Melamine Egg Scare

So two people commented on my Facebook page about melamine found in eggs from China in Hong Kong. I'd eaten eggs all last week, and I have no idea if they're from China, but I swear, EVERYTHING from China is tainted. I've heard stories about oranges pumped with sugar water to enhance the taste and all sorts of crazy additives that probably aren't good for us. While I'm weary about everything I eat, I haven't really changed my eating habits to avoid dairy products or anything else. It's funny, the week it came out that melamine was found in Lotte koala biscuits, I had been eating those all that week as well. It makes me wonder what kinds of poison I'm putting in my body. It makes me angry that people are that greedy that they're willing to endanger human beings in order to make an extra buck.

Agnès b. Délices

We got a box of chocolates at the party

That said things like b. cool!!

And my personal favorite, b. yourself!!

Agnès b. La Loggia: The Polaroids

Agnès b. La Loggia, After Party

Then we headed to the Watermark for the after party, but I lost Don in the mess on the way in

Au Revoir Simone performed

I ran into this guy again

Then I spotted Agnès b.!

Who kindly posed for photos with fans

Lian, This One's For You!

There's a restaurant named LIAN in the IFC!

Agnès B. La Loggia

Don and I got to go to the opening of Agnes B. La Loggia last night in the IFC, a luxury shopping mall located in Central.

We got paper cutouts of our profiles

Here's mine

There were lion dancers

We completed this puzzle

Flowers congratulating Agnès B.

Then we met this guy, who is part of Agnès B.'s entourage, and he introduced us to her, and I was too uncoordinated to get my camera out in time to take a photo with her

Taxi Television

It's not like in New York where they're in every cab. This is actually the first one I've seen in Hong Kong.

Watch This!

Ain't Funny - Vice President. from Alma Har'el on Vimeo.

I Didn't Want to Ask and I Didn't Want to Try

Chinese Semen Cannabis Drink?! All you need is a little rock and roll in there and you're set!

All the Comforts of Home

Good ol' PBR!

'Tis the Season for Shanghai Crabs

Every October and November people in China go crazy for Shanghai crabs! That was the whole reason behind our seafood feast. Apparently during these months, the Shanghai crabs, or hairy crabs—as they are also known—start fattening up. Now this is what the delicacy is—the roe and the gao (in Chinese). You sprinkle it with some special sauce and dig out these juicy bits with a tiny spoon. Now this was completely new to me being a Westerner. I usually just eat the stuff in the legs, the boring meat. It was so tasty and delicious!!!

This is how they look before you devour them

Crab guts! Then you rip off the top shell.

And sprinkle the gao/flesh/fat with this vinegar/sugar/soy sauce mixture and dig it out with a little spoon. Had to turn on the flash so you could get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Then you rip the body in half and do the same.

Up close! Now that's the gold you dig out!

Seafood Feast: After

The Chef Behind the Seafood Feast

And his lovely wife/sous chef, Karen!

Seafood Feast: Before

Abalone!

Look at these critters! Shrimp and crab...

I say these guys are snails, but my friends said otherwise

I have no idea what these are

Crabs and clams

YUBZ: When You Want To Chat It Up Old School

I found Yubz at city'super. They're these old school phone handsets.

That you can use with your mobile phone and your computer!

My Favorite Doorman

This is my favorite doorman. I think his name is Sonny, but I'm not sure. Unlike the other doormen and doorwomen, he seems genuinely happy to see you when you walk by, and always greets me with a hello, sometimes a wave and definitely a big smile. The others seem like they're saying hello or good morning to you strictly out of obligation. Sonny is either really good at faking it, or is just more friendly than the others. Maybe he likes his job more. But one thing I know for sure is that his personality and his smile stick out more than the other doorpeople who work in my building.

That that that that that that don't kill me...

...can only make me stronger! HEH. Some guy loaned me his Kanye glasses so I could take a photo with his friend.

HETEROgENIUS

Don and I went to a party called HETEROgENIUS last Saturday.

Avenue, the club where it was held

The crowd, eh....

Don enjoying himself on the dance floor

Re-entry, $50HK?! ($6.50 US) No way! WHACK!

Hong Kong Street Art

The U.S. Election Pops Up in the Strangest Places

Went to my favorite Asian bakery, BreadTalk on Friday, and I noticed that one of the descriptions brought up McCain and Obama. Funny.

Congratulations!

In Hong Kong, they give flowers to congratulate you if you open a business. On my way to meet Don and Emily for dinner Thursday night, I passed by Oriental Watch Group, which just opened up. I personally hate flowers on stand like that, as they remind me of funerals.

Che Buono!

Monday night I shot an interview at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which is a beautiful hotel. After the interview I was treated a delicious Italian meal at one of their restaurants, Grissini, which is named after the Italian bread stick. Our table had a beautiful view. It directly faced the Hong Kong Harbor. My meal was wonderful. I couldn't decide what to eat, so the manager offered us a testing menu of the best items.

And You Thought One Phone Was Distracting

Check out this taxi driver. He has three!

My Favorite Commercial in Hong Kong

You have to watch this! It's a commercial for Magsil Lemon, some kind of anti-gas/antacid chewable tablet, which cracks me up! This couple is on a date and the girl has bad gas, which is animated, and then her date leans into kiss here and she's about to burp, but...Lemon Magsil comes to the rescue! I've seen it on TV a few times and once on an MTR platform, but the place where I see it the most is on my bus back home. Yes, they have TV screens on the buses in Hong Kong!

Creepy GOP Winks

My friend's friend's dad makes these bumper stickers. HILARIOUS. Their winks bug me, especially Palin's! If you're interested in getting one for yourself, contact me and I'll put you in touch with the right person.

XDR-TB: The Killer People Don't Talk About

I saw the James Nachtwey photo essay in Causeway Bay last night. It's about XDR-TB, a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. XDR-TB is found in 49 countries and is blamed for more than 20,000 PREVENTABLE deaths annually. Most cases take place in third world countries, where access to adequate medical care is below par.

Check out the photo essay here.

Please check out XDRTB.org and help however you can, whether it's signing the petition, spreading the story or donating your money. Thank you!

UPDATE: I've made it even easier for you to see the slideshow. Scroll down and watch it in the post below.

XDR-TB: See How It Destroys

Steak and Potatoes

My Friday night Café de Coral steak dinner, for around $5 US! Okay, it was shitty steak, but still a good deal!

Surgical Masks: Not Just For Surgeons

In Hong Kong, people wear surgical masks quite frequently. Sometimes it's because they're sick and they don't want to spread their germs, sometimes it's because they don't want to inhale the city's disgusting polluted air, sometimes it's because they work with food and in that case, it probably goes both ways—they don't want to breathe in all that food cooking and they don't want to contaminate it. I snapped this photo at Café de Coral, which according to their website is Hong Kong's #1 fast food brand. I noticed that most people who work behind fast food counters wear surgical masks. An odd sight for an American, but completely normal for them. Now one thing I'm wondering is, were surgical masks common before the SARS outbreak, or did they become common after?

The Financial Crisis Felt Around the World