Justice for a marginalized group

We talk about equality. We fight for the rights of women, for the LGBTQ community, for racially discriminated minorities. They are as human as anyone else, as their identity was predisposed in their genes. However, there is one group that has existed from the beginning of time, and society still treats them unfairly. I am a member of the aforementioned group.

We constitute 10% of the world's population, yet we are hidden in the shadows. We are found with a myriad of identities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or race.
In the historical past, those born like us have been shunned in society. We are associated with being sinister, or evil. In some cultures, those who try to eat or write comfortably, as in the way we were born to, are punished. Parents and teachers may slap you in an attempt to convert you, trying to go against the way you were born. From the beginning of time, we were a suppressed group.

We were born into a society designed for the other 90%, with disregard for us. Our mortality rates are much higher (about 9 years shorter lifespan), not because of genetic causes, but because of how society is designed. We are prone to life threatening accidents, because of the way roads are laid out, and how regular tools were designed. We are 4 times more likely to swerve into oncoming traffic, and encounter deadly tools like saws with the safety guard anchored to the other side.

Even though death is not relevant to all of us, we are treated to a lifetime of discomfort. Walk into a lecture hall and think you can sit anywhere you want? Wrong! Unless you want to contort your body into an uncomfortable position, you must sit in a limited amount of designated spots. We are unable to take proper notes without getting painful red lines imprinted onto our hand, or covered with a layer of unsightly graphite.Cutting open plastic food bags with scissors for sustenance is also an absolute struggle.

This is why I demand justice and social recognition for all those who tend to the left! I see the work that's being done, and I really applaud the progressiveness of society. As laptops are popularized, touchpads are placed in the middle, versus the rightcentric mouse setup we've grown to know. Also, I'm grateful for the establishment of Left-Handers day, August 13. The increasing accounts of US presidents being left handed also contributed to the cessation of teachers converting students. However, I believe we need more awareness. We should have left handed clubs in all schools, where we can have a safe space cutting paper with left scissors. We should have a left history month, where we learn about the famous left handed people and those who refused change to right to appeal to society. We should have left parades where people shake hands and wave using their left.

However, society was not designed to be on our side and it will not change. Traffic will still run on the right, turning doors will still spin counter clockwise.

My only act of protest is to spin around them twice.

(Author's note: You may read this in a satirical tone, or not. I wrote this on a whim after struggling to cut a piece of autoclave tape. Go figure.)

Senility

This post is not travel blog material, but visiting my grandpa was part of the Hong Kong experience, so here it is! *warning, personal post. not fun stuff*

This was my first time visiting a retirement home. From the commercials you see on TV and the ads in magazines, retirement homes seemed like places of joy and fun. Old people congregate to do aerobics, play chess, and all the fun stuff that old folks do. (whittling? not an asian thing though) However, there are other things less glamorous. A friend who volunteered witnessed tenants being forced to eat quicker than they could manage. A family friend was constantly yelled at by the nurses. A new article told of old folks getting pushed around and abused.

But something that really hit me was walking through the special care unit, where my grandfather resided.
They were well taken care of, thankfully, but the state that these people were in was just downright sad. As I walked through the halls, I peeked into all the rooms. Each room housed 2 people, and usually, both were sleeping, hooked up to all sorts of pipes. My grandfather was no exception.

He had Parkinsons disease, and lost muscle control in many places. The worse was his throat and esophagus. Since he could not swallow, he had to be fed through a tube inserted through the nostril. He gurgled and choked 24/7, because he was unable to cough up the phlegm that had collected.
I walked up to the bed and made my way into his unchanging field of vision. "Hey yehyeh, it's mei yue. Remember how I was here 2 years ago? I'm back." This time, he could not say hi or greet me in any other way. Just a squeeze of my hand, with the minimal strength that he had.

Someone who used to be full of energy, who loved spinning me around in the desk chair, who taught me how to toss a ball, now left as a shell of a man. The worse part, his mind was still in tiptop shape, just his body was failing him. Sometimes I wonder, what if I was in his position? I'd just say "screw it, I'm leaving." Yeah, I know it's morbid, but isn't that the point of the nursing home anyways? What's the chance of someone moving back home? The truth in, you go there, and wait to pass. There was this aura of calm misery in the air as I looked at all the emaciated faces I passed.
The old folk's paradise was just a place filled with impending death and sadness.

Tea Buffets

I've discovered many HK lifestyle things that don't happen elsewhere, and one of these are tea buffets. So this is what tea time usually looks to me: a drink and a light snack. But many Hong Kong hotels host "tea time buffets", where food is served in super cute and bite sized portions from the times 2-6pm. The variety of food available is insanely huge, where it can cover two meals. Sadly, I went after lunch, so I was unable to consume everything available.

The photos taken here were from: Crowne Plaze Tseung Kwan O's The Chef's Table 尚廚

 Sushi and fancy sandwiches. Buffalo cheese was on point. I mean, who eats sushi during tea time?
We also got a coupon each for a full abalone. Who eats an abalone for tea time? Shark fin soup was also served, which I made a point of avoiding, obviously.

 Desserts table. I think I had more dessert items than anything else. Special recommendation for their green tea creme brulee! It was one of the best things I've ever had, and also something I will attempt to replicate in the future.

 Press button, receive pancake. Anything that comes out of a conveyor belt excites me.

Bonus photo of my second cousin eating noodles

 Verdict: Quality: Overall food was delicious, but I was heavily influenced by its beautiful presentation
Value: Once again treated to another meal in which I did not look at the price. Much apologies.

Photo Ops

 What makes a photo worth taking? Obviously, extreme tourist Aretha sees everything as a photo opportunity, but snaps end up piling onto a photo album and loses its significance. First of all, harbour/skyline/water photos are always perfect vacation backdrops so that's fully validated.

But check out that next shot of the golden cup thingy (properly known as the golden bauhinia square). For all I know, throngs of chinese visitors come and take photos in front of that thing. Yeah, I jumped on the bandwagon, but what's the difference between taking a photo and seeing a professional photo online; saying "yeah, I've been there."? Do landmarks automatically make a good travel photo? I don't think so.

How about this next blurry photo of an unassuming street corner? Honestly, I think it's a much sweeter shot of what HK means to me. Speedy, crowded, and an overall sensory overload. Focusing on a specific object? Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

Here's a dose of more photos taken from the ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui. Cause you know those are valid vacation shots.

Bonus times square bird's eye

Kimchee Korean BBQ

Living in taikoo shing is dining heaven. Surrounded by restaurants, it would take me the whole trip to try everything in my immediate area. Actually, scrap that. Living in Hong Kong is dining heaven.

First restaurant discovery: KimChee 金饍韓國料理

Anyways, it's surprising how all korean barbeques I've had were all you can eat. This a la carte experience gave them a little more liberty to fancy it up. The side dishes consisted of some new things, such as a spiced pickled apple, and pickled wintermelon. And of course, you could not stray from the necessary kimchi.

The meats were served with lettuce for some serious wrap making, and also an array of sauces (which I neglected because everything was so flavourful already!) We ordered a 2 person set meal, so I apologize for not knowing exactly what we ate. 

Also, check out that alternative grill. Chako should really hop on that, to minimize burnt, stuck meats on the searing metal. Check out that alternative ice cream too. They gave us cookies and cream flavour (what? is that even korean?) but I ain't complaining. The date tea was a little anticlimatic, but it's good for you, so I still ain't complaining.

Thoughts and review: The food quality was great, wherein the meats were tender and perfectly marinated. However, the price value was a no no. The bill ended up to about $100cnd for two, which is insanely expensive for kbbq. Would've been reasonable for a 4 persons meal, not this.

Would come again? Probably not.

Thoughts on a plane

Plane rides still never fail to fascinate me. As I hear the engines roar and feel my body pushed back into the seat, adrenaline runs through my veins. Not in a paranoid driven way, but in a "I am casting off to new lands" way. It's fascinating how all the land you could cover on foot becomes a tiny dot, and fades away as you ascend into the clouds.

Speaking of clouds, I realize how much you can appreciate them up close. Seemingly large solid masses in the sky, all but just droplets of water having a friendly congregation.  However, they do become a little less friendly when you try to force your way through them. Cloud turbulence, one of my favourite sensations. Watch yourself enter the bowels of said clouds, all the while thinking of "zero gravity" physics problems. (You actually experience no normal force, gravity is always acting!)

And of course, you can't have a food oriented blog without food right? There's something inexplicably cute about airplane meals.  Yeah, yeah, it's not your traditional gourmet fare, but eating a four course meal that come in miniature portions? How about dining over the polar icecaps? Priceless.

A 15+ hour airplane ride might be exhausting, but there are moments that just struck my as oh so sweet. Kicking back with a book and a drink, while zooming through the atmosphere, not bounded by roads or fences. That is what make plane rides beautiful.

Homebase and Identity

The very first post here is not about the act of travel, but more about my identity and its relationship with travel. (skip if you don't want to read a personal post)

I am a veteran of family vacations: Tokyo, Seoul, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Nanjing, Chicago, Florida, Shanghai, Macao, Quebec City, Washington.etc,

But there are 3 cities my heart lingers on: Toronto, Hong Kong, and Montreal.

No matter where I am, I try to present myself as culturally different. 

Attitudes in Montreal:

Being at McGill made me realize how much there is in the world for me to experience. It makes no sense, but it's like I'm trying to impress others who I perceive as exotic. As I'm surrounded by people who are racially different than me, I form much of my identity from Hong Kong influences. Am I really to represent Canadian culture in a place where everyone is either more canadian or new to canada? 

Montreal is a very dynamic, a bustling hub of culture and activity. The city with more restaurants per capita than anywhere else, it's basically culinary heaven if you have the funds to support it.

Honestly, the cost of living in terms of food here is much higher than anywhere else. I break the bank by buying food that is exclusively on sale.

And let's not forget about the nightlife. any young adult can find reason to party it up, any day of the week. St. Laurent, Crescent Street, you've got it all.

Attitudes in Toronto:

Born and raised in Scarborough, this is where everything I am today came from.

Speaking of Montreal culture, my identity in Toronto is now formed around my Montreal influences.

With my friends and family, I present myself as more "party" and "prestigious". Even though I'm not a fan of drinking or the prestige of McGill. 

Specifically, I will talk about Scarborough cause dt Toronto is not the same.

Scarborough is a tame little place. We have great restaurants, great people, and just everything you need to survive as an asian canadian.

Lacking in international flair, but got its very own distinct character. 

Attitudes in Hong Kong:

Thanks for reading up to here. Because here we reach the important point.

Having spent so little time, I'm not exactly entitled to include it in my hometowns, right?

Thats why I was so desperate to living in HK this summer. I wanted to truly be in touch of the place I so often identify with. It's a place of miracles for me. The superb subway system, the insane selection of places to eat, the very definition of concrete jungle. And I want all of it.

Living alone would be a whole new HK experience for me. If I ever wanted to move back there someday, this is what I'll be getting. 9-5 hours, cooking meals, dealing with fancy clothes in scorching heat.

Aretha Chan signing off for blog initiation. See you back here in a month.