Memories

Well, well, well...look what I've found. A TON of pictures from when my friends and I went on vacation to Hong Kong during winter of 2008! It was the first time that I had ever been out of the country with friends, and the first time I had ever spent Christmas away from home. I must say, that was one of my most memorable college experiences--going to another country with a big group of friends and having the time of our lives. There aren't enough good things that I can say about Hong Kong that could express how much I love visiting. So I'll just have to show you! Here are some pictures that I found while browsing through my external hard drive that I never got around to uploading...and boy do these photos bring back some great memories. I think I'm having another one of those Hong Kong withdrawal moments. Enjoy!

Street side porridge stand. This is where it all began--one small bowl of porridge in a teeny tiny shop. Our first breakfast in Hong Kong. It was the beginning of an AMAZING trip.
I had the pork blood porridge. What better place to have pork blood than Asia?









Even the food at the Hong Kong Disneyland was good. I couldn't believe it!
I think this is when I started to think that I had died and gone to heaven. I mean you honestly would not, could not, believe it until you've tried it. Good food. At Disneyland. Blew my mind.




More food!
The wonton noodle soups are amazing in Hong Kong. They're extremely flavorful and moist and have a generous portion of shrimp (which is a sign of a good wonton by my standards...I think this is something I picked up from my parents!)
To my surprise, canteen food in Hong Kong is pretty good too, I had the beef stew, and it was better than any that I've had here in the states. That just tells you how far behind we are in great flavor profiles in the US. But it is rather difficult cooking Chinese food I must admit.
We also had hot pot. And we already know how much I love that!






Hong Kong's night market is perhaps one of the things that I miss most about Hong Kong. There's cheap shopping (especially if you know how to bargain your way around an expensive souvenir, lots of life, and a ton of great food. Street food is the best thing that you can indulge in while you're in any Asian country, and indulge I did. We had stinky tofu, takoyaki (squid balls), and curry fish balls--you could smell the food stand from a mile away (and that's just about how long the line for food is too!) There's nothing like standing in the middle of the street late at night with a bunch of good friends having a late night snack. Unfortunately, and I remember this very clearly, I got yelled at by one of the vendor ladies for trying to take pictures, so all I have are pictures of delicious food, but that's good enough for me!

I just have to say this, there is no better stinky tofu that I've had anywhere else compared to the one at the night market. None.







Macau
Besides all the Portuguese and Chinese fusion foods in Macau, I adore the architecture--it's absolutely beautiful. Because it is extremely crowded, and known as the sin city of the Far East, it can be rather difficult to find a nice quiet place to sit and enjoy food. BUT, the whole point of being in Macau is to do as the locals do, and eat as the locals eat. And that's exactly what I did, and I loved every moment of it!

He's making fresh almond cookies! Macau is famous for this.

Durian dessert! I love durian, and there aren't very many places in the states where you can get a variety of durian desserts.

He's making pan fried bread with beef inside from scratch! This is another food item that is well known in Macau.

Restaurante Litoral is one of the best Portuguese restaurants in Macau. When I came here for the first time in the 5th grade, I think it was the very first time I had tried Portuguese food. I didn't eat very much though because had motion sickness from the ferry ride.

Calamari Salad

Croquettes