It's officially winter in Hong Kong

People back home often ask me what the weather is like in Hong Kong. It is semi tropical and for the most part it is hot and humid. But it does have a cool "winter" season. By October the temperatures are in the mid to upper twenties and by November they are in the low twenties, finally by Christmas and the new year we should see temperatures in the mid teens and we may even have to put our heater on! 

For me "winter" seems to seek up on my and catch me off guard. There isn't a brisk morning or faint change in the leaves to give you those subtle reminders that winter is not too far off. The only real indicator here is the not so pleasant increase in smog, due to increased coal burring in China and the very enjoyable increase in the number of butterflies (HK Butterflies) which are most active in the transition months between the summer and winter. It seems one day I am wearing shorts and the next it is time for jeans. Just this last week I wore jeans and a long sleeved shirt for the first time since May and the other day I found it necessary to wear a light sweater. 

There is one thing though that is a sure sign that winter has arrived in Hong Kong and that is the chestnut cart! 

These carts are all over the city in the cooler months. They are quite creative, basically a giant mobile BBQ with big wok. Here you will find a mouthwatering array of filling winter snacks to warm you up. Sweet potatoes and a pan of eggs (chicken and quail I think) nestle along side each other and in the giant wok are hot coals mixed with chestnuts roasting away. The smell is unmistakeable, smoky and comforting. This cart greeted my friend and I right as we got off the bus on our way to a movie, delighting both of us. Nothing can compare to the sweet, smokey goodness that is a chestnut right off the coals! It is winter at it's finest! 

International Dinner

"What to do for dinner today?" I thought to myself  sometime this afternoon; and like pretty much everyone at some time or another realised that there is stuff in the fridge that needs to be eaten or will be wasted. After looking at what I had I figured tonights dinner would be Carrot/Pumpkin Soup and salad. Simple fare, nothing complicated, healthy and easy to put together while trying to catch up on six weeks of not studying. I had all the ingredients except for some lettuce and a pepper for the salad, but that was just a quick walk to the grocery store. This is the result: 

Now at this point you are likely wondering what is so international about that. I mean besides the fact that it is soup and salad and I live in Hong Kong, where chicken feet and bok choi are common. It sounds odd but that cheesy iPhone shot represents food production from all over the globe. No exaggeration. I'm not talking about one or two imported ingredients, I am talking about the whole meal.  Here is the break down of what you see: 

Pumpkin: Japan
Carrots: USA & Australia 
Onion: China (organic)
Olive Oil: Italy (ok, I would buy Italian olive oil in Canada too....)
Chicken Broth: UK
Veg Broth: USA
Milk: Australia
Lettuce: Malaysia
Celery: USA
Tomatoes: Mexico
Pepper: Holland
Dressing: USA

It sounds crazy, but that represents a typical home cooked meal here and it saddens me. But the bottom line is I do not trust China. It is not the Chinese people, it is the crazy, runaway development model that has been fostered over the past couple of decades. Deng Xiaoping's "Development at all Costs" is now paying a heavy price and one of those costs is food safety.  Whether it's melamine in milk, cooking oil from restaurants that instead of being disposed of is repackaged and resold, additives in livestock feed, illegal pesticides or general soil contamination(a HUGE issue), it seems that every week I am hearing something new in the news. Sometimes I can't avoid it and buy something from China, however, I never buy Chinese meat (Brazilian chicken anyone!) or eggs, and when I do buy fruits or vegetables I choose organic. As a result, my dinner has a huge carbon foot print and price tag to boot! Despite that I won't change and count myself fortunate that I can afford to shop the way I do. 

P.S. The soup was really good..If anyone wants the recipe here it is: Creamy Pumpkin Carrot Soup