Weekend Cooking: What We Ate on Holiday - Scotland/Hong Kong

Normally, this would be the day that we talked about What I Baked in my Kitchen but we've been away for a month so not a lot of baking going on. We have bought some kitchen related items on our travels but I will share those next month.

Mostly this post is going to be about Hong Kong, but we did have one last day in Glasgow. We decided to spend our day visiting a couple of museums. First we went to the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. It's an amazing building which is filled with all kinds of things, and you never really know what you are going to see around the next corner. For example, in one of the main halls there is a Spitfire plane hanging directly above an elephants. We were lucky enough to be visiting there was a pipe organ recital happening, which was a lovely accompaniment to wander around the buildings to.

We were also fortunate that this day was one of the few sunny days that Glasgow has had this summer, and so we were able to sit outside in the nearby gardens. We had an Empire Biscuit which is two shortbread biscuits, sandwiched together with jam and then covered in icing! It's a pretty typical Scottish bakery treat and it was delicious.

From there we headed to the River Museum where we had a very short time to wander around. If we had of known what it was like we would have spent more time as it was great. It is basically a transport museum, but the way it is set out is fabulous!

While we were at Kelvingrove we saw some information about famous designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and our next stop was for afternoon tea at Mackintosh at The Willow Tea Rooms. This tea room, located at the site of an original tea rooms in the city, has been renovated using Mackintosh designs. We had afternoon tea here, which I will talk more about at another time, but the treats looked amazing..

The next day we had to be at the airport so we had a leisurely morning, tried burned cream at the airport, which is basically a British version of creme brulee and then made our way to Hong Kong.

The first thing that hit us as soon as we left the airport in Hong Kong was the heat and humidity. We love visiting new places like Hong Kong and Singapore before it, but we are not built for such humid conditions. However, while we might complain about it, we still get out and see and do what we can. Our first stop after checking into the hotel was to go down to the harbor. We were originally planning to just watch the Symphony of Lights, which is the daily light show featuring all the buildings on both sides of the harbour. 

The next day we went took the Green and White Ferry across from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and then up to Victoria Peak via the Peak tram (amazing), walked through Hong Kong Park, went and saw the worlds longest travelator (my husband was underwhelmed by this part of the day) and otherwise generally wandered around Hong Kong Island. 

After a swim at the hotel, we headed out to the Temple Street markets where we ate at one of the restaurants. 

This was the night that we discovered the Japanese bakery in the shopping centre across the road. We may have visited this place a couple of times. This cake was a Peach cake and it was oh so good. I did find myself having quite a few peach treats while we were in HK. 

One of the things that we knew we wanted to do was to do a day trip to Macau, so we took the bus from Hong Kong and then hired a driver to take us to the main sites. The original plan was to do the hop on hop off bus, but I am glad that we didn't. He took us to places we didn't even know about. Apparently, very few Western tourists make the trip to Macau these days.

Macau has a lot of Portuguese history and so looks and feels quite different to Honk Kong, despite the fact that they are quite close to each other. There are parts of the old town where the buildings are very colourful. We visited Senado Square, the ruins of St Paul and the nearby fortress which houses the Macao Museum and a great view from the top. Fortunately there are escalators all the way to the top. We also visited the A-Ma Temple.

We finished the day in Cotai, home of many amazing casinos. We are not gamblers, so that didn't interest us but the buildings did. We visited The Venetian and The Parisian casinos, and the insides of the buildings were amazing! We also did not miss the chance to try some Portuguese tarts. We then caught the jet boat back to Hong Kong.

On our final day we knew we had to be at the airport by about 5pm, so we had planned some activities that would have meant that we would have had a full day, but it was then announced that there was a Typhoon warning at level 3, so I was quite cautious as I didn't really want to get stuck out in a typhoon. We therefore had a bit of a sleep in, a late breakfast and then wandered across to the shopping centre across the road for a wander around.

We couldn't not take the opportunity to share some dumplings. We have a favourite restaurant here, where they do amazing Xiao Long Bao dumplings. These dumplings have a pork based filling but they are also filled with soup, so you when you take a bit you get both the soup and meat in one go. These were plain pork and soup and they were good. I also had a pineapple and mango juice which was so good. 

After one last visit to the Japanese bakery for cream puffs filled with cream and custard, it was off to the airport. We got there pretty early as I didn't want too risk getting caught out in any weather, so we had time to go and get a foot reflexology treatment which I thought might help with my feet swelling on the flight.  I am still deciding if it was good or not. I mean, I think my feet swelled up less than normal, but oh my goodness that treatment was painful. We also had time for one last holiday drink at the amazing Sky Bar at the airport, which I needed after that treatment.

While we were at the airport, they changed the typhoon warning level to an 8 but luckily, we took off before the worst of it hit so we weren't impacted too badly.

So, that's our big holiday for this year done. We covered a lot of ground, ate a lot of great food and have some great memories to look back on.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson

Some times you read a book that makes you grateful that you live in this time and this place. Sure, in 50 years time our grandkids might look back and wonder how we put up with .... whatever, but for the most part here in Australia we have a pretty free and easy lifestyle. I do know though that some times that is not always the case. For example, when I was pregnant and having my ultrasound scans, there were signs everywhere which advised us not to ask to find out the sex of the child as we wouldn't be told. When asked why I was advised that it was to prevent people who didn't want a girl to do anything untoward. That was only 14 or so years ago. And, of course, there are millions of women around the world who have little or no freedom to make choices regarding their own lives.

This book is set in the late 1930s in Shanghai, where life was lived by very strict rules and traditions, especially for girls. Feng is a young, very naive girl who has grown up in the shadow of her elder sister, who in the novel goes only by the name Sister. Sister has been trained from a young age to be all that is desirable in the eyes of the richer families in Shanghai. She knows how to dress, how to perform ancient traditions like the tea ceremonies, how to catch a rich and influential husband for one reason and one reason only - to raise her family up the social ladder.

Feng on the other hand has been left to grow up under the much more relaxed rules of her grandfather; spending time in the gardens, learning the names of flowers etc. It is not expected that she will marry but rather that she will look after her parents when the time comes.

One of the most important things for a socially ambitious family is to never lose face or cause offense to those who are better than them. Therefore, when Sister is unable to fill her obligation to marry, Feng is forced to do so instead despite the fact that she has had barely any training and that she is very, very naive.

She marries into the wealthy Sang family, where traditions are expected to be maintained diligently and her sole reason for existence is to provide an heir. Her husband is initially understanding of her shyness when it comes to intimate matters but things change once the pressure builds from his family.

I found the initial parts of the book to be quite interesting. The author spent a lot of time drawing a picture of what it was like to be a young Chinese woman in those time with no choices over their future and by looking at both Feng and Sister we get to see the two different sides of that. We get details of the lavish efforts that went into attracting the right kind of suitors for a socially ambitious family include the beautiful wedding dress that must be made. For Feng there is also a nice friendship with Bi, the son of the seamstress.

It is after the marriage, and when Feng moves into the Sang home that the narrative started to falter. Part of that reflects the restrictions that were placed on Feng. She was barely allowed out of the home and so we no longer get to see anything of Shanghai through her eyes. In addition, Feng quickly transitions from an innocent young girl to a very bitter woman, from a naive young girl to a woman who knows how to titillate and humiliate her husband, who as a character is very one dimensional throughout the novel. In fact, most of the characters outside of Feng seem somewhat limited. Perhaps this is as a result of the fact that we only get to see these people from her view point, but perhaps there was not enough page time given to them to develop.

It was also difficult to empathise with Feng when she makes a decision in the middle of the book (to say anymore would be spoiling). Yes, we knew why she had made the decision that she had made, but it was not one that I could have made, and her initial actions and reactions were quite hard to believe. It was a relief when the book progressed a bit further and it was at last clear through her thoughts that she was haunted by the decisions that she had made. There were some plot holes in relation to this, particularly in terms of when the husband finds out what she has done, but before she can find out his reaction she fled so as not to have to face the consequences of her actions.

I came to this book as a reader of historical fiction, so I was a bit disappointed to see that after the initial set up, the historical details seemed to fade into black, especially given that there were pretty significant events taking place at the time. For example, the Japanese invasion of China was glossed over in just a couple of sentences and the lead up to the Cultural Revolution was pretty brief. By the end of the novel though, I was glad to see that Jepson did spend some time talking about the Cultural Revolution and the effect that those events had on Feng's life even if the mechanism to get her to that point was a little clunky. Feng looks back on her former life and it is clear that she comes to the realisation of how bitter and terrible she was to the people around her, which is very lucky because otherwise she would have been a completed unlikable narrator.

Whilst this book didn't completely work for me, there were glimpses of promise that included an interesting setting. If you are looking for historical fiction with a Chinese setting I would probably recommend Lisa See, or The Good Earth books by Pearl Buck before this one.

I read this book as part of a TLC book tour, and received the book from them in order to do so. Check out the thoughts of participated on the tour as there are others who appreciated different aspects of the book.

Here is the synopsis of the book:

In 1930's Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires for every young Chinese woman. For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household  - a place of public ceremony and private cruelty - she learns that fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir. Ruthless and embittered by a life that has been forced on her, Feng plots a terrible revenge. But as the years pass, she must come to a reckoning with the sacrifices and the terrible choices she has made to assure her place in family and society, before the entire country is engulfed in the fast-flowing tide of revolution.

Alphabet in Historical Fiction: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Today I am posting my contribution to the letter L in the Alphabet in Historical Fiction which is hosted by Historical Tapestry, and also is one of my reviews for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. It also happens that Kelly from The Written World and I both had this book coming up to read soon, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do another joint review. Kelly has the first half of the review over at her blog, and the second half is on mine. Kelly's thoughts are in black, and mine are in purple.

First, here's the synopsis from the book:

In 1937, Shanghai is a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.

Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life. They face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are–Shanghai girls.

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I think that there are probably three factors that make reading the immigrant experience interesting for me. The first is what makes a person want to leave their home? Generally it is hardship, war, famine, poverty, bad family situation etc. I think that things usually have to be pretty bad for someone want to leave their homeland, family to start afresh. Yes, in this day and age their are reasons like a new job, but I am talking about the people who really struggle to get to a new life. The second factor is the idea of triumphing over adversity, becoming something different or more than they were previously and the struggle to get to that point. The third factor for me, is that whether we are talking about a Chinese person immigrating to America in the 1930s, people arriving in Canada or Australia at any time, there are direct parallels with people today. There are still people who are still trying to get to a better place for themselves and their children. Some times this may be through illegal means which is something that many countries around the world are dealing with today (including Australia and America), and other times legally, but at the heart of these people's quest is the desire to give the best life they can for their families, some thing I am sure that all of us can relate to.

I have to ask you about the formatting in your copy. I read the Randhom House large print version, and it had very strange bolding all the through it. A lot of the time, the bolding was of Chinese terms, and other times I think it was for emphasis, but there were times when it looked like just random words were highlighted. I found it very strange and a little distracting at times. Did you have this in your copy?

As to the formatting, mine was just regular formatting. That's weird that they chose to bold words in the large print edition. Having never actually read a large-print version of a book I am not sure if that is maybe a regular thing?

I definitely don't think it is a regular thing. I read a number of large print books mainly because it is the luck of the draw when you request a book from the library in terms of which edition you receive.

That makes no sense, then!

What were your overall impressions of Pearl and May?

I liked both of them, even allowing for the fact that they were very different types of people. I felt I could relate most to Pearl because she kind of buckled down to do what was expected of her once she was reunited with her husband and his new family even though it meant that she didn't get to live her dreams I feel that I can relate to that idea of doing what you have to do to get by. I found the idea of May fascinating, but the reality of Pearl more relatable. I did find the fact that May stayed married to Vernon a little out of character for everything else we found out about May though. I found the lengths that the two girls went to for each other were extreme, and I am grateful that I haven't had to be in anything like those situations with my own sister.

As for me, I really liked both of them. They were different people, though, so the relationship with each was different. Since Pearl told most of the story you got to know her better. She annoyed me at times. She had such potential in the beginning and then she got a bit dull for a while. I know that she had went through some terrible things, but it was so sad to watch her give-up. She became the person that she scorned when she was living in China. That's not to say that I didn't like her, but she lost a lot of herself for a while. Near the end of the book she started coming back into herself and I think she will be a very interesting character in the sequel. Pearl stayed pretty much the same. She turned out to be a bit more worldy than you originally would think, but she still wanted to be the same person that she was when things were good in China. I thought she was going to be really annoying because of her way of thinking, but she actually turned out to be more than I expected.

Much is made of the fact that Pearl was a Dragon and May a Sheep in the Chinese horoscope. Do you know what you are, and do you think that the attributes fit you?

I actually meant to look this up! I used to know what I was, but I am not even sure if what I am thinking is a sign! lol

I would like to talk a little about Joy. In some ways it seemed as though she was forced to grow up very early, what with going to be in the movies as a very little girl and then working in the family business at such a young age. Were you surprised by the way things turned out for her, particularly in relation to the ending? I was so glad when I found that there was going to be a sequel because otherwise I would definitely have been looking at the book and thinking you can't end a book there!

Yeah, we entirely overlooked Joy in this review, didn't we? I think she had to grow up faster than her mother and aunt, which is crazy when you think about the difference in experiences. She was exposed to a lot, though, and I think she will hopefully play a central role in the sequel so we can get to know her better.

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 Thanks Kelly for another fun joint review.

Rating 4/5

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I originally started reading this book for a group that is going around the world in 80 books. I seemed to have fallen completely behind schedule, but I still finished this off! I already had it on my TBR list after seeing it on someone's blog (sorry, but I can't remember whose it was!)

Lily is haunted by memories-of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.

In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu ("women's writing"). Some girls were paired with laotongs, "old sames," in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives.

They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship is sealed and they become "old sames" at the tender age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion, they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful.

With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.

I really enjoyed this read. Set in a remote corner of China in the 1800s, we are given a glimpse into the lives of several different stratas of society - the humble farmer, a comfortably well off family that rents out the fields to the farmers around him, the socially unacceptable life of a butcher and the fading and disgraced aristocrats.

At the age of 7 Lily and Snow Flower were deemed to be "old sames' - signing a contract that says that they will be the closest of friends for all their lives. For Lily, Snow Flower is an exotic young girl, coming from a wealthy family and always wearing beautiful clothes, and yet, when the customary times for visiting each other, Snow Flower always visits Lily's family, never the other way around. For Snow Flower, her time at Lily's house is a chance for her to learn some of the basics of running a home, in anticipation of her marriage.

Going into the details of the rituals relating to foot binding, to the friendship ceremonies, to the marriage ceremonies and the traditions surrounding the changes in a woman's life after she is married, there was plenty of scope for infodump in this book, and yet, the author manages to convey details regarding these events in such a way as to provide the information, but within the structure of the story.

Most of all, this book is a look at the changing nature of a friendship between two women, particularly during the later days of their lives as one of the women grows into a role of leadership in her family and the other gets closer and closer to the edges of society. There were many moving moments, particularly as one of the characters realises that she was the one with the issues, and not the other way around!

A moving and entertaining read, featuring a time and place that I know very little about.

One thing that I did learn from this, or rather had reinforced to me, is that I am really, really bad at reading to a schedule. For the group the book was broken into four sections. I was late finishing the first section, in front on the section section, and then so far behind for the last two sections that it isn't funny!

Rating 4/5

Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
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