One and Other

When I don't write on this blog, it means I have been working too much on the computer, which I have been for the last couple of weeks. And also keeping half an eye on one and other in London, where we'll be tomorrow morning. Then it's on to Liverpool to fly the flag for Hong Kong pop at the International Association for Study of Popular Music (IASPM).

Eight treasures set lunch

From Tai Hing Roast Restaurant, which has branches all over Hong Kong. This one was snapped and eaten on Tung Choi Street (aka Goldfish Street) north of Mongkok Road. The eight treasures are roast pork, BBQ pork, pig knuckle, red sausage, squid, soya chicken, roast goose and a salted egg.

Bye bye, pain!

Ads on the first floor of a building on the corner of Sai Yee Street and Mongkok Road. On the left, choose the sex of your baby. On the right, say bye bye to pain. Behind...?

Red train

This fine red train came all the way from China to our favourite Mongkok toy shop, pictured below. Go right to the back of the shop and you'll find lots of replica tin toys just like this. The shop is on Bute Street near the corner of Sai Yee Street, or under the escalator that goes up to Mongkok East MTR. I guess it has a name, but you wouldn't be able to see it would you?

Super box

A free illustrated book plate super box with Freak Boy's Koro Koro comic. You will collect it!

Chupa Chups

This bag came free from Park'n'Shop on Saturday. Great bag. Coincidentally a taxi driver told us something about Chupa Chups only the day before. If you want to learn Cantonese, he said, put a Chupa Chups in your mouth and off you go. Why? Because it will stop you rolling your tongue.

I'd never seen a Chupa Chups before I came to Hong Kong, so I always thought they were a local thing. This is what I learned from Wikipedia. Chupa Chups come from Catalonia, 'chupa' means suck in Spanish, and that nice logo in the middle of the bag was designed by Salvador Dali.

International Emporium

On the corner of Nga Tsin Wai Rd. and Lion Rock Rd. in Kowloon City, this building used to be the International Emporium 國際. The emporium was an old-fashioned department store. There is no telling why the word, emporium, was used. It signaled a type of fashion store which catered to everyone. And in the good old days, there used to be a number of 'emporiums', including one Indian Emporium in Tsim Sha Tsui. The building is now abandoned, leaving only the skeleton of a building.

Alice remembered visiting the International Emporium when she was very young. It was airy, with florscent lights above all display glass cabinets. The clothing items were not particularly exciting, but these were clothes were comfort clothes people wore at home. There were mannequims, but they were so stiff that their limbs were put at strange angles. There was no fancy decoration or anything. Even when Alice was young, she could tell International Emporium was 'old-fashioned'.