In Hong Kong I made an effort to eat western style foods. With the large ex-patriot community and British influence, this was an easy goal to fulfill. I did experience some sticker shock at paying $12 to $15 for a meal.

McDonalds is popular and easily available in Hong Kong. The restaurants have a modern look, were usually located underground, and appeared crowded. Huge arches were visible from street level with equally as large arrows pointing downward. Many of the stores had the easy-to-recognize sun/moon icon indicating 24 hour service.

Here is an updating on what I am eating:

Lassies, smoothies, shakes, and juices are all new favorites in my diet. The fruit is fresh and the weather is hot so these drinks are perfect.

Common in all of China were the foods in both pictures. I did not try the jello/pudding treat. The small cups appear to be marketed at kids, sold by weight, and popular. I thought they were interesting to look at.

In bakeries both of these starchy items are common. The item on the left would usually have an English title saying “hairy” or “furry.” I could not resist trying a food with that name!

I celebrated the Mid-Autumn festival in Hong Kong. Both in Hong Kong and in China Moon Cakes were readily available in stores and at road side stands. Some are sweet and others are savory. They all have a decorative design on top and a filling.

Hostel food in Guilin helped satisfy my need for fruits and vegetables. The white fruit with black specks was new to me. It is a dragon fruit.

A standout dish was this serving of Guilin noodles in the ancient town of Daxu. Common in Guilin are open air cafeterias where I would pick my meal by pointing at a picture, pay for it, and in exchange receive a ticket. I would take this ticket to the window where the food was prepared. These noodles were hand made, cooked, flash re-heated in boiling water and topped with a sauce. They cost less than $2 USD.

Most of my meals are served in bowls. A clear broth substitutes for a separate beverage with the meal. Most street food locales do not have beverages available for purchase. By cooking with broth, tap water can be boiled, purified, and consumed; an option that costs a person less than buying a bottle of water.

Tim Ho Wan is a popular, well priced dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong founded by a chef with three Michelin stars. I made sure not to miss this food option. I tried amazing pork buns, dumplings, custard dumplings, and steamed vegetables.

A typical Hong Kong street food treat is Hong Kong waffles or egg waffles, a food Margarita told me about. The best waffle place in the city was only a block from my hostel. I went twice! The batter is similar to what I am familiar with. The difference is the mold. These waffles are made into bite-sized egg shapes.

Xin, a Carlson MBA student, made a 2-hour journey from Shenzhen, China to Hong Kong to visit with me. We had a lovely dinner.

Comfort food for a traveler in Asia.

Cheers to my best friend and his wife on the birth of their daughter! These gourmet cupcakes are mostly bought in bulk by the offices located in the Central area of the city.