Picture of the Day: Peking Duck Croissants

Pretty pastry that envelopes spicy Peking Duck 

Last Saturday at Light Up Chinatown, I was lucky to get my hands on not one, but two Peking Duck croissants!

What are they, you ask?

Original flavour on the left, spicy on the right

It's a collaboration between a Chinatown restaurant called Chinatown BBQ, known for its siu yuk or roast meats, and a French bakery owned by a brother-and-sister duo originally from Hong Kong.

The last time they made Peking duck croissants was two years ago, so bringing them back this year generated a lot of excitement.

This year there are two flavours, one is classic, featuring roasted and shredded Fraser Valley duck, combined with hoisin sauce, green onions, five spice, truffle sauce and these are enveloped in the flaky croissant that has a honey glaze on top sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds and even gold foil!

The other one is a tiny bit spicy, using local brand Holy Duck Peking Duck Chili Oil together with the roasted and shredded duck. Even the croissant's outer layer has a red rim to indicate it's a bit spicier, but really it was quite tame.

Nevertheless, we were thrilled to receive these pastries that once heated up in the toaster oven were delicious treats!

Two Former Editors Convicted of Sedition in HK

Chung (left) and Lam (right) were convicted of sedition

Two former editors of the now-defunct online news portal Stand News were convicted of conspiracy to publish seditious articles following the implementation of the national security law in 2020.

Judge Kwok Wai-kin, handpicked by the chief executive, ruled that former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen, 54, and ex-acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-tung, 36, had either knowingly approved the illegal articles, or been reckless about the consequences of their actions.

Kwok ruled 11 of the 17 articles presented to the court were seditious, including an interview with journalist-turned-activist Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, and a commentary by fugitive former lawmaker Nathan Law Kwun-chung, had advocated anti-government ideologies and disparaged police and prosecutors.

Chung was released on bail following conviction

The district court judge wrote that Stand News had become a "danger to national security".

Their newspaper's editorial line supported "Hong Kong local autonomy", he added. "It even became a tool to smear and vilify the Central Authorities [in Beijing] and the [Hong Kong] SAR Government," he said in a written judgement.

Chung and Lam had both pleaded not guilty; the former attended the verdict, while Lam was not there due to health issues. Kwok did not immediately hand down a sentence, but the pair could face a two-year prison sentence and fined HK$5,000 (US$640). They will be sentenced next month and are currently out on bail.

This case was seen as a litmus test for Hong Kong's press freedoms and the verdict has sent a chill in the local media sector.

During mitigation on Thursday, Lam's lawyer, Audrey Eu read out a letter on his behalf, in which he regretted not telling the police one thing after his arrest:

Lam was arrested in December 2021

"Journalists do not have to be loyal to anyone, support anyone or be enemies of anyone," he wrote. "And if we really have someone to be loyal to, it will be the public and only the public because we believe in freedom of the press and freedom of speech."

However Kwok did not see it that way and convicted the pair using colonial sedition laws.

While the Committee to Protect Journalists called the ruling "another nail in the coffin for Hong Kong's press freedom", the Hong Kong government hailed the verdict, saying: "Any individual organisation that incites hatred and engages in acts and activities endangering national security can never escape sanctions of the law, and such malicious acts will surely be duly punished."

A government spokesman added that journalists were free to air criticism based on facts, but said that "Stand News completely disregarded objective facts and contravened the special duties and responsibilities emphasised by international human rights conventions which journalists must observe."

Picture of the Day: Green Hats

The mahjong tile is lucky, but the hat is not!

There's a Chinese superstition that if you wear a green hat, it means your wife or girlfriend is cheating on you. It's the equivalent of telling everyone you're a cuckold.

When I was in Chinatown this past weekend in a gift shop, I was very surprised to see not one, but two green hats!

The designer of these hats is from Hong Kong!

Both were mahjong-themed, with one all green, and in front had the tile with the character 發 or "prosperity" -- very ironic -- and another with various mahjong tiles randomly all over the hat.

They were designed by a company called Lunchbox by Jacky Lam, who was born in Hong Kong and came to Toronto by himself when he was 17 years old.

This makes it even stranger that he would design hats like this -- does he even know this cultural superstition?!

In addition, whoever does merchandising for this gift shop in Chinatown has no clue either...

Din Tai Fung Closes 14 Restaurants in China

The Taiwanese chain is closing 14 restaurants in China

When I was in Beijing, I was thrilled to see a Din Tai Fung open at a mall called Shin Kong Place, and ate there several times after work. 

So I was surprised to hear the Taiwanese restaurant chain known for its xiaolongbao is closing 14 stores in China, but perhaps it is indicative of the country's weak economy and how the Chinese are looking for cheaper places to eat.

The signature xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung

On Monday the company's subsidiary, Beijing Hengtai Feng Catering Company announced it will close all of its 14 restaurants in northern China, including one in Xiamen. The brand's parent company in Taipei confirmed its 18 remaining restaurants across eastern China, run by a Shanghai-based partner, will continue operations.

"We deeply apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment this decision may cause our many loyal Din Tai Fung customers," the subsidiary said in a statement on WeChat. The move will affect some 800 employees.

When China finally lifted Covid-19 restrictions, Chinese residents headed out of the country on "revenge travel", and much like Hong Kong, local restaurants lost a lot of business. And now as the property market crisis trickles down, people are more cautious with spending, and that has adversely affected restaurants.

"The current situation in China is that while there is still traffic, the consumption power is weak, including in the restaurant service industry," said Darson Chiu, a Taiwan-based economist and director general of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

At the entrance cooks make dumplings by hand

"A high-end brand like Din Tai Fung may not be able to meet the consumers' needs as they downgrade their consumption in China's current economic environment.

Indeed. Cheng Zhiwu, a professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong, found that some restaurants in Nanjing offered food for a table of 10 guests for 400 yuan (US$56), or 40 yuan per head, down from the previous price of 700 yuan.

Another factor in Din Tai Fung's closures may be because a lot of expats left China, and they made about 20 to 30 percent of the restaurant chain's business. 

It was just so interesting to see a Taiwanese brand become so successful in China despite all the political sabre rattling across the South China Sea. But alas, the slowing economy has forced Din Tai Fung to retreat...

Canada Slaps 100 Percent Tariff on Chinese-Made EVs

This BYD electric car sells for US$12,000 in China

The big news today in Canada was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing a 100 percent surtax on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EV) from October 1, and that would extend to Teslas that were manufactured in Shanghai.

He said this tariff will "level the playing field for Canadian workers" and allow Canada's EV industry to compete at home, in North America, and abroad.

Would you buy this Mini EV for US$5,000?

A Chinese-made EV can range from US$12,000 to US$42,000.

Canada is following what the United States did back in May, though a senior government official said Canada was not enacting the tariffs because of American pressure. 

While the Canadian auto industry and workers are cheering this announcement, the biggest losers are consumers who are keen to wean off fossil fuels, but can't afford to buy EVs on the market now.

If Chinese-owned BYD (build your own dreams) cars were available in Canada, even more people would probably get on the EV bandwagon, for the country to be emission-free by 2035, but it seems Canadian automakers and workers have been dragging their feet in finding ways to make cheaper EVs.

"Unfortunately, Canada made a decision today that will result in fewer affordable electric vehicles for Canadians, less competition and more climate pollution," said Joanna Kyriazis, director of public affairs at Clean Energy Canada.

"Not only could today's announcement have a chilling effect on future EV sales, it could drive up EV prices and slow adoption in the near-term as well," she said.

Teslas made in Shanghai will be taxed 100 percent

Ironically though, Canada isn't allowing any Chinese automakers in anyway, though BYD could possibly skirt around the tariffs by opening up a factory in Canada or the United States. 

In the meantime, the Chinese are obviously not pleased with Trudeau's announcement, saying: "This move will undermine the normal economic and trade cooperation between China and Canada. It harms the interests of Canadian consumers and enterprises, and is not conducive to Canada's green transformation and global efforts to combat climate change," a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Will this result in increasing trade tensions between China and Canada? We hope not...

HK Sex Education is to Play Badminton

Education Bureau teaches kids not to have sex, play badminton

Teenagers are exploring sex, whether you like it or not, which is why sex education experts in the west suggest giving advice to them on how to protect themselves with birth control, and giving them resources so they are aware of sexually transmitted diseases.

A recent CBC Radio Vancouver call-in show had a sex educator on explaining it was important for parents to accept that their children were learning about sex through their friends or online and to be open to fielding questions from them or keeping communication channels open in case they get into trouble.

However, the Hong Kong government seems to be taking the denialist view, telling students not to engage in premarital sex, and curb their sexual desires by playing badminton.

Choi says sex ed teaches kids to "love themselves"

You read it right -- play badminton if you're feeling... cocky.

Online people had a field day or should we say court day with this, commenting that "playing badminton" should be the euphemism for having sex.

Despite outrage from critics and sex educators that this strategy for taming sexual desires was "out of touch" and "unrealistic", Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin dismiss these claims and insisted it was a valid way to "protect the juniors."

In a television interview, Choi said the purpose of sex education was to teach children to "love themselves, respect others and be responsible for themselves."

"Our approach is not conservative -- we wish to protect the young people and equip them with the right values to face adulthood and the complexity of society... and it's illegal to have sex with an underaged person," she added.

Indeed -- sex with a girl under the age of 16 can result in a penalty of five years in prison, and if the girl is under 13, the maximum sentence is life behind bars.

Lee supports Education Bureau sex ed advice

But the reality is, teens are having sex!

Meanwhile Lee weighed in, saying: "Although people could have very different opinions on value education, the government plays a leading role in determining the kind of society it aims to build through education.

"The education we provide should align with our visions, bringing us towards the kind of society, living environment and societal culture that we aspire to build... this is a continuous and collective effort."

Is Lee speaking from experience? He married Janet Lam Lai-sim when he was 22 years old and she was, by some reports 17 or younger... 

Picture of the Day: Slugs Surfacing

Moving ever so slowly along the ground...

The last few days have been overcast with showers and last night lots of rain, which is a relief to trees and gardens that are severely parched this summer.

Yesterday I went for a walk in Pacific Spirit Park and like the previous two days I encountered many slugs!

They make their way across the trails at a glacial pace, as people pass them by while walking, running or cycling.

Spotted a green one too!

I had to look up online why I was seeing so many slugs and came across this answer:

"Both snails and slugs rely on moisture to survive. Their bodies dry out quickly when they are active without moisture to support them. 

"This is why they only become active when it rains or when you've recently watered your garden. In addition, most slugs are typically active at night because it's cooler and more humid (plus there are fewer predators to hunt them)."

It's interesting I haven't come across this many slugs before in the forest!

While I was walking, a family crossed paths with me, and the mother said her daughter wanted me to watch out for a slug up ahead! Kids really do care about nature!

Grandpa Chan Pleads Not Guilty in Displaying Calligraphy

Chan with Lu Xun's couplet on the summit of Lion Rock

Even after the national security law was implemented in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022, some people dared to continue to resist and are paying the price.

One of them is Chan Ki-kau, who is best known as "Grandpa Chan", who during the 2019 protests banded with other people, mostly seniors in a group called Protect Our Kids to act as a buffer between the protesters and the police.

Chan in a scene in Revolution of Our Times

He usually wore a homemade red headgear, swimming goggles and a yellow florescent vest as he walked the streets during skirmishes. Many of the front-line protesters were concerned about Grandpa Chan's wellbeing and tried to make sure he and his colleagues were safe, as shown in documentaries like Revolution of Our Times.

Although the street protests ended, Chan continued practicing his own brand of resistance. 

On September 28, 2023, he stood on the summit of Lion Rock in Kowloon and held a pair of Chinese couplets originally penned by writer Lu Xun. They read: "Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers. Head bowed like a willing ox, I serve the children."

Chan was arrested in early October that year, and then in February 2024 was charged with breaching country park regulations because he had displayed the banners without permission. Offenders face a maximum penalty of a HK$2,000 fine and three months in jail.

Many seniors wanted to protect protesters

On Friday Chan appeared at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court for a pre-trial hearing, and pleaded not guilty. The trial will begin at the end of September.

First we're impressed he climbed up Lion Rock, and second, what is wrong with displaying calligraphy?

Wind-Swept Parade of HK Athletes

HK fans wave to their Olympic athletes on the parade route

The other day fans got to cheer Hong Kong athletes who competed in the Olympics in Paris in a whirlwind parade across town.

It started at 10.15am in Sha Tin and then they were at the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower by 11am, followed by Central Pier by 11.35 and Tamar Park 10 minutes later.

Fok hastily fixing his hair with a comb

The athletes, accompanied by Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, president of the Hong Kong Sports Federation and Olympic Committee sat on the open top deck of a double-decker bus.

How did they get from Sha Tin to Tsim Sha Tsui so fast?

It was quite the roller coaster ride.

Footage of the top deck shows the bus barreling at full speed along the highway as Fok, sitting in the front row, has his comb-over hair flying all over. It's quite the sight.

Once they arrive, he quickly whips out his comb to comb down his hair. Lucky for him he came prepared!

Of all the Olympic athletes who won medals, the ones from Hong Kong gained the most monetarily.

Kong (front) and Haughey waving flags

Gold medallists were awarded HK$6 million (US$768,000), silver US$384,000, and US$192,000 for bronze. Singapore was close behind with US$745,000 for gold, US$373,000 for silver, and US$186,000 for winning a bronze.

Hong Kong had its best ever Olympics with fencer Cheung Ka-long defending his title with a second gold, and fellow fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai winning gold in the women's epee individual event, and swimmer Siobhan Haughey clinching a bronze in the women's 200-metre freestyle. 

Walz's Passionate, Nuanced Stance on China

Hope, Gus, Tim and Gwen Walz at the DNC in Chicago tonight

Tonight US vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz took to the stage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and explained to the audience who he was, and what he stood for. 

He is a former soldier, high school teacher, and football coach who was the brains behind labelling Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance as "weird".

During his 20-minute speech, Walz talked about growing up in Minnesota in a small town of 400 people, how there were only 24 students in his graduating class and how he and his wife spent years trying to conceive a baby and now have a son and a daughter.

Walz addressed Democrat delegates

He mentioned how they, Hope and Gus and his wife Gwen, "you are my entire world, and I love you", to which Gus, Walz's 17-year-old who has ADHD and a non-verbal learning disorder, jumped to his feet crying and pointed to his father and said, "I love you dad."

While Walz has shown himself to be a family man, he is also well versed in geopolitics, in particular China. He has had on-the-ground experience being there, having taught English and American history in Foshan, Guandong province in 1989. 

At the time Walz was 25 years old, fresh out of college and signed up for Harvard University's WorldTeach program, where he was one of the "first government sanctioned groups of American educators" to arrive in China after reform and opening up.

And yes 1989 was the year of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

"It was my belief at that time that diplomacy was going to happen on many levels, certainly people to people," Walz recalled during a 2014 congressional hearing commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown. "The opportunity to be in a Chinese high school at that critical time seemed to me to be really important."

He has met HK activist Joshua Wong

He did go up to Beijing see Tiananmen Square after the massacre was over.

That one year teaching in China made an impression on Walz, so much that he and his wife not only married on June 4, 1994, but also honeymooned there. Subsequently he made some 30 trips there promoting student cultural exchanges.

While Republicans are trying to label Walz as a panda hugger, he is not. Walz has shown his support for Tibet and Hong Kong, having met the Dalai Lama and activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung. 

It is Walz's personal experiences in China that help shape his nuanced view of the country and its politics, which will serve him well should he and Kamala Harris get voted into the White House.

Pure Fitness Behind on Rent Payments

Pure Fitness is behind on rent in the location I worked out at

When I lived in Hong Kong I used to be a member of a gym at the ICBC Building in Central. It was not the most convenient location, but I was motivated to go because it was the only gym in the city that had a pool. It was a small, 20m pool, but better than public ones that were extremely crowded with people having varying swimming abilities.

At least here the water was pretty clean, and fewer people in general. I also met some nice people there.

The small but nice pool in Central

The gym changed hands while I was there, and became Pure Fitness, raising the membership prices for us existing members. 

But the start of the Covid-19 pandemic led to numerous infections in the gym because not enough precautions were taken and eventually gyms were closed for months on end. In that period I began walking along the harbourfront about 10K every night and even further on the weekends, though I did miss swimming a lot.

When the gym finally reopened, I only went to swim a few more times because I was leaving Hong Kong.

A friend told me today that Pure Fitness was slapped with a lawsuit from the landlord of the ICBC building location for allegedly not paying the full rent amount for a few months, about HK$13.6 million.

It also doesn't help that lots of foreign companies have left Hong Kong, along with them their employees, many of who were expats who joined Pure Fitness. The pandemic also resulted in people finding alternative ways to get fit without having to pay expensive membership fees...

Neighbourhood Bakery Opens

Cinnamon roll, plum pastry, croissant and pain au chocolat

Finally! A new bakery opened a few blocks from our home last week and it's already become very popular.

Called Bread Culture, the bakery used to be in Calgary, but the owners were burnt out and relocated to Vancouver. It's ironic considering Alberta is trying to entice British Columbians to move and take advantage of more job opportunities and affordable housing.

I tried to visit Bread Culture before it closed on Friday at 4pm and was shocked to find the shelves were completely empty. The staff said they were sold out long before so i said I would be back again -- earlier.

The next day I went back to the bakery at around 11am and was pleased to see an array of baked goods available, from breads to pastries and even choux or cream puffs.

I told the staff that I had come the day before and everything was sold out.

"Oh yeah we were swarmed by locusts," he said. "Two women came when we opened and took two big boxes of stuff."

Hopefully the bakery will enforce a rule that large orders need to be made 24 hours in advance so that the rest of us can at least try some items.

I was so excited by the selection of baked goods that I brought home a croissant, plum danish, a pain au chocolat and a cinnamon roll, as well as a loaf of sourdough bread.

Everything looked and tasted delicious, not too sweet. For the cinnamon roll we were advised to either heat it up slightly in the toaster oven or microwave to bring out the gooey-ness. I for one was delighted to eat a sourdough loaf again, after having eaten many loaves from Bakehouse in Hong Kong.

Maybe Bread Culture can make sourdough egg tarts too? Can't wait to try the choux pastry next time!

HK Leader Asks Public How to get Tourists Back

Lee visited Tai Po to solicit ideas to get more tourists in HK

The Hong Kong government is looking for ideas on how to entice more tourists to come to the city, and even enlisted the help of the public for suggestions.

At a gathering in a primary school in Tai Po, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers, including Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung sat in on the session attended by 120 residents.

The recommendations?

These colourful neon signs have disappeared

Have locals standing by in touristy areas like the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade to help visitors take selfies; turn Lam Tsuen River into something
similar to the Seine, and a new Hong Kong mascot, perhaps McDull and have his porcine face featured in fireworks displays are restaurants.

At the end of the sharing session, Lee observed: "Hong Kong people are smart, you have a lot of great ideas. Tell us about your projects, and we will do our best to support them."

Why are people thinking so small? 

One of the bigger issues is Hong Kong is not a city people are thinking of visiting because it's so expensive to get there compared to pre-Covid. Why is it so costly? Can the government find out and fix this problem? 

While the McDull idea is a start in terms of having a mascot, no one outside of Hong Kong knows what this pig is about. 

No one outside of HK knows who McDull is

In addition, many previous tourists remember the city for its neon signs and yet now the vast majority of these colourful lights are gone ironically for safety reasons. Nathan Road is hardly photogenic anymore.

And how about making taxis and the drivers more friendly and accessible? Cash is not something overseas tourists carry anymore -- it's credit cards or other digital payments. Taxis cannot be stuck in the past when customers are used to Uber and mobile payments. 

So many details that need to be improved on, but if prospective tourists think Hong Kong too expensive to get to, then these visitors won't be coming anytime soon...

Picture of the Day: Emerald Gem Melon

A small melon that's similar to honeydew

Yesterday we were at T&T Supermarket in Richmond and came across this mini melon called 绿宝石甜瓜 or emerald gem melon. It's so small that it fits in the palm of your hand.

When I Googled it I was surprised to discover it's a fruit! 

We chopped it open tonight and discovered the flesh inside really is emerald green with tiny yellow seeds. Once the seeds are scooped out, there isn't much of the fruit left.

The best way to eat it is to slice it up like a watermelon. We didn't know what we were buying so we didn't know how to choose a ripe melon, but overall it has a bit of sweetness. 

Is it worth it? Not really -- best to stick with a ripe honeydew or cantaloupe instead!

Classical Concert in the Church

Zanrosso and Kahn at the front of the church

Before we headed to San Francisco International Airport, we attended a free concert (well donations of US$20 per person) organised by Noontime Concerts. It was held at Old St Mary's Cathedral, which is near Chinatown. 

We arrived early, so we attended the tail end of mass. The father presiding over mass talked about how Americans need to be more humble, using the Olympics as an example. He said at the closing ceremonies, the French tied sports with the arts in a thoughtful presentation and as the next Summer Games are in Los Angeles in 2028, what do the Americans do? Have Tom Cruise jump out of a plane...

Old St Mary's Cathedral

It was an amusing observation from an American!

After mass was over, the baby grand piano was wheeled in from the side and the concert began, featuring Evan Kahn on cello and Amy Zanrosso on piano. Zanrosso has a Canadian connection, as she studied music at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, and did a Masters degree at McGill University in Montreal. 

Because we had luggage with us, we sat at the back of the church; that made it hard to focus on the performance with people coming in and out of the church, as the die-hard concertgoers were near the front.

Nevertheless it was nice to hear some classical music in a church where the acoustics are great! The performers got a standing ovation at the end.

Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1 by Beethoven

Melodie for Cello and Piano, Op. 20, No. 1 by Alexander Glazunov

Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 65 by Benjamin Britten

 

Review: La Marcha

Seafood paella was the highlight of the dinner at La Marcha

On our last night in San Francisco we had dinner in a hopping Spanish restaurant in Berkeley called La Marcha. It was easy to get a reservation online, but we when we arrived, we were surprised to see the place was packed with diners. It even felt warm inside so we waited outside for our table to be cleared.

Less than 10 minutes later we were seated in the cosy restaurant with high ceilings and exposed brick walls, an impressive-looking bar with two legs of jamon or ham hanging in the corner, while servers were pretty attentive in the dining room, that was busy for the first hour and then slowly diners had their fill and disappeared.

Cauliflower (left) and mushroom croquettes

The menu is quite extensive, with a lot of tapas to choose from, followed by salads, jamon, and some paella. Even though we had four people, we were conservative with the number of dishes we ordered and it was just about right: four tapas and a paella.

Soon after we ordered the tapas began to arrive. First the mushroom and manchego croquettes (US$11) that reminded us of Chinese deep-fried taro puffs at dim sum but better, thanks to the umami of the cheese and mushrooms, finely blended.

We also had the blistered cauliflower with mornay sauce and bits of bacon lardons (US$13) that had a subtle spicy kick. The cauliflower was slightly undercooked, and seasoned with the salty bacon bits. 

Next came grilled octopus with fennel, pollen, sunchoke puree, and garbanzos (US$20). The meaty octopus was tender with a slight char and hint of smokiness. This dish was cleared quite quickly.

White bean stew, pork belly, chorizo, creme fraiche

Our last tapas was white bean stew with morcilla, chorizo, pork belly, and chermoula creme fraiche (US$15), a hearty comfort dish with chunks of meat that would have been better if they were diced to make it easier to share. There was even a slice of black pudding in the bowl.

Next came our paella marinera (US$56), a photogenic colourful dish that was carefully styled by the kitchen. On top of the thick layer of rice were mussels, prawns, and clams, as well as peas and diced peppers along with a sprig of rosemary and half a charred lemon.

We quickly pronounced the paella better than the one we had in Barcelona's Las Ramblas, the touristy food market. The rice here was not dry, though the bottom was a bit burned. Nevertheless the seafood cooked just right and we enjoyed every bite -- even cleaning up the pan.

Although we were full, we wanted to squeeze in dessert. The blackberry cabernet sauvignon sorbet (US$9) looked intriguing and we wanted to try the olive oil citrus cake (US$14) but it was sold out. The waiter suggested the chocolate cake (US$12) so we did. 

Chocolate cake, blackberry sorbet

The wine-coloured sorbet really did have a hint of wine in it, and two large scoops were refreshing. Meanwhile the flourless chocolate cake was so intense in flavour, I kept saying, "Wow" after each bite. The chocolate cake was very smooth in flavour, speckled with cocoa nibs for a bit of crunch, and was paired with a scoop of chocolate mousse! The latter could have been a dessert of its own. 

As we were eating we discovered a crumped US$5 bill under our table and we used that towards paying our bill. A delicious dinner and the bonus of $5 made it a double treat.

La Marcha

2026 San Pablo Avenue

Berkeley, CA

(510) 288 9997

From Afghanistan to San Francisco

The San Francisco Ferry Terminal building

When our Uber driver picked us up from the San Francisco Ferry Terminal building, we told him we had just taken the ferry from Alameda and he asked how much it was. When we told him the price he said that was great and perhaps he could take his children on it.

Then he explained he had six -- SIX children -- ranging from 20 years old to five years old.

Our driver, named Shafiullah, said he loved children, which is why he had many! One wonders how his wife feels about having such a big brood. Nevertheless, he said he enjoyed playing with them and liked how the youngest always asked for a toy when he came home.

Shafiullah later explained he worked as an Uber driver for three consecutive days. The family lives in Sacramento, and he drives up to San Francisco to find rides because they pay better, though it also means he sleeps in his car (parked in a safe place). 

He complained that eating in San Francisco was expensive; he also needs to eat halal food. He couldn't bring home-cooked food with him because it would spoil. It seems like he makes enough money? His oldest is in college now and hopefully will be able to help out with the family finances soon.

We talked a bit about the election and Shafiullah said that he recently became an American citizen and didn't know who to vote for. "I asked my friends and some say Trump, and some say Harris," he said. Really? In a deep blue state? 

I didn't suggest who he should vote for, but as an American citizen he should exercise his right to vote, and the first thing to do was register! He said his son, his wife, and he were eligible to vote and I encouraged him that they should take part.

He said he left Afghanistan seven years ago and terribly misses his family back home, though he said it is too dangerous for him to go back. A friend speculated perhaps Shafiullah was a translator who worked for the US Army and managed to get pulled out along with his family.

In any event Shafiullah was happy to be in the US despite the difficulties he faced. That's the American story, isn't it?

Review: Zachary's Pizza

Stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza with sausage

Five years ago we tried Zachary's Chicago Pizza for the first time and were overwhelmed by this deep-dish concept, where it's more like a pie than a pizza.

But we liked it so much we requested to try it again and went to the north Berkeley location for lunch.

More like a pie than typical pizza

We liked the decorations on the wall -- amateur paintings that plug Zachary's, from Garfield dreaming about it, to a riff on the Johannes Vermeer painting, Girl with the Pearl Earring, and having her biting into a slice of deep-dish pizza.

We ordered a stuffed pizza with spinach and mushroom that has three cheeses in it and added sausage, which took about 30 minutes to make; so we had a side of garden salad to munch on before the pizza arrived.

The fresh vegetable produce in California is delicious -- the lettuce is crisp and tastes sweeter, in particular the tomatoes, which are incredible. In Vancouver we are stuck with ones that were picked when they were green and have hardly any flavour. 

When the pizza arrived, it was more like a pie and our server helped us dish out the pizza. It was definitely gooey from the generous amounts of melted cheese, but the richness was balanced by the sweet acidity of the delicious fresh tomato sauce!

Not only was the filling good, but also the crust! It was thick but not rock hard; it held the pizza together, but crunchy enough for texture.

Funny pizza-themed artwork on the wall

In the end I managed to eat one and a half slices; a medium-sized pizza for four of us resulted in two slices left which we brought with us.

Good thing I did a bit of walking afterwards to digest that filling pizza!

Zachary's Chicago Pizza

1853 Solano Avenue, Berkeley, CA

(510) 525 5950

A Visit to Blake Garden

Beautiful green views over the city

A relative who lives in the Bay Area took us to Blake Garden today, a public garden north of the UC Berkeley campus in an area called Kensington. We had to go up hills and along narrow roads before we reached the entrance.

It's free admission, with entrance at a pedestrian gate off to the side. There's no paper map to follow so it's best to just wander around and the paths eventually meet up with each other. The garden is 10.5 acres which includes Blake House, which is supposed to be the residence of the president of the University of California. 

Giant flowers under blue skies today

But upon closer inspection you can see it's deserted and empty, and not maintained. We asked a gardener working on the property about it and she said the last president lived there 15 years ago and since then successive presidents prefer to live closer to the campus. The place has also fallen into disrepair and would need a huge budget to not only renovate the home but also maintain it. Not exactly a priority at this time, which is too bad, but at least the garden is kept up using organic methods.

The house includes a long rectangular reflecting pool that is fed fresh water from a grotto. Upon closer inspection of the manmade pool there were giant Japanese carp swimming in there! They got excited to see me, thinking I would feed them and came swarming around, but then realised I did not bring anything, and there's also a sign warning visitors not to feed them human or fish food, as they are already well fed.

Twin Japanese girls and their parents came to have a picnic by the pool and the siblings were excited to see the fish. One of them counted how many and rushed back to report the number to her parents.

Blake House in the background

Wandering around the garden we were impressed in particular by a giant magnolia tree. We'd never seek such a big tree with big leaves and big flowers in a creamy yellow colour. While the garden tries to maintain things as natural as possible, many of the 1,500 species of flowers and shrubs did not have labels so we either had to guess or didn't know what they were. 

Nevertheless the view was beautiful -- down below we could see San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The garden is quite compact, as it abutted some public roads and residential area. There's a mini redwood forest but we didn't go in, and instead admired some Asian-inspired ceramic sculptures near the Blake House, as well as the numerous flora and fauna.

There was also an area with a sign that says "caterpillar X-ing" and some milkweed grown there to help foster more butterflies, and there were a lot of succulents and flowers, a few roses and even an artichoke tree with artichokes growing on it!

Blake Garden is a lovely place to walk around and immerse yourself in nature for a few hours!

Massive magnolia flower!

Blake Garden

70 Rincon Road

Kensington, CA

Driverless Cars Take You Around

There's no one sitting in the driver's seat!

While we were waiting for our Uber to arrive at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal building, we saw a white car with a strange contraption on top of the car -- and no one in the driver's seat!

It was a Waymo, the world's first autonomous ride-hailing service. So basically Uber without the driver!

We saw two people get in, one in the back, one in the passenger side, and once the road was clear, it signalled to turn left into the lane and drove off!

Two brave souls got into the car...

Waymo is formerly the Google self-driving car project, which launched in 2015. The following year it was rebranded as Waymo. In 2020 it was the first company to offer a driverless ride-hailing service. 

The car, a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid, relies on artificial intelligence and Google Street View technology to navigate roads.

But is it safe?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 150 crashes by Waymo by July 2021, though most of the crashes did not have injuries. In February this year, a Waymo struck a cyclist in San Francisco, and then most recently, there are complaints the Waymos are very noisy when they self-park in a parking lot near residents because the cars make a lot of noise when backing up. 

San Francisco was where I saw a robot make coffee five years ago, and now a driverless car. 

What's next?!