, or the added attraction of a contemporary art and new media exhibition about Cantonese opera to be held alongside the performances.

Plus, tickets cost a mere HK$10.

Yuck bring the hip to Hong Kong

Dan Pordes — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:54:03 +0000

by Dan Pordes

Yuck are bringing their awesome lo-fi guitar rock to Hong Kong.

Barely in their twenties, Yuck have already ticked all the necessary boxes for music heavyweights: adored by NME, sold out uber-cool venues in New York and London and bowled over crowds at some of the biggest summer festivals last year.

Melding pre-grunge Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth into both an homage to their influences and a sound that's fresh and so moreish that the precociously young four-piece will have their superfuzzy, reverb-laden melodies rattling round your brain all the way home.

And if that's not enough to convince you, then drummer Jonny Rogoff's huge afro should. It's a thing of beauty.

Tracks to make you go "yum" for Yuck:

Lunar New Year 2012 in Hong Kong: Giant fish floats, Mushu and a bamboo theater

Dan Pordes — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:00:38 +0000

by Dan Pordes

The color, diversity and sheer amount of events taking place throughout Lunar New Year in Hong Kong make it the best place to celebrate.

Here's where we will be welcoming the first day of the Year of the Dragon on January 23:

The power of flowers

There will be many new year flower markets, but the best is at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. As the biggest one in Hong Kong, it will be open all night on New Year's Eve (January 22).

The later it gets, the more you’ll be able to haggle for the festive favorites -- including peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, daffodils, orchids and potted mandarin trees -- all helping to bring good luck and prosperity to the Year of the Dragon.

January 17–22, noon-midnight, Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Free Admission.

The Damned: Godfathers of Punk, live in Hong Kong

Dan Pordes — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:34:01 +0000

by Dan Pordes

Get the Year of The Dragon off to a fiery start, as the Godfathers of punk The Damned blasts your ears off at Grappa's Cellar.

The Damned are the true forerunners of the ultimate rebel yell: first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single ("New Rose"), an album ("Damned Damned Damned"), to have a record on the UK music charts, and to tour the United States.

Want a taster?

First ever punk single to be released "New Rose" has been covered by the likes of Guns N' Roses, Blondie and Eagles of Death Metal. Check it out here.

"Smash It Up" is the single so punk that it was banned from BBC's Radio 1 playlist because of its perceived anarchic lyrics. Check it out here.

Bloody Marys and salt caves at the best new spas in Hong Kong

Payal Uttam — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Payal Uttam

A spate of spa openings in the past few months have given us whole new ways of obsessing about our health and beauty. From a medi day spa to a metrosexual heaven, here are the best new spas in Hong Kong.

Spa gets high

Perched 490 meters above sea level, The Ritz-Carlton by ESPA is the world's highest hotel spa. Our ears pop as we shoot up the express elevator to the top of the ICC Tower, leaving the real world behind.

A cocoon of luxury, the spa’s interior is inspired by its location in the clouds. Walls are curved and everything is wrapped in soft materials.

In keeping with the charm of the Ritz-Carlton, the spa has impeccable service.

After a welcome tea, you are given a diagram of the body to circle problem areas and to point your masseuse in the right direction. Treatments begin with a wellness consultation allowing you customize everything down to the aromatherapy oils.

Changliu: Eco-tourism in the shadow of the Pearl River Delta

Derrick Chang — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Derrick Chang

Not far from the economic powerhouse that is the Pearl River Delta, it’s hard to believe that there’s a bastion of traditional culture still around in Guangdong province.

Life in the Hakka village of Changliu brings back memories of simpler, albeit poorer, times in China. Family members live near each other, harvests are shared and traditional and religious customs live on.

This is very much a working village and nothing that you see is staged for visitors

I recently visited Changliu village to take a look at an eco-tourism project jointly funded and run by social workers from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-Sen University.

The project was conceived to help supplement the incomes for farmers in this poor village and to educate city slickers about the more traditional agrarian life as well as traditional culture that has long been forgotten in the metropolises of Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Eyebrow-raisers at the World Travel Awards 2012

Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:26:50 +0000

by Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

Another year, another "what the beep" travel award.

The World Travel Awards 2012 gave major props to travel-related companies in the Middle East.

There were, as well, some side-stream accolades in its long list of award titles.

Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards this year were voted by 210,000 travel industry professionals and consumers from around the world.

Out of the 1,000 categories and 5,000 nominated companies, Etihad Airways won World's Leading Airline and World's Leading First Class.

Flying high with Aeroplane, live in Hong Kong

Dan Pordes — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:37:00 +0000

by Dan Pordes

One of the star remixers of the nu-disco and Balearica scene, the man known by his mom as Vito de Luca and by everyone else as music outfit Aeroplane is hitting exclusive night spot KEE Club this weekend for his Hong Kong debut.

The DJ's DJ, Aeroplane has been championed by famous UK track spinner and music producer Pete Tong amongst many others. They're all mad for De Luca's deep house beats, new spins on electronica and self-titled "spacious cosmic disco track" remixes of the likes of Friendly Fires, MGMT and Grace Jones.

Aeroplane tracks to check in to:

Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane Remix ft. Au Simone)

We Can't Fly

Foods we love to hate: Vote now!

Hiufu Wong — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:01:21 +0000

by Hiufu Wong, Zoe Li, Hong Kong Editor

There's nothing like a controversial food to split marriages and divide nations.

One person's dog steak is another's foie gras. And one person's foie gras is another's durian.

Whether it's about belief systems and principles, or simply what makes your tongue twist and your stomach flip, we want to know: what foods would you never eat?

Take a look at some obvious contenders for foods some love and others hate -- then head to our Facebook poll and tell us about the dishes you can't stomach.

Dog meat

I am not what I wear.It dates to the ancient Romans -- dogs have provided both friendship and nutritional sustenance to humans throughout history.

MAMILS and deliverymen: A classification of cyclists in Hong Kong

Nicholas Olczak — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:00:00 +0000

by Nicholas Olczak

MAMILs: secretly holding in stomachs.

With its manic minibus drivers, stifling pollution and steep hills, Hong Kong seems poorly suited to riding a bike.

Despite these obstacles, cycling is surging in popularity and has made headlines in the past couple of months.

A cycling rally was held last December in support of a petition for a harborfront cycleway.

Bicycle enthusiasts as well as environmentalists want to see a bike path wind along Victoria Harbour from Kennedy Town to Sai Wan Ho, passing through some of the most congested parts of Hong Kong Island.