Weird Experience

[Ian_Lee]

Do you ever feel weird when you dine at a Chinese restaurant in some other places?

When I first joined a group tour to Taiwan, we arrived at Kaohsiung late. We were taken to a Guangdong style restaurant to have dinner at 10:00 p.m.

Curiously the dim sum wagons were still shuttling around on the floor at that wee hour.

For most restaurants in Hong Kong, dim sum are stopped to be served after 5 p.m.

Another weird occasion was that when I ate in a Chinese restaurant in Seoul, they served roast duck with soy sauce instead of sour plum sauce. I guess Koreans have a less sensitive taste buds to saltiness than I have.

Do you have any weird experience in tasting some hometown food at other places (other than the well-known chop suey experience in European and North American Chinatowns)?

[confucius]

I was amazed to discover that a majority of Chinese restaurants in Austria are run by a group of families that all seem to come from one city in Zhejiang province: Wenzhou. I go to Vienna, eat in several Chinese restaurants; all have representation from Wenzhou, I go to Linz, eat in a Chinese restaurant, owner is from Wenzhou, I go to Innsbruck, eat in Chinese restaurant, waitresses from Wenzhou, I go to Salzburg, eat in two Chinese restaurants: cooks and dishwasher both from Ningbo and Wenzhou!

Try it yourself next time you're in Austria! Ask the Chinese at the Chinese restaurant if they are from Wenzhou. Who will be more surprised? You, by this weird fact, or the Wenhou waitress who is astounded by your astute familiarity with her accent?

[Amdir_Flassion]

In Australia, I had kangaroo, emu and crocodile meat cooked in Canto cuisine style. Kangaroo tastes like beef but it's got that smell like goat meat does, even though that was with black bean sauce. Crocs taste like chicken, but was cooked really well in some light oyster sauce.

Btw, is there anyone who has eaten in a Chinese restaurant in Middle Eastern countries? Restaurants there will have to improvise considering pork and other pig meat products are banned there.

[pazu]

For most restaurants in Hong Kong, dim sum are stopped to be served after 5 p.m.

I think you haven't been in Hong Kong for at least 5 years.

[Ian_Lee]

Pazu:

I have been in Hong Kong for about one month every year during the last five years.

There are exceptions to what I wrote. In fact, some restaurants specialize in serving dim sum starting from midnite to 4 am even during the '80s.

When the mahjong game was over after midnite, I used to go with my buddies to this kind of restaurant. But you won't believe it, there was long line of customers queuing even at the wee hour of 2 am.

Most of the customers were the mistresses, mamasan and their patrons from Tonnochy or China Palace nightclubs.

[pazu]

Ian, China Palace has LONG gone! It's called Nile now. Another proof that your info about Hong Kong is outdated. ;) When did you visit there?

And probably you may want to know too, New Tonnochy was gone too, it's now called TODAY TONNOCHY (今日杜老誌), because the new owner (a lady from Macau) wanted a new name but somehow still wanted to keep the Ton's long-lost fame.

[confucius]

Hey Pazu, can you give us an update on the "Bottoms Up" bar as well?

Is the sign for this establishment still decorated with a montage of pigu?

[pazu]

What's Bottom Ups? Sounds like a gay bar.

[confucius]

No, I'm sure it's oriented toward heterosexual patrons. This Kowloon institution became somewhat famous after appearing in the James Bond film "Man With The Golden Gun" A photo of the original sign appears on my Virtual Tourist Kowloon page. (www.virtualtourist.com/Confucius) I'd post it here but I don't know how.

[Ian_Lee]

Pazu:

The night clubs were long gone. But the events I mentioned happened 20 years ago.

Hobbies changed over the years.

Today I am not a bit interested in either mahjong or night club. I spent my time in more leisurely activities like watching birds in Mai Po or visiting the Museum of Coastal Defense in Shaukeiwan nowadays whenever I stop in HK.

[confucius]

Mai Po Marshes? I'd rather watch the birds in Mongkok, if you know what I mean!

[Quest]

What's Mongkok in characters? 望角？ 旺角？

[skylee]

旺角. But it's Mongkok in English.

[Quest]

So is it a false romanization? It's confusing.

[skylee]

Not false romanization. Here is one version of the story -

至 於 「 旺 角 」 則 因 「 旺 市 之 角 」 而 得 名 。 其 實 ， 從 前 旺 角 也 被 稱 為 「 望 角 」 ， 相 傳 百 多 年 前 這 裡 有 一 條 小 村 落 名 為 「 望 角 村 」 ， 意 思 是 能 從 這 裡 眺 望 到 海 邊 石 角 。

昔 日 住 在 「 望 角 村 」 的 居 民 以 種 花 、 種 菜 為 生 ， 並 以 種 植 西 洋 菜 和 通 菜 聞 名 ， 所 以 旺 角 有 著 名 的 「 西 洋 菜 街 」 及 「 通 菜 街 」 。

從 前 有 所 謂 新 九 龍 及 舊 九 龍 之 分 ， 以 界 限 山 為 分 界 線 ， 山 頂 上 設 有 木 欄 和 關 卡 ， 旺 角 就 是 位 於 新 九 龍 和 舊 九 龍 的 中 間 ， 當 年 旺 角 以 北 的 深 水 和 九 龍 城 一 帶 仍 有 清 兵 駐 守 。 其 後 ， 英 國 租 借 界 限 山 以 北 的 土 地 ， 於 1895 年 取 消 木 欄 和 關 卡 ， 「 望 角 村 」 亦 漸 漸 興 旺 ， 成 為 聚 居 的 地 點 。 「 望 角 村 」 人 口 漸 多 ， 需 要 更 多 耕 地 ， 甚 至 界 限 山 也 被 夷 為 平 地 ， 最 後 只 剩 下 一 條 界 限 街 作 為 標 誌 。

後 來 ， 「 望 角 村 」 的 居 民 逐 漸 轉 業 ， 有 洗 衣 的 、 染 布 的 ， 旺 角 的 「 洗 衣 街 」 及 「 染 布 房 街 」 亦 因 此 而 得 名 。

Here is another version -

旺角得名於「芒角」村，在一八一九年編的嘉慶「新安縣志」，稱芒角村為客家籍村落，位置在弼街與通菜街，花園街一帶．鄉村坐北向南，背枕小山，溪流迴繞，居民眾多．芒角村得名於芒角咀，位置在豉油街與新填地街一帶，據芒角咀是一突出海濱小山丘，崗上長湡芒草，故有「芒角咀」之稱附近漁民亦有稱之為「望角咀」． 一九零九年，香港政府在油麻地及芒角咀一帶進行填海工程及與建避風塘，芒角咀及芒角村被開闢成碼頭街道．三十年代期間，芒角己被轉音為「旺角」，取其「興旺」之意，但是其英文「MONG KOK」沿用至今．

[Quest]

ic, thanks skylee

[TSkillet]

To return to the topic - it's not just Austria, Con-man. All of Southern Europe is filled with Wenzhou Natives. My cousin used to own a Chinese restaurant in Rome (in fact, it's a pretty famous one, near the Spanish Steps) - she says that every other restaurant in Italy and Southern Switzerland/Southern France is owned by Wenzhouians.

Last time I was in Hong Kong (August 2003) Bottoms Up was still there (right across the street from HMV) but the sign has been gone for at least 7 years now.

[confucius]

Thank you very much, TSkillet. I often think of this European phenomena and your evidence further supports my belief in the Wenzhou mafia.

[Lu]

The vast majority of Chinese restaurants in Holland is owned by either Cantonese or Wenzhounese.

I wonder why Wenzhou?

[kokleong]

One of my cultural shock experience was when I went to a cheap Chinese restaurant near my uni and Iowa, US.

Instead of being able to order a balanced meal of a vegetable dishes and meat dishes, you order one dish and it comes poured on a heap of rice.

Instead of having a matching pair of fork and spoon like I get in Malaysia, there was a large fork coupled with a small soup spoon. (Watching an American eat was amusing enough -- he ate the meat up and went on the eat the rice drenched in soy sauce with chopsticks. I think he was still eating when I left)

The fortune cookie. While I've heard of them before was a novelty.