Hong Kong is known for its nightlife but in the midst of fun, amusement, excitement, and entertainment, one need to refuel their energy. This can happen when you take a break and try the most amazing Hong Kong food. You just cannot resist these tempting delicacies when you are there.

When I lived in Hong Kong my apartment building was in North Point, which is situated about middle of Hong Kong island. This gave an incredible mix of western and eastern foods. I could go downstairs and literally have 10 small restaurants, like diners, offering incredible local dish’s. Even today thinking about it makes me want to go back and try more foods!

Roasted Suckling Pig

Known as the best cuisine in the country and an amazing Hong Kong Food, the Cantonese dishes are packed with flavor. One of the must have Cantonese dishes includes the cuisines main attraction, the Suckling Pig (if you eat pork). This dish consists of a delicious roasted pig which is stuffed with glutinous rice and is roasted on an open flame to give you the best flavors.

This piggy dish is a must have, since it offers the true ‘taste’ of Hong Kong.

Beef Brisket

If you have super yummy cravings for some spiced up noodles and delicious meat, the beef brisket noodles is the dish for you. This deliciously amazing Hong Kong food consists of yummy chunks of daikon giving it the beautiful sweetness it needs perfecto make diners salivate. The juicy brisket with the traditional noodles will have you head over heels for them in no time at all.

Snake Soup

Snake soup has the delicacy that no other soup or dish has and locally is considered an amazing Hong Kong food.

This dish is not just appetizing; it is also very beneficial for your health as well. Many restaurants have a tradition for hundreds of years now to serve the most flavorsome snake soup ever. The meat of the snake is shredded into stripes of white meat, followed by the addition of seafood, mushrooms, and lemon leaves to delight your taste buds.

Egg Tart

How about some delicious treats for the road? Egg tarts (pictured in the featured image) are the perfect ones for such occasions and journeys and easily makes it to the top of the amazing Hong Kong food.

The gorgeous golden puff pastry will steal your heart away with the first bite. Taking a bite in to the yellow hue full of rich flavors will just transport you to a whole new realm. This aroma of the delicate pastry will capture your heart and will definitely leave you astonished for sure.

Hot Pot

The hot pot dish is a traditional winter dish which the residents and tourists of Hong Kong love to enjoy with their families. This traditional amazing Hong Kong food consists of three different soups, of your choice followed by crabs, fresh tomatoes, egg whites, meat, fish balls, hot chilies, English oxtail, and so much more.

You can even add other options to make the most of this dish such as cheese stuffed beef balls, truffle dumplings, Japanese meat, rainbow cutter fish balls, and more.

Milk Tea

Milk tea is no ordinary tea, it is like no tea you have ever tasted and a true staple food of Hong Kong. Plus you cannot taste this anywhere else but in Hong Kong itself. This tea is made with the techniques of the Hainanese Coffee, which makes the taste, the aroma, and the experience unique.

If you are in the locality, and if you do not try these amazing Hong Kong food, you have really missed what Hong Kong is all about.

Enjoy!

The Hong Kong nightlife is one grand party you simply cannot miss and which does not stop. You will not be able to resist what the streets of HK have to offer you during these hypnotic nights.

Every evening after I had moved to Hong Kong after I came home from work, I would go out for enjoyment. It could be dinner from almost any country in the world, incredible malls to walk through, awesome bars, lounges to simply relax after a long day in factories. And for me, it was the gym. I loved going to the gym at night.

Night Tour

For those folks who are not new to the streets of HK, you really know how to party, for those who are new, the night tour is one of the best ways to take the party up a notch. Grab a tour of the beautiful streets or even the sea.

You can avail any one you wish to and enjoy wonderful sightseeing, as you gorge on the most elegant and tempting flavors of HK. Catch a ferry from the harbor if you want the most mouthwatering seafood ever, and enjoy a candlelight dinner while watching Hong Kong glisten.

Bars & Pubs

It is time to get your chilled glass and head on to the energetic, vibrant, and lively atmosphere. Many of the famous bars and pubs are on the east side of HK, which are quite famous for their popularity as they give you what you came here for, a break from daily life.

Become the ultimate Hong Kong nightlife icon while you enjoy delicious grub, branded beer and drinks and learn more about the locals by socializing with them.

Be sure to check out Lan Kwai Fong (westerner heaven) if you’re in the mood for a never ending party of drinking, food, dancing all night long.

Clubs & Discos

A big part of the Hong Kong nightlife is you can take your pick from any two flavored nightclubs. Either enjoy the west in the east, or go for the Chinese culture. The western themed clubs are the main attractions for the tourists and western citizens, whereas the Chinese clubs are occupied with Chinese people who have turned them into the liveliest places you will ever see.

You can go out with your family, or even have business meetings in these clubs and discos, while enjoying the best dining packages HK has to offer.

Cinemas

Amazingly, Hong Kong has a rich history with cinema as well. They are the world’s third largest film producers followed by Hollywood and Bollywood. Over 100 screens around the world portray Chinese films, which are jam packed with love, action, mystery, seduction, thrills, and much more.

You will fall in love with concepts, stories, and will be tempted to watch them multiple times. Just make sure you see one with English subtitles if you are not proficient in the local language. It’s a great way to enjoy the Hong Kong nightlife scene.

Malls & Parks

There is no end to the fabulous Hong Kong nightlife and the party on the streets. To add more in the experience, be sure to head to the malls and parks. With over thousands of shops, brands, and products, your shopping experiences will change completely.

Find what you are looking for all under one roof while actually enjoying it. After you are finished shopping, head to the food courts which have so much for you to choose from. You will seriously get confused by looking at the menu, no doubt. After you have shopped, and filled your belly, take a walk in the park.

The beautiful scenery and Hong Kong nightlife will leave you astonished, and the peace will bring you comfort.

Enjoy!

Hong Kong Disneyland is a world class resort and theme park which is a must see place, especially for families visiting Hong Kong. This wonderful place is situated on Lantau Island and is a 30-minute Railway ride away from Hong Kong’s centre.

The setting and atmosphere of this place is full of excitement and adventure. Hong Kong Disneyland offer thrilling experiences for all age groups including spectacular parades, fireworks, photo sessions with Disney characters, Mickey’s Philharmagic music adventure, an amusing 3D movie, Festival of Golden Mickeys and Lion King, and Broadway style shows.

With the Disney themed hotels, scenic spots, and fun rides, along with delicious Asian and Chinese food, Hong Kong Disneyland park will undoubtedly make for an unforgettable experience.

Major Attractions

The main attractions of Disney land are the four themed lands. Every themed land has exclusive stores where souvenirs and memorabilia are available. Each land has numerous restaurants that offer a wide range of food items.

There is transport available between the park and hotels for convenient commute.

Hong Kong Disneyland has special attractions fused with the Chinese culture which makes it s must-see place.

There are Disney characters moving around and accompany the visitors on this magical and fantastic trip. There are roller coasters, haunted houses, crazy mirrors, Ferris wheels, cotton candy, hotdogs, and so much more to look forward to.

Main Street USA

This is the first theme land one will come to after entering Hong Kong Disney land. Once you enter the main street, you will be able to see unique buildings, dim gas lamps, and a paddy wagon going by. City Hall transports, Disneyland railroad, and antique taxicabs will give you an experience of 20^th century America fused with Chinese elements.

Adventure Land

After you leave Main Street USA, you will come to the Adventure Island. Here, the Jungle River Cruise which is guided by a brave captain will take you to various hidden regions. In Adventure land, you will witness orangutans, elephants, cobras, hippos and other jungle elements.

This attraction was conceived originally fifty years ago by Walt Disney but has been given a completely new look with thrilling Disney magic of 21^st century especially designed for Hong Kong Disneyland.

Fantasy Land

After Adventure Land, you will enter the Fantasy land. This place will make all your Disney dreams come true with Snow White grotto, Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty castle, Mad Hatter tea cups, sword in the stone, and Winnie the Pooh. The visitors can join Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and other characters at the 3D attraction of Mickey’s Philharmagic.

Tomorrow Land

Lastly, you will enter Tomorrow land. The amazing and exciting space mountain roller coaster ride will have you screaming all the way till the end. You can even fly a space capsule and battle the aliens with a space gun at Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.

Hong Kong Disneyland is undoubtedly one of the most fantastic and exciting places to visit in the city. There are also a variety of Disney themed hotels one can select and have an exciting time with your friends and family.

And don’t miss the nightly fireworks! Be sure to get there a little early to grab a seat outside of Cinderella’s castle! And depending upon the holiday and time of the year, Disney offers a wide range of activities and themes to match the festivities.

Enjoy!

I’m so sorry, or maybe not? But I just needed to write about more interesting facts of Hong Kong, because I love Hong Kong. It was and still is my home of over 7 years. For such a small landmass, there is just so many interesting facts! At the center of East and Western culture, there is an incredible, and unique, lifestyle.

Hong Kong is filled with many interesting stories, landmarks, events, cultures, traditions, and facts. Before you pack your bags and decide to go to the best destination for a long vacation, have a look at these really amazing hong kong facts.

Peak Tram- Oldest cable Funicular

Peak tram is the first cable funicular in all of Asia and was established in the late 1880s. This is also one of the steepest, and also the oldest railroad which operates through cables, in the world. This funicular gives transport services to over 11,000 people, and nearly 4 million on an annual basis.

This easily makes it to the top of the list of Amazing Hong Kong Facts!

¾ Hong Kong is rural

That is correct, about ¾ percent of Hong Kong is actually rural. It even compromises of 24 country parks and also woodlands, reservoirs, and scenic hills too. Amazing Hong Kong facts, right?

Hong Kong is actually divided into 3 primary regions and then dozens of island. The 3 primary regions are: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and The New Territories.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner

The Noble Peace Prize winner, Professor Charles Kao is from Hong Kong, and is also known as the ‘Father of Fiber Optics Communications.’ This is pretty amazing Hong Kong facts. All our modern technologies of communication, from here!

Chinese New Year’s Dish

The dish, Poon Choi, which is made on every New Years, consists of 10 different ingredients which are cooked separately, and brought together at the end in one big pot. This Hakka origin dish is very famous and popular in Cantonese cuisines.

Wine Auction

The world’s most expensive bottles of wine were auctioned in Hong Kong worth USD$ 232,692 each.

Wow! Now that helps make it to the list of amazing Hong Kong facts!

Disneyland

Hong Kong has the first Disneyland which opened in China, and the 3^rd outside of the United States.

Mongkok Population

Mongkok has the highest population density in all of Hong Kong with as estimated 130,000 residents per square kilometers, unbelievable right?

Canton-Pop

The music genre, Canton-Pop started from Hong Kong which eventually went viral in all of Asia.

Bi-Cable Aerial Ride

Hong Kong has the longest bi-cable ride in all of Asia which extends over Ngong Ping Village, Po Lin Monastery, Giant Buddha, and Wisdom Path. This ride is hardly 25 minutes long. It also offers an breathtaking away view of the entire Hong Kong airport seen from above. Spectacular! What truly amazing Hong Kong Facts!

And if you feel more of the risk taker, try the glass bottom gondola!

World’s Highest Capita

Hong Kong café and restaurants boast one of the highest per-capita concentrations. This happens for every 600 people they feed.

Guinness World Record

The Guinness World Record for the largest magic lesson is held by a citizen of Hong Kong who taught a class of 314 children.

Most Skyscrapers

Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the entire world. It has over 8,000 buildings each consisting of more than 14 floors. Totally true! Amazing Hong Kong facts for sure, and I can even see my apartment building from that picture!

Home to the World’s most expensive

Iron Buddha, the most expensive tea is sold in HK for HKD$ 20,000 per kilogram. Hong Kong also consumes triple of the average of the world when it comes to tea, which is almost 9.8 kilograms on an annual base. Too costly to be an amazing Hong Kong facts?

Street Food

Street food is one of the most popular and most favorite kinds of cuisine in Hong Kong. It is not just popular amongst the locals, but it has made its mark amongst the tourists as well.

Metropolis

Hong Kong is known is the go to destination for luxurious goods and is the largest metropolis in all of Asia as well.

Amazing Hong Kong facts have so many interesting histories, places to visit, shop, eat, dine, enjoy, movie theaters, double decker buses, old trams, red taxi’s, and more. Every moment is lots of fun.

Enjoy!

Hong Kong is a very vibrant city, especially when it comes to festivals. It holds amazing festivals every year that give you a great chance to mingle with your loved ones, friends, coworkers. I always loved the festivals, in additional to some really cool facts, in Hong Kong for many reasons. Perhaps the main reason is Hong Kong stands at the crossing of Eastern and Western cultures so you have this amazing blends of life styles.

The city becomes vibrant, people are off from work, and there is always some place to go to enjoy the festivals. While this list is comprehensive, it is in no way complete, just too many festivals to enjoy!

Hong Kong Festivals – Tuen Ng Dragon Boat festival

This is a very colorful festival in which boat races are held, and my personal favorite! Remind me to tell you my story of reaching one of the yachts that was sponsoring a group of racers.

Boats are in the shapes of attractive and beautifully decorated dragons. It is normally held in June, but the dates and months can vary depending on the dates of the lunar calendar. The races are organized at ten different sites and attract the locals as well as tourists from different countries.

I normally enjoyed going to the back side of Hong Kong island to Stanley Beach.

Hong Kong Festivals – Mid-Autumn Festival

It is one of the biggest festivals in Hong Kong and is considered to be the second most important festival in China, after the Chinese New Year Festival. Fire breathing dragons, lantern displays and gorgeous lion dances are some of the biggest highlights of this festival. They also have some of the best snacks!

I’ll be writing more on this festival in another article. While The Dragon boat races were the most exciting, this for me was the most meaningful.

Hong Kong Festivals – Chinese New Year Festival

The Chinese New Year is celebrated with a lot of zeal and fervor each year. Different events are held in Hong Kong to celebrate it. Three days of amazing events are planned almost every year to enjoy this occasion. A fantastic parade and entertainment extravaganza is held close to the Victoria Harbor on 31^st January.

Another important event of this festival is the stunning display of fireworks. I love fireworks, so I eagerly wait for the Chinese New Year to arrive every year.

Hong Kong Festivals – Hong Kong Winter Festival

This festival is mainly held for attracting tourists to Hong Kong. The streets are decorated with beautiful lights, sales are held in almost all the stores and snacks are distributed amongst the locals. It is organized before the New Year every year.

Hong Kong Festivals – Hong Kong Shopping Festival

This is heaven for all the ladies. It is an amazing festival that is mostly held in August and offers something for everyone.

Hong Kong Festivals – Christmas

Christmas is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in Hong Kong. The entire city is decorated with lights and Christmas trees. You can see Santa Claus distributing gifts amongst the children in shopping malls, and you get to enjoy discounted prices on goods and services as well.

One of the best places to visit in Hong Kong during this time of the year is Disney Land. Lots of entertaining events are organized there for kids.

Hong Kong Festivals – The Arts Festival

If you are an arts aficionado, then you’ll love this festival a lot. It was held for the first time during 1973, and has been organized annually since then. Ballets, operas, dramas and symphonies are the major attractions of this event. I attended a few performances last year and they were absolutely stunning!

Hong Kong Festivals – Horse Racing Festival

This is the most awaited festival by the enthusiasts of horses and gambling. It is celebrated mostly from January till July each year, but the timings can change.

This was really just a brief list but it contains some of the best and most interesting of the festivals and holidays in Hong Kong. I will be writing about more of them and also more in-depth, taking one festival and writing about it at length. So much of the festivals are tied to the culture and are very old in customs and traditions.

Enjoy!

The 2014 protests of Occupy Hong Kong, also known as the Umbrella Revolution, is a series of protests that have been started by the Hong Kong Student Federation along with other political parties of the region against the Chinese government and the NPCSC’s decision to operate the 2017 Chief Executive Elections in Hong Kong using the universal suffrage technique.

Having lived in Hong Kong for 7 years, calling it my home, and being an American, I have an affinity for trying to understand the meaning behind occupy Hong Kong.

In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to Mainland China after being a colony of Great Britain for some 150 years. As part of the agreement and constitution of Hong Kong, Hong Kong would remain an independently run zone with little influence from Mainland China.

Unfortunately this is not the case. As the citizens of Hong Kong are not allowed to vote in general elections and the Chairman of Hong Kong is appointed by Mainland China, the citizen of Hong Kong feel that every year more and more of their rights are being stripped from them. Leaving them in a boat with out a rudder ores. There had been many events leading up to occupy Hong Kong.

I’ll be writing extensively about this but to begin I wanted to give a general overview of the events that have taken place under the tag of the Umbrella Revolution so far.

26^th September 2014: Protestors assembled in the Tim Mei Avenue and crossed the barrier into the Civic Square and were head by Joshua Wong. They were beaten by the police and finally were kicked out of the center in the morning. This was the beginning of occupy Hong Kong.

27^th and 28^th September 2014: The protestors continued with their protests and were bombarded with the terrible tear gas by the police. On the 28^th, they decided to carry out the civil disobedience movement. According to reports issued by the BBC, three thousand protestors packed Mong Kok and around a thousand entered Causeway Bay. The number of the protestors had reached a hundred thousand by then.

29^th September 2014: Police altered their strategy a bit and were ready to negotiate with the protestors. They had arrested around eighty nine protestors by then. Till 1st October, no major event took place.

1^st October 2014: Joshua Wong, along with other prominent members of the Scholarism, attended the flag-raising event held at the famous Golden Bauhinia square on the National day of China. They remained calmed throughout the event.

2^nd October 2014: Canisters containing tear gas were thrown into several buildings. The protestors demanded that they should be allowed to inspect all the vehicles that pass through the barricades to deliver water and food to them.

3^rd October 2014: Violence started in Causeway Bay and Mongkok when huge groups of the anti-Occupy Central members started assaulting the protestors. Eighteen injuries were reported and around twenty protestors were arrested by the police. While rumored, it is supposed that these members were supported by the Central Government in Hong Kong.

4^th October 2014: Patrick Ko laid accusations on the protestors for being hypocrites and counter-protestors conducted a march supporting the police. They wore blue ribbons.

5^th to 8^th October 2014: A group of scholars gave a statement that requested the Chinese and Hong Kong government to fulfill their demands. Alex Chow Yong-kang, who is the leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, denied further negotiations until their requests were fulfilled.

9^th October 2014: A meeting with the HKSF was planned for 10^th October, but it was cancelled on the 9^th.

10^th October 2014: Protestors began their protests on the streets once again continuing occupy Hong Kong.

11^th October 2014: The HKFS issued a letter to President Xi Jinping stating that CY Leung did not live up to the expectations of the citizens.

12^th October 2014: CY Leung showed his resentment against the protests and did not consider them as revolution.

13^th and 14^th October 2014: Attacks were launched at the protestors and several activists were arrested as well. The headquarters of the Apple Daily were attacked by the anti-occupy protestors as they accused the paper as biased.

15^th and 16^th October 2014: Traffic on the Lung Wo Road was stopped by the activists and the police resorted to violence to get rid of them.

17^th October 2014: The northern end of the Nathan Road was open for traffic after three whole weeks. However, the activists weren’t allowed to move from the southern side.

18^th October 2014: A battle was fought between the protestors and the police in Mong Kok and around twenty people were injured.

19^th October 2014: Claudio Mo and Fernando Cheung came to Mong Kok to negotiate with the protestors as well as the police to attempt ending occupy Hong Kong.

20^th October 2014: A temporary injunction was granted to the taxi drivers as well as the operators association so they could commute on the Nathan Road.

21^st October 2014: The first negotiation talks were held between the HKFS and the government, but no substantial results were produced.

22^nd October 2014: Violence started again at Mong Kok and CY Leung expressed his anger at the citizens. In my personal opinion this was completely misdirected and misunderstood by Hong Kong leadership only supporting the people of occupy Hong Kong. It is important to remember that the chairman of Hong Kong is appointed by Beijing and as so, has immense pressure from Beijing to end the protests.

23^rd October 2014: The Hong Kong Spidie hung a banner reading ‘I want true universal suffrage’ at the Lion Rock.

24^th to 27^th October 2014: Anti-Occupy supporters wearing blue ribbons assembled at Tsim Sha Tsui and some of these supporters were attacked at Mong Kok. Six activists were arrested for carrying out this assault.

28^th October 2014: the HKFS sent another letter to Carrie Lam requesting for another round of the negotiation talks to end occupy Hong Kong.

29^th to 31^st October 2014: The Chinese People’s political Consultative Conference Standing Committee discussed to remove James Tien as he had urged CY Leung to resign.

November 2014: On 2^nd November, Carrie Lam refuted all the proposals regarding the de-facto referendum.

Till now, these events have taken place and no sound results have been produced of occupy Hong Kong. I personally believe that this is just the tipping point of larger events to come as the Central government of China tries to grip tighter and tighter around Hong Kong.

I do hope that eventually Hong Kong citizens will have the right to vote for their own leaders but much has to change.

Thanks!

Hong Kong is a beautiful region in China and is as interesting as it is beautiful. There are numerous interesting facts about Hong Kong that many people are still unaware of. Perhaps this list was one of the top 3 things friends and family would ask me about when we chatted. What’s interesting? What’s fun? How is the city and people different? The list goes on.

While these are just 10, the list can be really much longer. They’re in no particular order but all are Interesting Facts about Hong Kong!

Take a look at ten amazing facts about the city that will surprise you. They surprised me too when I learned about them in Hong Kong.

• Meaning of Hong Kong’s Name: Hong Kong’s complete name is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, also commonly referred to as ‘Hong Kong SAR.’ The meaning of the name is ‘fragrant harbor’ as the name is derived from Chinese characters, namely Heung and Gong.
  • This isn’t only one of the most interesting facts about Hong Kong, but one of the most important.
• Longest Rail and Road Suspension Bridge: People coming to Hong Kong from the city’s airport pass through the Tsing Ma Bridge. It is a rail and road suspension bridge and is the ninth longest bridge of this sort in the world.
  • The bridge was second longest when it was completed, but soon more bridges of this kind were constructed in other countries, so it became the ninth longest bridge then. It has one island each at both its ends: Tsing Yi and the famous Ma Wan. The bridge’s name has been derived from the names of these islands.

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• Numerous Skyscrapers: Hong Kong has several skyscrapers and the number is more than the skyscrapers found in other cities of the world. There are over eight thousand buildings in Hong Kong that have over fourteen levels. This number is two times more than the buildings in New York.

  • 

• Robot Waiters: A restaurant was established in Hong Kong on 17^th July, 2006 that employs robots as waiters. Yes, you will be served by robotic waiters in this restaurant who will take your order, as well as give interesting performances. This helps make make it to the top list of most interesting facts about Hong Kong.
• Large Number of Rolls Royce Owners: Hong Kong is one of the four cities in the world that has the biggest number of Rolls Royce. The other three cities are Singapore, New York and Paris.
• Extremely Dense City: Hong Kong is extremely dense. You cannot find your way easily through the crowds in a market of Hong Kong. The Mong Kok market located in the Yau Tsim Mong District has a density of 130,000 per km.
• Official Languages: Hong Kong has not one, but two official languages, and English is one of them as well. Yes, that’s true! English, also known as Yingyu and Cantonese (a form of Chinese) are the two official languages of the city.
• Mag Dogs and Englishmen: The famous English dramatist ‘Noel Coward’ is the one who created the popular phrase ‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday.’ Very few people know that this phrase was actually referring to Hong Kong.
  • Coward made this phrase keeping Hong Kong in mind. It refers to the popular Noonday Gun that takes place in Causeway Bay. It has been taking place daily ever since the time the British formed colonies in Hong Kong.
• It Hardly Sleeps: Hong Kong is another city like London and Paris that hardly sleeps. You will find several stores open 24/7 in Hong Kong. Moreover, the city is illuminated by bright ambient lights that stay on all the time.
  • Neon colored displays in various colors are visible throughout the city and provide you with light, so you don’t need to switch on lamps in your room at midnight.
• Octopus Card: The Octopus Card is a smart card that contains credit and can be used at supermarkets, car parks, convenience stores, restaurants, vending machines and most importantly, the MTR and buses!.

As mentioned above, these are only some of the most interesting facts about Hong Kong. What always amazed me and made so many things an interesting fact of Hong Kong was how much these facts are a way of life for the local people. That Octopus card was so cool when I first got it that I still have it till today, some 9 years later.

Enjoy!

It was 2003 and it would be my first Thanksgiving in Hong Kong and being away from home. I had moved to China earlier in the year and now came the precious holiday of Thanksgiving. We all know what it means in our hearts, anywhere in the world. Even if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, we all share a time when we want to be with our families, friends, and be home.

But I couldn’t do that being 9000 miles away and having Thanksgiving in Hong Kong.

As the weeks came closer to the holiday I had tried not to think about the date or what it meant. I think I was upset and sad, and a bit homesick. I was just 23 years old and off on a big adventure that I didn’t quite understand yet. I was fortunate to have made some friends in the short time I was in Hong Kong but even for them, they didn’t really want to talk about Thanksgiving.

Finally it dawned on us that we were now in our new home. We were each others new family. If we couldn’t spend Thanksgiving with our families back home, then we would spend Thanksgiving in Hong Kong together. So the questions came up of: Where to eat? Do they even have turkey in Hong Kong? Where do other westerners go for Thanksgiving? And how to find out? This was 2003 and while the Internet was in full swing then, it was no where near as powerful or diverse as it is now.

So the group of us took it upon ourselves to do as much research as possible. I spoke to some coworkers, local Hong Kong people. They suggested Central, Hong Kong. Central is like Downtown, Manhattan. It is filled with westerners, western style restaurants, bars, pubs, places to relax and hang out. There must be a place there!

Surprisingly, then, not as much as one would have thought. It turns out, as we all learned, that the turkey is usually replaced with chicken as the choice of meat. Any turkey would have to have been flown in (first class?) from the States and would be too costly for most restaurants, even for Thanksgiving in Hong Kong!

So we scoured around Central, Lan Kwai Fong, Soho and found about a handful of restaurants that would actually have turkey! But! We were too late… Turns out, people book months in advance for a seat and a slice of that delicious turkey and gravy.

Now being the day of Thanksgiving, we all met at the bottom of the hill of Lan Kwai Fong, depressed. It then dawned on us that Thanksgiving is really about, well, yes Turkey, but being grateful for what you do have and we had each other, we had our adventures, and we were in Hong Kong! With a renewed spirit, we walked up into Soho and found a quant little restaurant.

We banged (being the rowdy American cowboys that we were) on the table and demanded the best Turkey substitute! It was after all, finally, Thanksgiving in Hong Kong!

After a few eyebrows raised by the waiter, the cook came out (perhaps a big nervous, too). He was most distressed about not having Turkey. But he did blow away our minds by saying he did have chickens roasted the way one makes a turkey. We all looked at each other and smiled!

It was good enough!

So we enjoyed our chickens cooked like turkey’s. Enjoyed our friendship, thought of home and our new lives being in Hong Kong.

This year I am thankful for my wonderful wife, our 2 year old daughter and our families. Even though we are in NY this year celebrating the feast, and with turkey, I will always remember that day and what those memories meant to me having Thanksgiving in Hong Kong.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, happy holidays, and a wonderful winter.

While there are many things you can do in Hong Kong, there are certain things that are absolutely not allowed there. The inhabitants of Hong Kong have different norms and values that are very important to them and respect their Hong Kong Etiquette. You must abide by those rules while you are there, so that you don’t hurt the feelings of the people of Hong Kong and have a good time there.

Take a look at five things you simply cannot do in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Etiquette – You Cannot Spit

Though it is acceptable to randomly spit in different places in the People’s Republic of China, as it is considered to be a good way of warding off the evil spirits, this practice has become quite intolerable in Hong Kong.,

After the SARS virus became common in Hong Kong, the various authorities of the state started banning this practice. Spit can help this disease spread like wild fire and is not healthy for the residents of the state, which is why you are not allowed to spit at all in many places in Hong Kong. In certain places, you can be charged with a humongous fine of around HK five thousand dollars for spitting. So, you must avoid indulging in this behavior while you are in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Etiquette – You Cannot Go Anywhere in Hurry

Hong Kong is a modern city like New York or Tokyo. But as much, it is jammed packed with people, buses, cars, trains, and just the life of the city. This creates its own style of Hong Kong Etiquette.

If you’re leaving for anywhere it is good to plan out your route before going. All buses are in English and so are the routes. Taxi drivers speak okay English. The subways (called MTR in Hong Kong) are usually the quickly way to travel.

I don’t think I ever went a day without riding in the MTR. Fast, clean, spacious, always on time. It goes to most of the major destinations in Hong Kong and if not, there are usually buses waiting to take you the last leg of your journey.,

Hong Kong Etiquette – You Cannot Eat Pizza???

Well… not exactly… it really depends upon where you’re living and wanting to eat. As Pizza is a western staple food it is not to be expected to find a pizza place on every corner in Hong Kong. However, if you’re looking for a great slice, be sure to visit Central and parts of Tsim Tsa Tsui. You’ll find great tasting pizza and salads.

Hong Kong Etiquette – You Cannot Get Clothes of Your Exact Size

A horse of a different color? This one brings back some really fond and well funny memories when I first arrived there in 2003. Imagine my surprise when I bought a medium t-shirt and found it to be too small?

Clothes are sized differently in Hong Kong for sure. A small in Hong Kong may be a large children’s size. So when heading out to do some shopping, and there is literally endless amounts of it, make sure to try on your clothes before buying.

Hong Kong Etiquette – You Cannot Eat in the MTR

In Hong Kong, you cannot eat or drink any beverage while travelling on the MTR. These acts are strongly prohibited as they end up dirtying the train, so make sure to avoid eating while you are using the MTR.

But as I said before, Hong Kong is a modern city. Filled with a mix of East and West. Cantonese and English, double decker buses from London, and all the local items one expects to find in a city in the Far East.

Enjoy!