Yumm

“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?” - A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

I had a conversation the other day with a friend about how social interactions are different here in Hong Kong. Not the differences between Chinese customs and western ones, but even amongst fellow expats.  Back in Canada I would pick up the phone and have long conversations with friends or hop in the car and  have a cup of tea or a cold drink in a friends kitchen. We would have people over or go to someones for an afternoon BBQ. Sure there were movies, shopping, coffees and lunches, but a large part of my social life involved the home, either mine or someone else's. 

Here it is different.  Here I talk very little on the phone but text a lot and friends and I are usually meeting somewhere for coffee or lunch. I actually thought to myself that I have become a "lady who lunches" and it scared me a bit. I never thought of myself as the type of person you think of when you hear that phrase. Yet here it is normal, pedestrian even. In Hong Kong homes are small and it is not unheard of for a family of four (or more) to be living in 5 or 6 hundred square foot apartments. People barely have room for themselves, let alone a guest,  and as such they go out more. And since social interactions revolve around food they often have lunch (or dinner, or cocktails...etc). Most people don't have cars, and while the transportation system here is phenomenal, if you have a friend who lives in another area Hong Kong it could take an hour or more to get there so meeting half way makes sense. I find groceries to be quite expensive. The wet markets are cheap, but since many things are imported they are pricey. So a moderately priced meal at a  restaurant is not necessarily expensive compared to eating at home and with so many wonderful places to choose from, well, why not have lunch?