Keep Those Elbows Up

Hoekstra said Trump says Canadians are "mean and nasty"

Canadians not traveling south to the United States or buying American goods has irked US President Donald Trump, who claims Canadians are "nasty" to deal with.

But BC Premier David Eby says the US leadership has "very little awareness" in how offensive his remarks are.

"Do they think Canadians are not going to respond when the president says, 'I want to turn you into the 51st state and begger you economically unless you bow to the US?" Eby said in Huntsville Ontario, where the premiers are meeting this week.

Eby hit back, saying US boycott is working

"Obviously, Canadians are outraged."

US Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra was asked in Bellevue, Washington how to encourage Canadians to start traveling to the US again and this is part of what he said:

"Canadians staying home, that's their business, you know. I don't like it, but if that's what they want to do, it's fine. They want to ban American alcohol. That's fine," Hoekstra said.

"There are reasons why the president and some of his team referred to Canada as being mean and nasty to deal with, OK, because of some of those steps," he said.

So Eby pounced on the "mean and nasty" bit, and said Hoekstra's remarks show Canadians' efforts to stand up to Trump are "having an impact," and he encouraged people to "keep it up."

Festival Funding Going up in Smoke?

The team from Yukon lit up the skies in Vancouver last night

Last night was the first of three kicking off the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks festival at English Bay, where tens of thousands flocked to see team Yukon showing off their pyrotechnic skills.

However, there are concerns that this year may be the last one for the fireworks competition because government and corporate funding has dropped significantly.

Federal funding fell from $450,000 in 2023 to $250,000 last year and nothing next year, while provincial support has dropped from $250,000 to $100,000 next year.

There may not be enough funding for next year

The City of Vancouver covers police overtime, traffic control, and sanitation, worth about $1 million.

The annual event draws more than 1.5 million visitors and generates $40 million in economic activity for British Columbia, mostly through tourism and hospitality spending.

It costs about $3million to put on the event, and since 2010 a special ticketed area for VIPS to have a prime viewing spot with food and drink brings in about $1 million.

Organisers believe corporates are in a shaky position with the economic situation at the moment and can't commit financially at the moment, while another reason could be a lot of resources -- around $740 million -- have already been promised for next year's FIFA World Cup in Vancouver.

But it's not just the Celebration of Light that's hurting. Other events like the Vancouver International Jazz Festival has seen reduced sponsorship, while this year's Pride Parade is just barely going ahead later this year, with corporate funding slashed from $900,000 to $500,000 and provincial support from $115,000 to just $45,000.

How are festivals supposed to do more with less? There's only so much they can do, particularly when a lot of the budget is spent on security and traffic control. It's a sad situation when Vancouverites and visitors look forward to participating in these events that are big ones in the city's calendar...

Blueberry Season in British Columbia

A blueberry bush can have 6,000 berries a year

It's blueberry season in Metro Vancouver, and you can find these round dark blue gems for sale in supermarkets.

Some interesting facts about blueberries:

Blueberries on waffles with whipped cream

In British Columbia, they are only available from July to September;

The province is the largest highbush blueberry-growing region in Canada, and one of the top blueberry producers in the world! BC exports to more than 30 countries, making blueberries Canada's most exported fruit.

Blueberries contain a lot of antioxidants, Vitamin C and fibre;

The majority of BC's blueberry farms are family-owned and operated, some for several generations;

A single blueberry bush can produce as many as 6,000 blueberries per year! BC producers more than 150 million pounds of blueberries annually. This makes the province one of the top 10 blueberry-producing regions in the world.

A decadent homemade blueberry pie

Just wash and eat them fresh, or add them to ice cream, into pies, muffins and pancakes, or into smoothies, or use them to garnish salads.

Coldplay Inadvertently Exposes an Affair

Martin inadvertently exposed an extramarital affair 

If you're having an affair with someone, don't go to a Coldplay concert, as one couple was found out in Foxborough, Massachusetts the other day.

Frontman Chris Martin wanted to perform to a few select fans, and after singing a happy birthday song to one person, the camera swung to a couple, the man standing behind his date, his arms around her chest area.

Byron and Cabot reaction as camera was on them

But they were not married to each other.

When they realised all the attention was on them, she flew out of his arms, covered her face and turned around, while he sunk as low as he could out of the camera's range.

"Wow, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just really shy. I'm not quite sure what to do," Martin said to the crowd.

The video was posted on TikTok and immediately went viral with over 77 million views.

Meanwhile people online went to work to identify the couple as Andy Byron, the married chief executive of a tech company called Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the firm's chief people officer, or head of HR. 

Needless to say there were a lot of questions around the company's water cooler in the office the next morning.

The incident is now nicknamed "Coldplaygate"

While the identities of Byron and Cabot were confirmed by Astronomer's spokeswoman, Byron was placed on leave. The company said in a statement it would launch an investigation into the incident.

People wondered if Byron's wife would be launching a divorce suit.

The pair became the fodder of many morning talkshow conversations, when they had suffered more than enough humiliation.

The moral of the story is, don't go to a concert to carry on your affair, unless you want the whole world to know about it.

High Levels of E. coli in Waters off Vancouver Beaches

Kitsilano Beach is one of several with high levels of E. coli

Summer in Vancouver is going to be long this year, it's really hot already, and now you can't cool off on the beach because the water has been tested with E. coli.

Several beaches including Second Beach, Third Beach, Kitsilano Beach, Sunset Beach, English Bay, and Trout Lake have a no-swimming advisory after being found with high levels of E. coli.

It's a bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract of animals and humans, but it can also be found in swimming water that has been polluted with untreated waste. In this case it could be because of leaking septic tanks, discharge from boats and storm water runoff after heavy rains.

While Vancouver Coastal Health is not prohibiting people from going to the beach, they are strongly advised not to go into the water.

Health officials say if you swallow water with high levels of E. coli, that could lead to vomiting, infections and diarrhea. E. coli can also irritate skin, and seniors, children and people with compromised immune systems are most susceptible to it.

Eeeeek!

Another reason to stay home in air conditioning!

Poilievre Frustrated by Long Ballot in By-Election

Poilievre is running in a by-election next month to win a seat

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is gearing up for the upcoming by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot Alberta on August 18, hoping to win the seat to get back into the House of Commons after losing his seat in Carleton, Ontario in the April federal election.

Even though the riding is expected to be a solidly Conservative one, Poilievre may not have it so easy.

An electoral reform advocacy group called the Longest Ballot Committee, has plans to run a whopping 200 candidates in Battle River-Crowfoot -- more than double the 91 who ran in Carleton. It's known as a long ballot protest that causes delays in voting and confounds voters.

There might be some 200 names on the ballot

Poilievre doesn't want these long ballots in the upcoming by-election.

"We have to take action because this is a scam. It is unfair, it is unjust and it must stop," he said recently at a town hall in the riding where he is running.

He suggested that nominees require 1,000 signatures to run to prevent such protests. 

"That would make it impossible for 200 people to go out and have their names piled onto the [candidate] list," Poilievre told the town hall.

"There are a number of other things that you could do that would make it so that only real candidates who are truly running to put their name forward in our democracy that are on that list."

Currently candidates only need 100 signatures to secure a nomination and electors are not prevented from signing multiple forms.

Race for Battle River-Crowfoot got interesting!

The Longest Ballot Committee rejected Poilievre's suggestions, saying needing such a large number of signatures would have a "negative impact on Canadian democracy."

"This ill-conceived and self-serving electoral reform proposal by [Poilievre] is downright dangerous, and reinforces our conviction that politicians are not well-suited to decide the rules of their own elections," the group said in a statement.

It added it would continue to use the long ballot as a form of protest as "long as we are legally permitted to do so."

So the by-election on August 18 has become much more interesting! We can't wait to see the names of the candidates on the ballot!

Influencers Abound in Vancouver

What are your eyeballs looking at?

After three years of moving back to Vancouver, I'm finally getting more invitations to food tastings at restaurants. 

While it's a good exercise to get to know the chef, the restaurant and the dishes, eating with influencers is quite the experience.

Some lean into their physical assets

In Hong Kong this was already a trend that was happening before I left, but it seems to have gotten worse? Or crass across the Pacific.

The KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) here dress up in slinky dresses, the lower-cut the neckline the better. In some cases viewers can't help but look at the women's chests than the dishes...

Others don't have tiny figures but have big chests to compensate.

And then their knowledge of food in general is... poor.

This evening I sat with one influencer who couldn't discern flavours very well. She tried a creme brulee and thought it had a ginger taste. I confirmed the initial flavour was lime. 

She also had no idea what a pavlova was, but maybe I should cut her some slack since she has a degree in political science that she doesn't use in everyday life.

In general influencers post videos that make the dishes look good without any critical commentary because well, they think the food tastes great or don't want to jeopardise their opportunity for more invites.

Taking pics of a (good) tiramisu

And then when regular people dine in these restaurants, they may not get the same quality of food... 

Perhaps what's worse is that the entry bar to becoming an influencer is extremely low. And who doesn't want free food and treated like a VIP?

World Cup Tickets Sky High

Vancouver and Toronto are the two Canadian host cities

The news about the World Cup in Vancouver is garnering less and less excitement.

As a host city, Vancouver taxpayers are not thrilled about the $600 million bill to have seven games -- and we don't even know which teams. If they are not the big contenders who is going to buy the exorbitant tickets?

The first ticket packages that Canadians can buy are out now, and they aren't cheap. Organised by On Location, FIFA's official tournament hospitality partner, the packages start at $2,500 for one game, which includes access to the so-called FIFA Pavilion which is outside the stadium. 

Vancouver games will be played at BC Place

Packages also include access to the lounge three hours before kickoff, during half-time and two hours after the game ends with all you can eat and drink...

And of course the more money you're willing to spend, the more benefits you can have, like private suites and flying in by helicopter.  

During next year's World Cup there will be 104 games played in 16 venues in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Toronto and Vancouver are the Canadian hosts.

On Location has started selling packages for games in the US.

"And I've got to tell you, they are already flying off the shelf," said Leah Linke, senior vice-president of event production for On Location.

The hype is real.

Changing End-of-Life Care in Hong Kong

People no longer have to die in hospitals in Hong Kong

About 10 years ago when a relative was nearing the end of her life, my uncle told me that she could not die at home in Hong Kong -- it would have to be reported to the coroner's court, complicating things, particularly in terms of paperwork and getting a death certificate.

Instead it was best that she passed in a hospital, which sounds like a horrible place to be, taking your last breaths surrounded by loved ones in a sterile room shared by other patients in a similar situation.

But things are slowly starting to change. Last year the Legislative Council passed amendments in the cases of where residents who died in care homes for the elderly and met certain criteria are no longer required to be reported to the coroner. 

There are suggestions on end-of-life care

Legislation was also passed in 2024 to legally empower patients to state their medical care wishes for their last days in advance directives.

Now a think tank says Hong Kong has come up with a financial reason why seniors should be allowed to die at home or in care facilities.

Our Hong Kong Foundation released a research report on end-of-life care and suggested the city could save more than HK$90,000 per patient in medical expenses if dying patients spent their last days outside a hospital setting.

"If we have a comprehensive end-of-life care system, it could help reduce the usage of hospital services," foundation vice-president Ryan Ip Man-ki said.

That could hep the healthcare system save HK$91,460 per individual in medical expenses, the foundation said, citing data from a Hong Kong Jockey Club program supporting end-of-life care in the community.

Death doulas help people have "good deaths"

As a result that would help reduce hospitalisation by 11.91 days, accident and emergency admissions by 0.95 times, and intensive care unit stays by 0.29 days.

While these statistics are admirable, what about bringing some humanity to someone's last days on earth?

In North America there are some people who are "death doulas", who help others or their loved ones to prepare for "a good death". 

They educate and empower people on how they would like to die -- would that be at home, who would they like to be there, what kind of music would be played, and so on. It would also include what kind of funeral or service they would like and if they would prefer cremation or burial. 

This is a relatively new concept, but it is something Hong Kong should also consider. We should be giving our end-of-life patients the dignity of choosing how they want to spend their last moments, not in a hospital setting (if possible).

While my relative had planned everything else, from what she wanted to wear in the casket to the music played in her funeral, I'm sure my relative would have appreciated the chance to die in the comfort of her own home.

Remembering Live Aid 40 Years Later

Tens of thousands watched the Live Aid concerts in person

You know you're getting old when it's the 40th anniversary of the Live Aid concert.

40 years!

When I was a kid and I didn't want to finish the food on my plate, my mom would ask if we should take those leftovers and send them to the starving children in Africa.

Geldof organised the ambitious live concert

And several years later sadly the children were still starving in Africa, Ethiopia to be exact.

But Bob Geldof wanted to do something about it after seeing the news footage of children with bloated stomachs, too weak to swat the flies swarming them.

He and Midge Ure of Ultravox wrote Do They Know It's Christmas? and the song quickly became a hit. I went out and bought the single in a record store downtown. It was probably one of the first times I contributed to a fundraiser like that.

A few months later Geldof together with musicians to organise Live Aid, and not just have a massive concert at Wembley Stadium, but also at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia on the same day. Phil Collins had the distinction of performing at both concerts -- he traveled via British Airways Concorde to New York and then via chopper to get to Philly.

Jagger and Tina Turner performed together

I remember being a teenager and watching bits of the concerts on TV in the living room in the summer heat, thrilled to see all these musicians like Madonna, Duran Duran, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and U2 performing together, mixing genres and styles. 

Not only was it a logistical challenge but technical too for TV networks to broadcast live from two different cities at the time using 13 military satellites. Apparently there was no plan B in case the live broadcast failed. Now live broadcasts in various cities are done all the time, but back then it was only for a few minutes for a news story.

Around 1.5 billion people watched over 70 artists and bands performed over 16 hours of live music from London and Philadelphia. 

In the end Live Aid raised US$127 million ($370 million in 2024) for famine relief. It demonstrated that individuals could indeed make a difference, even if us kids couldn't vote yet. 

Madonna on stage in Philadelphia

Ure was asked recently if he thought something like Live Aid could be done again today. He seemed to think people had too many distractions.

"Technically, you could organise it easier, but these days you have so many distractions. Forty years ago, music was the be all and end all. You didn't have smartphones. You didn't have the internet. You didn't have 24-hour anything at all.

"There were no distractions. You had no video games. You had none of that stuff. So, you could focus."

But isn't it cool we're still talking about it, 40 years later? 

The OG Birkin Bag Goes for $10M

A picture of Birkin and the original bag in HK

It turns out the OG Birkin bag, the first one co-designed by actress and singer Jane Birkin and Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984 is worth US$10.1 million and was sold to a lucky collector in Japan at a Sotheby's auction the other day.

The price crushed the most paid for an Hermes bag, a Kelly bag made of white Himalaya Niloticus crocodile skin that was sold at auction in 2021 for $513,040.

Unlike most auctioned Hermes bags that are practically in pristine condition, this original Birkin bag is scuffed up, still has the outlines from political stickers that were placed on the bag for its owner, Birkin, to display her stances on issues, and has the initials J.B. stamped on the bag.

Dumas helped design the Birkin bag in the 1980s

The story of how the bag was created is practically legend, but true: In the 1980s she was on a Paris to London flight when Birkin, who was carrying a tattered woven wicker basket as her handbag, tried to stow it away, when items fell out and onto the floor.

She fortuitously sat next to Dumas, and Birkin asked him why Hermes didn't make bigger handbags. He proceeded to take an air sickness bag and sketch out a bag design for her. 

Their discussion of the bag continued well after the flight until he finally presented Birkin with the bag with the now signature clasps and handle and Dumas asked if the bag could be named after her.

Women today don't use their Birkin bag like she did -- to preserve its value and condition, most people only bring it out for show; after all they had to wait years to be able to purchase it!

Back in the 1990s I was fortunate enough to meet Dumas. He came to Hong Kong several times not only to visit the Hermes shops, but also meet up with his son, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, who was based in the city.

The original Birkin sold for over US$10 million

The elder Dumas was very charismatic, suave and had lots of stories to tell. He was the one who started the idea of setting a theme for every year and artisans at Hermes would create products and designs related to those themes. Basically a clever way to keep customers coming back to their boutiques.

When Dumas took over Hermes in 1978, the company's revenues were $50 million. By 1990 it was $460 million. The year before Dumas died in 2009 it was $2.5 billion.

Birkin kept the bag until 1994 when she donated it for an auction to raise money for an AIDS charity. It was auctioned again in 2000 until now, where it was estimated to be worth around $1 million.

The estimates were wrong by ten-fold.

The Granville Connector is Open

The new "H-road network" on Granville

Yesterday as I walked along Pacific Street in downtown Vancouver, I saw that the new Granville connector project was finally finished. Cars turned off from the Granville Street Bridge onto this new exit ramp that takes them to Pacific Street very easily, while vehicles on Pacific can get onto the Granville Street Bridge. 

Pedestrians can also walk on this new stretch of road called Neon, Rolston and Continental streets.

Walking north towards Neon Street from Pacific

This C$50 million Granville connector project took over a year to complete, as they shut down the onramp to and offramp from the Granville Street Bridge; traffic on Pacific was snarled as three lanes merged into one. 

Apparently now with this new "H-road" network, the City of Vancouver claims it will improve traffic circulation and "provide access to future housing and local services on the City-owned land that was occupied by the loops."

It also helps pedestrians and cyclists get on and off the Granville Street Bridge safely which is a huge plus. 

We'll see what gets constructed in the empty spaces on the right and left of this new road, but in the meantime relieved this giant infrastructure project is done!

Storm Danas in Hong Kong

Heavy rainfall in Mui Wo, Lantau

A friend in Hong Kong told me about the "crazy thunder and lightning" where she was in Mui Wo, on Lantau Island, and the incessant rain has resulted in the authorities announcing there would be no day school tomorrow, Friday.

That's a first -- usually local officials don't decide until the morning of, leaving parents bleary-eyed watching the storm updates until late at night in a bid to anticipate if there's school the next day or not.

Storm Danas is moving across Guangdong, causing heavy rains and thunderstorms. This morning there was an amber rainstorm warning posted at 8.35am, which turned red, then back to amber at 10.40am, then back to red again two hours later.

"The active southwest monsoon to its south will generally affect the vicinity of the Pearl River Delta [on Thursday and Friday]. There will be torrential rain and squally thunderstorms over the area," The Observatory said.

It warned residents outside to seek safe shelter as soon as possible.

Hopefully there won't be too much flooding or severe damage in the next 24 hours, but it does sound like rain coming down in Biblical proportions...

Somewhat Crispy Tofu

Pan-frying tofu slices is a delicious way to get some protein

A dish we have on rotation for dinner is pan-fried tofu. I'm trying to get better at making it crispier, though I haven't resorted to using a mixture of potato flour and cornstarch yet.

We usually strain a medium-firm block of tofu by patting it dry, but I've read it's even better to press it down with weight for a few hours to squeeze out as much water as possible.

Tonight I hand pressed out a decent amount of liquid using paper towels before seasoning the tofu slices with salt and pepper.

In a cast-iron pan, we heated up the oil and then placed the tofu in there to sizzling effect. We let them fry for a few minutes until they turned golden brown and then flipped them to the other side; some might stick to the pan so best to use a combination of chopsticks and spatula to flip them.

If you're feeling ambitious, fry all six sides for a crispier finish. And for a garnish, chop some spring onion and throw them into the pan to cook with the tofu.

Dim Sum Restaurant Metropole to Close

So many dim sum options at Metropole in Admiralty

Every few days there's a story in the news that yet another eatery or restaurant chain has shuttered.

This time it's Metropole, a Chinese restaurant known for its dim sum trolleys that was in business for 35 years, but will close in September.

One of the last dim sum restaurant with trolleys

While it's a place not necessarily dear to my heart, it's where my relatives and I usually met up for Chinese New Year, or when relatives from out of town came to visit. 

The Admiralty location was convenient for most of us, right above the MTR station and near the bus stop, it catered to big groups, had a wide selection of dim sum and the prices were reasonable.

We wouldn't wait for the women pushing the dim sum trolleys to come to us -- we'd take our white card and hunt down food and bring it back to our table. 

Or we'd walk up to the middle of the restaurant, where they served dishes like radish cake and taro cake, "three fried stuffed treasures" of eggplant, peppers, and tofu, pig trotters cooked in vinegar with egg and ginger, and a dessert station that included tofu fa.

If har gao, chicken feet, spare ribs, char siu buns and spring rolls weren't enough, you could also order plates of fried noodles, congee and vegetables too.

Cheung represents the catering sector in Legco

In the end the total bill for a large table was relatively reasonable and we were all stuffed. 

An American friend living in Hong Kong wanted to know where to take visitors to have the trolley experience and I recommended Metropole. 

I warned him to make a reservation in advance because if you didn't, you'd be stuck waiting around for the next free table.

But when he went, the large restaurant was hardly full of diners.

And with people heading up north mostly on weekends to chow down on food at a fraction of Hong Kong prices, restaurants like Metropole are struggling to stay afloat, and it doesn't help that landlords aren't giving them a break on rent.

It's surprising that legislator Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, who represents the catering industry, has not raised concerns about the sector in the Legislative Council, or brought this issue to the attention of the Chief Executive and the Executive Council. 

The art of dim sum is fast disappearing in HK

And while the media has been reporting on each restaurant closing, no one has questioned the government on why it hasn't done more to save this industry, and in particular trying to help those who have lost their jobs to get the compensation they deserve.

What is particularly sad about Metropole is the amount of knowledge of producing dim sum disappearing. There are fewer and fewer people who know how to make har gao, char siu buns, steamed rice rolls and egg tarts.

Many restaurants use frozen dim sum made by factories in China because the labour is so expensive, or it's a way to cut costs. However, one can easily tell the difference between factory and handmade dim sum.

However, dim sum is practically synonymous with Hong Kong, considered a foodie city. So why is not more done to preserve this delicious piece of culinary heritage?

Metropole

4/F, United Centre

95 Queensway, Admiralty

852 2865 1988

 

Hardcore Whistler Race

Lost Lake was so scenic and peaceful as we watched the racers

I was in Whistler this past weekend to help my cousin with his race, specifically called Otillo Race where competitors have to run along a trail, swim across a lake and repeat until they reached the finish, wearing their wet suit, runners, googles and paddles throughout the entire course.

For the race at Whistler, there were three different categories: 

Whistler Experience is a total of 6.437km, with 1.45km swim and 4.989km run;

Whistler Sprint is a total of 17.059km, with 3.38km swim and 13.679km run;

Whistler World Series is a total of 38.302km, with 5.139km swim and 33.153km run.

Two competitors at the finish in gear

My cousin, attempting this for the first time chose the Whistler World Series and while he has been training in running, he didn't do much training specifically for this race because he was busy with work and looking after two boys.

He attempted swimming with his wet suit in open-water swimming in Vancouver, and tried running with his wet suit on to get used to the conditions. He said wearing light runners with holes made it easier to run.

Last night he tried to do a bit of carbo loading, eating some extra pizza slices.

This morning he started the race at 6am and very chilly -- jumping into the lake immediately woke him up.

A former Olympic swimmer, he was able to power through the swims, though in the trail runs he walked sections of it because he was tired. Nevertheless he seemed to do well time-wise.

We managed to catch him two-thirds of the way at Lost Lake Park. We saw him swim across the lake towards us and then get out of the water, have a quick water break and then continue on his race by foot.

By the end he managed to finish in under six hours, and placed ninth out of 17. The youngest competitor in this division was 21, the oldest 62.

Two competitors emerging from Lost Lake

Some competitors were tethered together, either two men or two women, or one man, and one woman; they have to do everything together tied together, while others, like my cousin, did it solo.

There were two men in their early 40s from Hong Kong who finished last in over seven hours, while the winner completed the course in just over four hours... 

My cousin also trained by running to Grouse Mountain and doing the Grouse Grind! 

Needless to say I think he's definitely caught the bug to do more ultra races. He says in marathons you are competing against everyone else on a paved surface, whereas ultra races are about completing the race, than the time.

He also said the trail was scenic. His first two swims were beautiful on the lake, with the early morning mist rising over the water before dissipating into the atmosphere...

Picture of the Day: Harvesting Peanuts

Mui Wo farmer holds bunch of fresh peanuts

A friend lives in Mui Wo, a rural town on the east coast of Lantau in Hong Kong. Every morning he walks around with his dog in a bid to avoid the midday heat.

He recently took several pictures and videos of his neighbourhood to show me.

Aside from showing off his new blue bicycle, the path he walked on was very clean, as in it was cleared of debris. Another was a doggy parlour, where the dogs posed post-spa/haircut to show them off.

And then one of the pictures showed a hand holding a bunch of peanuts that were harvested from the earth. 

It turns out Lantau is a good place to grow crops like rice, sweet potato, taro, red onions, and peanuts!

Peanuts are grown under the ground, similar to carrots.

When the peanuts are ready, they are harvested from the ground and then dried before they can be shelled by the consumer, or they are dried and then shelled before being sold or processed into products like peanut oil, peanut butter, or seasoned with salt to package into snack food.

Earthquake Prediction in Japan Scares HK Tourists

An earthquake prediction has scared HK tourists to Japan

Last year a friend told me about a prediction that there would be a massive earthquake in Japan on July 5 -- an exact date.

Luckily I had already planned to go to Tokyo in March -- and was perhaps even luckier to miss the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Bangkok by two weeks. 

The March 2011 prediction did come true

The prediction, which was published in 2021, is from a manga artist, who had forewarned of a major disaster on March 2011, which was when an earthquake caused the Fukushima nuclear accident.

As a result of the upcoming July date, a lot of Hong Kong tourists did not plan to go to Japan these few days, and bookings for flights and hotels were down.

Because of this, Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled flights to two Japanese cities in July and August, citing sluggish demand.

However, there are some tourists in Japan who had no idea about this prediction and shrug, while others take no stock in what a manga artist thinks will happen with no scientific evidence.

And people who study earthquakes say it's impossible to predict them, while the Japanese Meteorological Agency has warned of an 80 percent chance of a large-scale shock measured at a magnitude of 8 or 9 would occur along the Nankai Trough running along the country's east coast in the coming 30 years...

HK tourists plan travel to Japan after mid-July

But things are looking up -- Hong Kong travelers are looking to visit Japan from mid-July onwards.

"Travellers may consider that it will be safe after that date," said Tommy Tam Kwong-shun, managing director of a travel agency. He believed the demand would soon recover, as Hongkongers love going to Japan and people will come when they feel it's safe to travel there.

The Japan National Tourism Organisation's figures show overall foreign arrivals increased by 21.5 percent, a historic high for May, though Hong Kong was the only place that had fewer visitors to Japan in that period.

The organisation attributed the drop in Hong Kong visitors to "information that an earthquake was occurring in Japan spreading on social media".

Celebrating Canada

Carney greeted people in Ottawa to celebrate Canada Day

Happy 158th Birthday, Canada!

This year is a special one, with a new Prime Minister, Mark Carney who is taking a measured, strategic approach in building Canada's independence from the United States and dealing with American President Donald Trump the best he can.

Speaking of which, Trump has made us more patriotic than ever. Ever since he made threats of ursurping Canada and turning into the 51st state, Canadians have put their elbows up in defence and are doing whatever they can to buy Canadian, particularly when it comes to food.

Canadian patriotism is on a high these days

This year could be a banner one for Canadian wines, and farmers are finally getting the support they need from consumers keen on eating Canadian (as much as possible). Every time Trump threatens Canada, people raid the "buy Canada" sections of supermarkets, and still refuse to travel across the border. It's has economically hurt border towns, but they will have to suffer for the next three years...

Meanwhile today we celebrate immigrants who have since become Canadians.

One interviewee who has become a friend, is now a Canadian citizen. She posted her swearing-in on social media.

She and her Canadian-born husband left Hong Kong and arrived in Vancouver just as the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020 and were jobless for a year.

Then they modified her grandmother's chilli sauce recipe and made their own using Canadian ingredients. Family and friends who tried it encouraged them to sell it and since then they've become a successful brand -- Canadian brand -- and collaborate with chefs, restaurants, and suppliers to create one-off items or new products.

A couple who make chilli sauce in Canada

It is so amazing to see them flourish -- not without a lot of "blood, sweat and tears", and at the same time they are so grateful for the opportunities that have come by or they reached out to ask.

Other Hongkongers who came here a few years ago are still finding their way, continuing to process their lives in exile and trying to forge a new path for themselves. They are still traumatised by what happened to their hometown, and how they were impacted. 

But despite the emotional toll, they have no regrets coming here.

Happy Canada Day. 

A Tale about a Cocktail Bun

Fluffy, and sweet cocktail buns in Chinatown

Today we had lunch in a cha chaan teng in Vancouver's Chinatown and for dessert we ate a cocktail bun, something I haven't eaten in quite a while.

It's a fluffy soft milk bread with a filling of desiccated coconut mixed with butter and sugar inside and topped with sesame seeds.

Cocktail buns (雞尾包) is literally translated as "chicken tail bun". But the origin of these pastries apparently dates back to the 1950s when a baker ground up unsold buns from the previous day, added sugar and coconut to make a new filling and inserted into freshly-made buns. They were given the name "cocktail" as the baker mixed the ingredients like a bartender.

Most Chinese bakeries in Chinatown have these buns. But you can make them at home, as there are several recipes online! While this would be fun (and delicious), the dilemma is that once you make a dozen of them, you'd have to eat them all!