NOW LET US DANCE!

Acquaintances have asked me if I would ever be interested in giving a tour or Chinatown. The idea is a bit daunting, what would I say?

Hypothetically: "We're in front of a place where I eat occasionally, it used to be a dim sum counter, but the owner retired; she was getting old. This place here used to be called something else in Chinese, but it's been completely revamped; new decor, new menu, everything. Very Hong Kong. The milk tea is excellent, I usually end up with the bitter melon omelette, but you should try the concubine chicken, which is written on the wall in Chinese. Ask for Kwai Fei Kai, hope that they know what you mean. In quick succession, dried sea foods and similar stuff, a market where I shop regularly, frozen dumplings, huge selection of noodles, a herb store that replaced another herb store, a liquor store, the big hole in the ground where they're putting the subway, a bakery with fabulous charsiu sou and decent milk tea.
Oh, and this shop here has a horrible attitude.
I never shop here anymore."

"This is Jackson Street. On the left, the hospital where I'm getting blood drawn for a test today, doing some more tests on Friday. On the right, the closed down store with the lovely sturdy awning where I've often sheltered from the rain while smoking my pipe. A little further along is one of my favourite alleys, but I can't really explain why I like it so much. It heads toward the projects. There used to be two dim sum restaurants after you left the alley; the one where I took the Shanghainese girls closed down years ago. The other one, near the bus stop, is popular among old folks, and pretty good. There's roast duck within two blocks of the hospital.
Delicious! Buy a whole duck."

"That market over there has the curry powder I like; it comes in a glass jar, and is very Hong Kong. There's a Vietnamese place with decent sandwiches nearby. Let's eat and have coffee."



You see? Other than taking them ballroom dancing at the restaurant that has that four evenings a week, and I don't dance btw, it would be dreary.



You have to fast before a blood test.
No breakfast or coffee, nothing.
I'm a little grumpy.




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