Food and Shelter

It's now Sunday night, and I am settled in to my new place. I have rented an apartment in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong for a month. More on this later in the post.

As you know, it's been Chinese New Year while I have been here. Originally, I thought that it would be a cool thing to be here during CNY. I was quite wrong. Back home in Vancouver, it seemed like it was a lot of fun. But here in Hong Kong, it's not at all what I was expecting. For most Chinese people (or Asians I guess), CNY is about family. And food. Or eating food with your family. Most Asian festivals are all about shopping, but not CNY. During New Years, the city just shuts down. Stores remain closed for days and days. People just go from one relatives house to another, observing customs.


I've spoken with a few friends about their experiences during CNY visits with their relatives. Most of them just dread the process, and really don't look forward to New Years at all. Every year, they are hit with the same barrage of questions from nosy relatives. If they were still in school, it was all about the grades, what they planned to study in University, and how much better their cousins were doing, compared to them. If they were working, it was all about how much money they were making, when they were going to be made Partner (or whatever), and how much better their cousins are doing, compared to them. And then of course, the questions about girlfriends and marriage come up - which is a very stressful series of questions for my friends. A whole lot of lying goes on at Chinese New Years.


I had the opportunity to share a few meals with John and his Father. I cannot believe the amount of food we ate over two days. John was very glad that I came along to help them eat all the food. He called me a "stomach for hire". Each meal was suitable for about twice as many people. It was very good food (I had abalone for the first time), but it was just so much!

As mentioned, I've rented an apartment in Hong Kong. This is a "serviced apartment" which is sort of a mix of hotel and apartment. I get occasional maid service, and there is a small kitchenette, and it has typical hotel facilities. It's amazing how the apartments are measured here. When I was looking at some suites, the Agent would tell me "this is 600 square feet" or something like that. But it was pretty clear that the place was A LOT smaller than he claimed. But I've learned that they use a different measuring method here. I think they call it "developers measurement" or some such. They take into account the common hallway, the stairwells and elevators. A 600sf place is really more like 300sf.

I do like the small suite I am in. It's just a studio apartment, but the developers made great use of the space. The kitchen and wardrobe are hidden behind sliding walls, and the TV flips from the ceiling. I have 5 remote controls. I just wish it didn't cost so much. It's cheaper than a hotel, but much more than rents in Vancouver.