Cheap Eats

It's been 4 months since I last blogged. Three of those months, I was back in the good ol' U.S. of A. Now that I'm back and though we are coming out of a recession, I think it would be fitting to discuss a few cheap eats in Hong Kong. Being the financial capital of Asia, Hong Kong caters to both international visitors, expats and locals, ranging from 5 star Michelin & Zagat rated restaurants to very basic, affordable local "hole in the wall" diners, where personal space and napkins are non-existent; the use of the table and chair will cost extra sometimes.

Lan Fong Yuen is considered a landmark to everyone who works and lives in the SOHO/Central district. This is the epitome of a hole in the wall spot, one of the best actually. Gaining entry to it requires squeezing through the tiny opening next to the take out window!

The place is famous for three things. Pork chop buns (not pictured), grilled chicken with spring onion oil over instant noodle (yes, it's straight out of a normal instant noodle package you can buy at the supermarket!), and the thirdd item is salted lemon with 7up (pictured above, it's a lemon marinated in salted water for a period of time). Also, everyone likes the milk tea here too but I can't discern the difference w/ other milk tea in HK.

No lie, everyone at my table ordered the same stuff! We had toast spread w/ condense milk (forgot to take a picture but I'm sure you can picture toast w/ condense milk :), two chicken noodle plates, two drinks for a grand total of $12 USD, no tax nor tips.

This is the entire place, 6 round tables with stools. The trick is to eat w/ your elbows tucked into your body so you don't bump into the person next to you. All tables are shared and believe me, there's no open stool during peak hours. If you get a left hander eating next to you, forget about it!

This tiny breakfast stand is on a footbridge next to Cisco's building. Mostly take out since sitting at the table costs extra.

$1.70 USD for rice noodle, sui mai, and a milk tea.

Locals really love pork chop with curry over rice. Very simple but a delicious dish. $5 USD lunch box take out. Napkins not included.

Herbal tea shops are ubiquitous in local neighborhoods. A healthy body has to be a balanced body. After eating fried pork chop for lunch, two cups of tea (24 different herbs and sweet flower ) were perfect to cool my "hot" body down.

60 cents for a cup. Extra dark = extra bitter but more effective.

Starbucks is not exactly cheap eats since a "short" cup (smaller than a "tall") of coffee costs more than my breakfast! About $2 USD for this tiny thing. Too bad we don't have enough kitchen-counter space for a coffee maker. We would have to give up our rice cooker to make room for a coffee maker.

Didn't Starbucks reduce the price of a "tall" coffee to a buck now in the U.S.? Man, I miss my Peet's coffee...

Bowen Road

Bowen Road is a walking trail located in the mid levels close by our apt. It's full of runners and dog walkers, mostly surrounded by luscious greens and provides a great view of Central and stretches all the way to Happy Valley. I wouldn't say it's comparable to Central Park but it does provide some stunning views for people who enjoys being away from the city and taking a breath of fresh air.


We are very lucky to live so close to the trail. Bowen Drive is a short little uphill hike to Bowen Road.


One complete trail is 4Km. We start from Bowen Drive, instead of from the beginning of the trail. It's around 6Km round trip round trip for us. Takes me about 40 mins to complete the trip.


Some of the richest people live next to the trail, including the most popular Fung Shui master in HK. Fung Shui is big business here! People go to FS masters for predictions on careers and relationships.


A park along the trail with restrooms in case nature calls.




Our apt. building.




Lovers rock. Couples come here to pray for a good strong relationship with their significant other.


On the weekend, you could run into people praying here. Breathing in incense gives me a runner's high :)


I think this is the HK Jockey Club at the bottom.


End of the trail and time to turn back.

The HK cinema experience

Considered the best movie theatre in Hong Kong is the AMC Pacific Place Cinema located in the Pacific Place Mall, a short 10 minute walk from our apartment. The theatre is considered Asia’s most technologically-advanced cinema, with state of the art three-way SRD-EX audio system. I'm not sure how it stacks up against the audio systems in the states. It sounds pretty good to me but what we really enjoy most is the soft 4-foot wide leather seats and there's enough leg room to not touch the neighbor in front of you with your legs extended fully. Oh they have three different flavors of popcorn: Salty, sweet kettle corn, and chocolate!

An adult ticket is a little under $10 USD and $6 USD on Tuesdays. With a Platinum AMEX card, tickets are buy 1 get 1 free on Fridays (we only watch movies on Fridays). Unlike in the states, going to the movies requires proper advanced planning because when you buy a ticket, you are assigned a seat. Below is a seating chart of the biggest screen at Pacific Place Cinema. As you can see, seats are more limited than in the U.S. Unless you're in the first 2 rows, there's no really bad seats; even the love seats on the side provide a pretty good experience.






In his book, The Economic Naturalist, economist Robert H. Frank explains that due to the limited number of available cinemas and show times in Asian countries, it makes more sense for cinemas to provide this premium service. In a place like Hong Kong, demand will always be higher than the supply. Despite incurring the higher cost, cinemas here are willing to resolve the inevitable problem of waiting in line for hours sometimes in an attempt to secure the best available seat for a popular movie.

Assigned seating requires cinemas to hire ushers to show people to their seats or to resolve disputes. In addition, the purchasing process takes longer since people have to evaluate which seat provide the best viewing angle. And maintaining a seating system is definitely much more expensive. However, as in the states, the collective whole of movie goers end up wasting an exorbitant amount of time waiting in line for a movie premiere. With proper planning, you don't have to show up 1 or 2 hour early because you are always guaranteed a peace of mind knowing your seat is already assigned to you and only you.

Personally, I don't think they have to provide this service because people will still wait in line regardless since demand will always be high. Maybe the biggest reason is because the limited real estate in Hong Kong is not conducive to large crowds waiting in front of the theatres. Whatever the reason, the cinema experience is yet another advantage of living in Hong Kong...if you don't mind having Chinese subtitles flashing on the screen! I find it quite annoying since it provides no value to me =)

Lan Kwai Fong

Lan Kwai Fong is by far the most popular area for expats and tourists to hang out at night. Full of western style bars, clubs and restaurants, it's busy from sunset to sunrise. Prices are obviously higher than in other parts of town but you're sure to have a good time if you have the energy.


At 8pm, the L-shaped cobble-stoned street is starting to fill up.


Not yet October, I always run into people in costumes. I heard it's really crazy during Halloween.


You can't tell by the crowds whether it's 8PM or 3AM. It's never quiet here!


Unfortunately, futbol is mainly televised but some bars show American sports but because of the time difference, those games are in the morning.


Very soon, this bar will be standing room only.


I think it's 1AM and some people are just starting their night out.


This is Prive, the most popular club in LKF. Most nice clubs here are members only like this one. Unfortunately, since HK is so small, there aren't many places to party. More often than not, people always end up here by default. Drinks are typicallly around $10-$15 USD.


When the night is over, everyone heads over to this noodle shop for some grubs. It's equivalent to Sun Hong Kong in Berkeley/SF or Lee Noodle in SJ.

Domestic Helpers (feiyungs, bun muis)

In Hong Kong, it's very affordable to hire "Feiyungs" or "Bun Muis" to help out around the house. A typical maid charges HK$50-$70 per hour. Given how small the average apartment is in Hong Kong, two hours of domestic services (mopping, dusting, scrubbing...) would cost you about US$15-$20.

A lot of expats who start a family in Hong Kong could hire a live-in nanny for around US$500-600 a month to take care of the cooking, cleaning and babysitting. Most nannies are professionally trained on taking care of every aspect of domestic services. And they all speak English. It's a wonderful benefit of living in Hong Kong.

But I honestly, can not fathom having a stranger in my tiny apartment, going through my fridge eating my food and knowing how many times I take a s*** a day. It's just weird. That said, my fridge would always be stocked, home cooking every night (which could save me big bucks from eating out), dust-free house, and if I had a baby, I wouldn't have to wake up at night to take care of her. Testimonials from our friends here are pretty persuasive on hiring a nanny if you could afford it but I have my doubts. I need to bond with my kids and waking up at 3AM when she cries is tough but that's valuable bonding time in my humble opinion. Who knows how my attitude would change when I actually have to change diapers at 4AM =)

Anyways, there are approximately 150,000 Filipinas and Indonesians in the city, most of which are employed as domestic helpers. Surprisingly, you'd think they aren't highly educated but some are Civil Engineers or highly trained professionals. The reality is that working in HK affords better living conditions and higher income than working in their homeland. Generally, room and board is paid for and most of their salary is sent home to their families. Their employer generally pays for 1 trip for them to return home during the holidays and all get Sundays off.


It's quite the spectacle for a visitor on Sunday when all the domestic helpers line the streets, walkways, and tunnels to mingle with friends.


Some use the free time to rest and eat on creative broken cardboard boxes. They bring their own special dishes to share with their friends and play games to kill the time.


Any public spot with a roof is normally taken up. Usually, you can tell they have their usual support group to socialize with; evidently pretty vital to their well being while being away from their real families.


Other more entrepreneurial minded helpers sell stuff ranging from phone cards, toys and knock-off products to make a few extra bucks.


Hair salon service! I may have discovered my new hair stylist.

BTW - While I'm on the topic, every Filipina I came across this past weekend was pretty stoked about Manny Pacquiao. Most were clinging onto the newspaper and reading the result of the fight. I was very happy to have caught the 2 rounds live online. I'm sure the Danabar and Baysac households were very proud when he knocked out Hatton in just two rounds. Go Manny!

Capital Restructuring

Arguably, we are in the worst recession since WWII; at least it’s the worst of our generation. The S&P 500 was recently down over 50% from its peak in 2007 only to recover a bit in the last few weeks. My 401K is literally, a 201K now. Unemployment in the US is creeping to 10% and Cisco is not stocking free sodas nor bottled water in the break room anymore; and I can no longer expense my DSL line or my ATT cell phone service.

If every company is “downsizing” or “realigning resources”, I think it’s time for my very own capital restructuring!

Here’s an attempt at breaking down my daily spending with an objective to cut down costs and minimize an effective budget.This is my personal budget and does not include my wife’s. Tao and I have daily philosophical debates on whether searching for alternative transportation in lieu of settling on taxi service is maximizing value. Often we end up agreeing to disagree but truthfully, these conversations leave me in a state of confusion, especially when she throws out MBA jargon like “You have to evaluate the Cost Benefit.” And what usually shuts me down is her favorite rebuttal “You have to figure out how to make more money instead of spending time figuring out how to save money.”

Here goes…Let me know what you recommend. I am taking a poll!

Getting to work at 4:30 AM

Options:

1. Walk to work ($0). Disadvantage – 15/20 minutes less sleep
2. Walk down hill behind the apt building and take taxi ($18HKD). Disadvantage – 3 minutes to walk down 10 flights of stairs and to the street where I could find more taxi cabs
   
3. Take taxi right outside the building ($26HKD). Disadvantage – High cost and not many taxi cabs pass by the front door of the building
   

Breakfast at 7 AM

1. Eat at Cisco HK ($0). Apparently, there’s no cost cutting in the HK office. Disadvantage – Only cookies, fruit and coffee/sodas are available
2. Eat at nearby HK cafes ($10-20). Disadvantage – High cost
3. Not eat ($0)
   

Getting off work at 11 AM

1. Walk home ($0). Disadvantage – Breathe in toxic smog, deal with the humidity, and the risk of getting trampled by the crowds.
2. Take taxi ($26HKD). Disadvantage - High cost
3. Buy a car ($1000000HKD). Disadvantage – Highest cost. People who can afford a car AND a parking space in HK usually buy at least a Maserati

Getting to the gym at 11:30 AM

1. Walk to the gym ($0). Disadvantage – Takes 15 minutes but I have to breathe in toxic smog, deal with the humidity, and the risk of getting trampled by the crowds.
2. Take taxi ($20HKD). Disadvantage - High cost
3. Walk down 10 flights of stairs and take HK Bus and walk to gym ($3.40HKD). Disadvantage – Bus arrival time is variable
4. Walk down 10 flights of stairs and take Tram and walk to to gym ($2HKD). Disadvantage – Tram is very slow, stops often and is open air which means toxic smog
5. Stay home and nap ($0)
   

Lunch at 1 PM

1. Eat on my own ($20-$30). Disadvantage – Usually not a balanced diet
2. Eat with friends/wife ($50-$100). Disadvantage – High cost
3. Walk to Cisco and eat more snacks/fruit/top ramen ($0, arguably this is a positive expense). Disadvantage – Have to figure out how to get back home.

Work again around 4 PM

1. Work at home ($0). Disadvantage – Not very exciting
2. Work at Starbucks or Pacific Coast Coffee ($18-22HKD). Disadvantage – A regular cup of joe costs $3 USD here!
3. Not work

Note: The remainder of the day is spent w/ my wife or friends so that budget is not as easy to control.

My choices are highlighted in blue. What do you think?

Cisco Hong Kong

Exactly two months ago, I went back home to Milpitas. Obviously, life back in the bay area is a lot more tranquil and easy, though life is borderline monotonous and repetitive. But it's home and nothing is better than having the opportunity to waste time playing cards with close friends, spending quality time with the family, watching the NCAA basketball tournament, and above all, joining the rat race at "normal" hours in the morning.

Now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I really appreciate everything back home has to offer. With that said, there are many advantages to living in Hong Kong. For one thing, working in the Hong Kong office is much more refreshing than working in San Jose . Back home, my view out of our 2-story building on Tasman Drive is Tasman Drive and the parking lot! Sometimes, on a lucky day, I get a glimpse of the Lightrail train.

In Hong Kong, my view out of our 50-story building on Harbour Road is a panorama Hong Kong harbor with all of its docked vacation cruise ships and cross-harbor ferries transporting visitors and locals alike between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.


Cisco has 3 floors in the Great Eagle center. It's the building with the Allianz sign on the top, right behind the Hong Kong Exhibition Center (the short dome sports arena looking building in the middle of the picture). See those two similar buildings, left of center? It's the one on the right. I work on the 28th floor, in an open work space.


This is the entrance to the main office. I think it's on the 30th floor.


This is the dining area. Notice the basket of fruits (In San Jose, this basket would be empty by 12pm!). There are lots of cookies, candies, even seaweed packages in the cabinets. There's an espresso machine (not pictured). The maids start cleaning at 7am in the morning (I know because I'm there 2-3 hours before they get there). The maids go around to every cube/office and collect the tea mugs for cleaning. That's pretty cool.


The first time I saw the vending machine, I thought I had to put in coins to get a drink. The only thing I get from here is Coke Light (aka...Diet Coke). Sometimes, I get Activ Water, which is water with electrolytes.


These are assigned cubicles for the local work force.


This is a typical HK breakfast. It's called Chan Dan Tone, Nai Cha, which is short for spam, egg, and macaroni soup with milk tea. All of that for a few cents over $2 USD. That milk tea is scrumptous...hmm mmm hmm. Not sure if the spam is healthy on a daily basis so I try to get it once a week at the most.


This is the view from the open work space. The building on the left will be HK's tallest building called the ICC.


Similar view but from a conference room. It's pretty peaceful sitting in the office alone at 7am in the morning, enjoying what's outside the window. Hard to beat this in San Jose don't you think?