HKJA Strikes Out on Two Hotel Venues

HKJA chair Selina Cheng holds Poon's calligraphy at Eaton HK

How hard is it for organisations in Hong Kong to hold a spring dinner for their members? 

Apparently it's near impossible, as the Hong Kong Journalists Association found out.

The Regal Hong Kong in Causeway Bay claimed it had "water leakage causing unstable power supply" and had to cancel the reservation two days before the event. 

In 2019 the hotel seemed supportive of protesters

So the HKJA postponed the dinner and made a reservation at the Eaton HK hotel in Jordan, and paid a deposit.

But then the group got some bad news today.

In an email to attendees, it said in part: 

"HKJA received notice from the new venue, Eaton HK, stating they were 'unable to host your proposed event.' No reason was given," the email said. "It is regrettable that, two times in a row in a short period of time, HKJA has had contracted bookings -- for which deposits were paid and documents signed -- cancelled by the venues."

This is particularly disappointing because the Eaton hotel is known to be more liberal, marketing itself as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, and during the 2019 protests put up a billboard on its building that read: "What does your revolution look like?"

So for Eaton HK to cancel the HKJA event shows how much pressure the hotel was under, and this is the new normal in Hong Kong.

In retaliation, people online posted bad reviews of the hotel on Google.

Ironically, one of the items that was to be auctioned off at the dinner is a work of calligraphy by lyricist Poon Yuen-leung.

It reads: "To brave the road ahead together, with wind gusting against us, we share our frustration and our pride. Sweep the dust on my face, empty the sorrows in our hearts, I beat on and stride forward with you."

HK Democratic Party to Discuss Possible Disbandment

Lo says the party will discuss its future on Thursday

Once the largest voice in the opposition camp, the space for the Democratic Party to operate in Hong Kong has shrunk to the point where its members are now discussing whether it should disband or not.

The party's chairman Lo Kin-hei announced the group's central committee would hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss a wide range of issues, including the future of the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party was founded in 1994

While Lo said this conversation was "inevitable", it still needed to be discussed.

"Of course, we should consult all of our members before we can actually come to that conclusion," he said.

Since electoral reforms in the last few years have resulted in only patriots being eligible to govern the city, the future of the Democratic Party has been questioned, as it has had no representation in the Legislative Council since 2021.

And now it has come to the point where the party needs to decide its next steps.

"At this point in time, I don't think I can talk anymore about this issue," Lo said, though he stopped short of saying whether the party was facing pressure to disband.

"But if the day has come for the party to disband, we have to accept it."

Alan Leong of the Civic Party, which disbanded

Hong Kong's Civic Party, which was once considered the second-largest opposition party in the city, disbanded in 2023 after 17 years.

In recent days, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) announced it would suspend all self-funded research activities indefinitely after its CEO Robert Chung was questioned by the national security police for a second time about possible links with the former deputy CEO Chung Kim-wah, who was added onto the wanted list of Hongkongers for allegedly violating the national security law.

"We see a lot of different groups and parties dissolving... So every time any kind of group disbands or they discontinue, we will have that kind of discussion for a bit," Lo said.

When asked if he thought the government was trying to marginalise the party, Lo said it would be best if the government would allow different parties to express a diversity of opinions.

"I also believe that this diversity in opinions is what made Hong Kong very nice in the past... And I hope that the government can try to be more open," Lo said.

Making Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and sour soup has many textures, from crunchy to soft

Hot and sour soup is one of those concoctions that is hearty and comforting. It's choc full of ingredients in every bite, and with a combination of sour and spice, you can't stop eating it. 

While it can be tedious to make with a lot of chopping involved, it's quite satisfying when it all comes together, and tastes like a hug in a bowl.

I watched a few different videos on how to make it, with variations on the step-by-step process, and then cobbled together my own version.

First I sliced up some pork that was then marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, water and cornstarch. Some recipes specify lean pork which in general is a good idea, but slightly fatty pork is fine too.

Some dry ingredients need to be rehydrated, such as black fungus and dried lily flower which I separately rinsed off and and then soaked in their own bowls of hot water.

Lots of ingredients for this soup

Then came the task of chopping. I chopped a few diagonal slices of a thick carrot into thin matchsticks, followed by some mushrooms; most recipes call for shiitake, but they can be any mushrooms you have, including enoki. Also chopped up the rehydrated black fungus and fresh bamboo shoots.

It can be a lot of work removing the thick fibrous leaves to get to the shoots, but it's so worth it in the end, as they give the soup a crunchy texture. Like an artichoke, remove the leaves until you get to the tender yellowish part and then slice into thin strips.

While recipes call for firm tofu to be sliced into thin strips, I only had silky tofu in the refrigerator and sliced it into thick strips to avoid too much breakage. 

Now it was time to make the soup. Unfortunately I didn't buy enough chicken stock (six cups), so I added more water and some chicken powder, and it worked fine in a pinch. Three tablespoons of soy sauce was added to the stock.

When it started simmering, I added the bamboo shoots, mushrooms, rehydrated lily flower and the black fungus. 

Before adding the pork, I mixed it in its own marinade and then carefully added it into the soup in small clumps and used chopsticks to make sure they didn't stick together. 

After a minute or two I gingerly added the tofu, trying not to break them. Afterwards I avoided stirring the soup vigorously.

I let the soup cook for a few more minutes and then added a small spoonful of chilli oil (add more if you prefer it to be more spicy), some pepper, and a slurry of 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of water and 5 tablespoons of vinegar to thicken the soup.

The final step is taking the soup off the heat and adding a beaten egg to create "ribbons" in the soup. I watched one video that suggested placing the beaten egg into a ladle and then slightly submerging it in the middle of the pot and swirling it around to spread the egg mixture around the surface of the soup. It worked quite well in the end. Good tip!

It turned out to be a delicious soup that could use a bit more vinegar, which I'll add tomorrow when we finish the rest of the soup!

Vanity Plates Flaunt Vanity Wealth

Single digit license plates can command high prices at auction

After real estate in terms of square footage and location, Hong Kong vanity license plates are another way to show off one's wealth. With a car, everyone around town can see how much you spent on the plates. And the fewer letters or numbers the better.

Forty-nine plates went under the hammer on Sunday at an annual Lunar New Year auction held by the Transport Department. And it seems that even though the local economy is struggling, the uber wealthy have no problems shelling out for vanity plates.

Lucky numbers are also in high demand

One that just had the letter "S" went for HK$14.2 million, while "88" was sold for HK$11.4 million.

Bids for the letter "S" started at HK$5,000, but a prospective bidder cut to the chase and offered HK$8 million as soon as bidding started. 

Single-letter plates are considered a sign of status and "S" is closely related to the Superman logo. There were already predictions ahead of the auction that this plate would go for around HK$10 million.

Meanwhile the digits "88" had the second-highest price, with bidding lasting for 13 minutes.

Another plate, "183" went for HK$725,000, while "BB18" was sold for HK$430,000.

To put these auction prices into perspective, he most expensive license plate in Hong Kong is the letter "W" at a whopping HK$26 million in 2021, and "R" was HK$25.5 million in 2023. 

When it comes to just numbers, someone paid HK$18.1 million for the plate "28". 

Only in Hong Kong...

Picture of the Day: Lion Dancing is Alive and Well

A trio of lions performed this evening for a fundraising dinner

This evening we attended the Alzheimer Society charity dinner held at Continental Seafood Restaurant in Richmond.

Even though Chinese New Year festivities are over, the fundraiser had a celebratory atmosphere that started with traditional lion dancing.

Turns out the pink lion had two girl performers

There was one large red lion, flanked by two smaller ones, one pink, the other yellow. They went table by table greeting guests who were eager to stroke their faces for good luck. One was like a dog and constantly wagged its tail...

After touring the entire dining room, the trio of lions returned to the stage and the performers revealed themselves -- While the head of the red lion was held up by a woman, the pink lion was done by two girls, the yellow one two boys! Very impressed.

Equally worthy of praise was the drummer, another boy who kept the beat very well.

Flying the Flag of Defiance

Canadians will be waving the flag proudly on Flag Day

On Saturday we will mark the 60th anniversary of Flag Day, when the red and white flag of the maple leaf was unveiled.

Flag Day has even more importance now with American President Donald Trump constantly threatening to turn Canada into the 51st state.

The latest Leger poll found 85 percent of Canadians are proud to be Canadian.

Earlier this week five former prime ministers: Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper signed a joint statement encouraging Canadians to fly the flag as "never before" with pride.

"Let's show the world that we are proud of our history and proud of our country," the statement said.

Bradley Miller, associate professor of history at the University of British Columbia, said the design of the flag, with no military or religious symbols, makes it adaptable.

"It represents whatever we want it to represent," he said. "Having a symbol, a flag, that is as much a blank slate as ours is an advantage to a country that needs to be able to accommodate."

In the current situation, he said the flag is a symbol of defiance.

"As often happens in history, an external threat can resolve our internal doubts," Miller said. "I think that's happened here, at least right now."

Marvellous Mochis

Chestnut (top) and purple yam mochis

Today I finally checked out a dessert shop in Richmond called Car's Dessert. It's named after the chef-owner's wife and while it doesn't sell cakes and cookies, there's mango pudding, pomelo with sago and mango pudding, ground walnut soup, and black sesame soup.

But one of the signature desserts is mochi and I came to buy some to try.

Although Chinese New Year is over, the shop has some holiday specials. I got box with two mango mochis and two durian, and another box of mochis filled with purple yam, and another with chestnut.

Mango and durian (with gold stripe)

I was asked to wait a few minutes as the staff packaged them fresh. When I picked them up, they told me the yam and chestnut mochis didn't need to be refrigerated, whereas the mango and durian ones had to, and all these mochis should be consumed today!

When I got home, I tried the yam and chestnut mochis. The skin made of glutinous rice flour is thin and envelops a generous portion of filling. The purple colour of the yam is pretty and the taste is not too sweet, though a bit on the bland side. 

However, the chestnut one is filled with both puree and tiny chopped bits of the nut, making the texture more than just smooth.

After dinner I tried the other two flavours. The mango one is quite popular, and it features the fruit diced and mixed with fresh cream, but for durian lovers, the durian flavour is the best! The texture of the durian one is combined with a bit of cream, making it soft and the unique smell pungent. It was hard not to eat it so quickly.

No wonder those who love durian enjoy eating these mochis!

Car's Dessert

#110 - 4140 No. 3 Road

Richmond, BC

(236) 999 9218