Having already done Top Ten Lhasa Quirks and Top Ten TCK Quirks, I am moving on to the Top Ten Hong Konger quirks! I have been waiting on this post for awhile because honestly, it's hard to see the forest for the trees. By that I mean that I was born in Hong Kong and have visited every single year I was alive before finally living there for a year last year. Because of this, it is hard for me to differentiate between peculiar traits and what I would consider normal, non-eyebrow-raising behavior. I enlisted the help of the Boy and a friend and the following list is a mix of us:
1. Food
Hong Kongers are OBSESSED with food. I have never known any other culture (not Indian, not Italian) that is THAT obsessed with all things culinary. While they are eating, Hong Kongers will actively discuss the next meal(s) that they plan on having.
Within this food category, Hong Kongers were taking pictures of food and sharing it WAY before Instagram came out. A couple of years ago if you saw an Asian person taking a phone photo of their food, chances were it was a Hong Konger.
I am guilty of this...
2. "ar" or "lor" or "la" or "aiya"
Cantonese speakers love adding extraneous meaningless sounds at the end of sentences. This even translates into typing and texting. "Aiya" is one I grew up hearing from my mom whenever the slightest thing went wrong. Here are examples that I took from my friends' Facebooks (thanks guys!). Keep in mind that these are meaningless sounds added to make the sentence flow better:
"more likely advertising for 'kai-ness' lor..."
"kekekeke hubby already la kekekeke"
"Aiya! Forgot cannot eat beef"
You get the idea.
3. Being direct about weight
I'd say Indians do this too but I cannot tell you how many times I have gone back to HK and heard this:
"You are too fat! You gained so much weight since the last time I saw you, what happened?!"
But at dinner it switches to this:
"Why aren't you eating more?! You are too thin and you need to eat more food!"
These aren't even meant to be insulting. Actually declarations of this sort are supposed to show loving care.
4. Superficiality
This is not meant to be derogatory but Hong Kongers love their looks. They love dressing well and they love status and money. Of course the centers of this are Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Tsim Tsa Tsui (to an extent, TST is a bit more seedy). There are just in your face no-bones-about-it consumerism. Advertisements abound and man do Hong Kongers live up life if they have the means.
You can argue that plenty of other cities around the world have this as a quirk but I have never ever seen a city that has what are called Star Tutors. These tutoring kings are some of the wealthiest in HK because they market an image to high schoolers. While their actual job is getting these kids to pass the rigorous exam systems, their primary responsibility is style. They have to be "ying" (stylish and modern) to attract followers and that entails designer clothes (one woman has never repeated a piece of her wardrobe because she claims her students would notice and be unhappy), designer cuts, and a celebrity style pizazz.
Here are some articles if you don't believe me:
Hong Kong Star Tutors
Celebrity Tutors
5. Karaoke
Again, another quirk that could be applied across East Asia but Hong Kongers love their Karaoke with this very unique drink:
Whiskey (Johnnie Walker) mixed with green tea. Not the hot green tea with leaves but the green tea that comes in bottles that you can put in the fridge. It actually doesn't taste too bad.
BBQ/buffets are also a part of the KTV experience.
6. Weddings
Hong Kong weddings are a trip. I would say Indian ones are more elaborate but Hong Kong ones are definitely in the same ballpark. It will boggle your mind the hundreds of thousands of dollars (HK and US) and up that people will spend on banquet halls in hotels and restaurants.
My friend brought up this one: wedding pictures before the wedding. Hong Kongers love the wedding photos and they take full advantage of the sheer amount of money that is spent on dresses by using them as many times as possible. Thus the pre-wedding photo package where the bride will even wear her wedding dress for the shots.
I recently attended my boss's wedding and it was a whole day affair. Starting in the morning with games wherein the groom and his "brothers" (that is what they are called instead of groomsmen) have to get through the torturous games that we "sisters" (instead of bridesmaids) designed to test their fortitude. The games included bribery (they had to give us money in red pockets before we even let them through the door), eating questionable food while blindfolded and spoon feeding each other, recreating how two entwined stuffed animals fell with each other, fishing mini-mahjong tiles out of ice cold water with their toes... You get the idea. In case you have to ask, this was definitely the funnest part of the wedding!
Other notable Hong Kong wedding traditions include the tea ceremony where the bride and grooms families are served tea by the bride and groom and offered gold in exchange as well as the banquet. The banquet is a big deal because it involves food (see quirk #1) and because the guests get to get the bride and especially the groom hammered. The poor couple has to make the rounds to each table and do a cheers while draining a glass full of whiskey. Banquets usually have a lot of tables, you do the math.
7. Kids names
Hong Kongers give their kids the oddest names. Charms, Caesar, Creamy, Nympho, Crispina (not Christina)... the list goes on.
8. Yum cha (dim sum)
Going to yum cha (which is literally translated as "drink tea") is a group affair. You go with your family, you go with your friends and you sit for hours at a round table ordering long (the bamboo steamer baskets) after long of dim sum while drinking tea. This is the quintessential Hong Kong activity.
9. Filipino/Indonesian housekeepers
Most households in Hong Kong have at least one Filipino or Indonesian housekeeper. These same housekeepers also double as nannies/surrogate mothers to Hong Kong children. I wouldn't be surprised if this were Hong Kong's largest import commodity: household help.
If you really want to get an idea of how many Filipinos and Indonesians workers live in Hong Kong, just walk around anywhere on a Sunday and you will see them packed around stairwells, in overpasses and in Victoria Park enjoying an afternoon picnic with friends.
10. Death rites
The way to commemorate the dead in Hong Kong is to burn paper objects. The ash from these is supposed to float and transport them into the afterlife so that the deceased won't lack for any amenities. For my Grandfather's funeral we burned him a paper house, a paper sports car, and paper servants so that he would get the best of the best in afterlife comfort. You can also find paper Rolexes, IPods, IPhones, dress shirts, you name it.
While other cultures may burn incense, Hong Kongers take it to a whole new level.
1. Food
Hong Kongers are OBSESSED with food. I have never known any other culture (not Indian, not Italian) that is THAT obsessed with all things culinary. While they are eating, Hong Kongers will actively discuss the next meal(s) that they plan on having.
 |
| So much hotpot goodness |
I am guilty of this...
 |
| Greatest chicken wings in the world. The spicy garlic wings at Bulldogs in Tsim Tsa Tsui! |
Cantonese speakers love adding extraneous meaningless sounds at the end of sentences. This even translates into typing and texting. "Aiya" is one I grew up hearing from my mom whenever the slightest thing went wrong. Here are examples that I took from my friends' Facebooks (thanks guys!). Keep in mind that these are meaningless sounds added to make the sentence flow better:
"more likely advertising for 'kai-ness' lor..."
"kekekeke hubby already la kekekeke"
"Aiya! Forgot cannot eat beef"
You get the idea.
3. Being direct about weight
I'd say Indians do this too but I cannot tell you how many times I have gone back to HK and heard this:
"You are too fat! You gained so much weight since the last time I saw you, what happened?!"
But at dinner it switches to this:
"Why aren't you eating more?! You are too thin and you need to eat more food!"
These aren't even meant to be insulting. Actually declarations of this sort are supposed to show loving care.
4. Superficiality
This is not meant to be derogatory but Hong Kongers love their looks. They love dressing well and they love status and money. Of course the centers of this are Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Tsim Tsa Tsui (to an extent, TST is a bit more seedy). There are just in your face no-bones-about-it consumerism. Advertisements abound and man do Hong Kongers live up life if they have the means.
You can argue that plenty of other cities around the world have this as a quirk but I have never ever seen a city that has what are called Star Tutors. These tutoring kings are some of the wealthiest in HK because they market an image to high schoolers. While their actual job is getting these kids to pass the rigorous exam systems, their primary responsibility is style. They have to be "ying" (stylish and modern) to attract followers and that entails designer clothes (one woman has never repeated a piece of her wardrobe because she claims her students would notice and be unhappy), designer cuts, and a celebrity style pizazz.
Here are some articles if you don't believe me:
Hong Kong Star Tutors
Celebrity Tutors
5. Karaoke
Again, another quirk that could be applied across East Asia but Hong Kongers love their Karaoke with this very unique drink:
Whiskey (Johnnie Walker) mixed with green tea. Not the hot green tea with leaves but the green tea that comes in bottles that you can put in the fridge. It actually doesn't taste too bad.
BBQ/buffets are also a part of the KTV experience.
6. Weddings
Hong Kong weddings are a trip. I would say Indian ones are more elaborate but Hong Kong ones are definitely in the same ballpark. It will boggle your mind the hundreds of thousands of dollars (HK and US) and up that people will spend on banquet halls in hotels and restaurants.
My friend brought up this one: wedding pictures before the wedding. Hong Kongers love the wedding photos and they take full advantage of the sheer amount of money that is spent on dresses by using them as many times as possible. Thus the pre-wedding photo package where the bride will even wear her wedding dress for the shots.
I recently attended my boss's wedding and it was a whole day affair. Starting in the morning with games wherein the groom and his "brothers" (that is what they are called instead of groomsmen) have to get through the torturous games that we "sisters" (instead of bridesmaids) designed to test their fortitude. The games included bribery (they had to give us money in red pockets before we even let them through the door), eating questionable food while blindfolded and spoon feeding each other, recreating how two entwined stuffed animals fell with each other, fishing mini-mahjong tiles out of ice cold water with their toes... You get the idea. In case you have to ask, this was definitely the funnest part of the wedding!
Other notable Hong Kong wedding traditions include the tea ceremony where the bride and grooms families are served tea by the bride and groom and offered gold in exchange as well as the banquet. The banquet is a big deal because it involves food (see quirk #1) and because the guests get to get the bride and especially the groom hammered. The poor couple has to make the rounds to each table and do a cheers while draining a glass full of whiskey. Banquets usually have a lot of tables, you do the math.
 |
| They actually managed to get the mahjong tiles out! |
Hong Kongers give their kids the oddest names. Charms, Caesar, Creamy, Nympho, Crispina (not Christina)... the list goes on.
8. Yum cha (dim sum)
Going to yum cha (which is literally translated as "drink tea") is a group affair. You go with your family, you go with your friends and you sit for hours at a round table ordering long (the bamboo steamer baskets) after long of dim sum while drinking tea. This is the quintessential Hong Kong activity.
9. Filipino/Indonesian housekeepers
Most households in Hong Kong have at least one Filipino or Indonesian housekeeper. These same housekeepers also double as nannies/surrogate mothers to Hong Kong children. I wouldn't be surprised if this were Hong Kong's largest import commodity: household help.
If you really want to get an idea of how many Filipinos and Indonesians workers live in Hong Kong, just walk around anywhere on a Sunday and you will see them packed around stairwells, in overpasses and in Victoria Park enjoying an afternoon picnic with friends.
10. Death rites
The way to commemorate the dead in Hong Kong is to burn paper objects. The ash from these is supposed to float and transport them into the afterlife so that the deceased won't lack for any amenities. For my Grandfather's funeral we burned him a paper house, a paper sports car, and paper servants so that he would get the best of the best in afterlife comfort. You can also find paper Rolexes, IPods, IPhones, dress shirts, you name it.
While other cultures may burn incense, Hong Kongers take it to a whole new level.
0 comments:
Post a Comment