I Will Leave It To You, Just Give Me Foodgasm

So, Christmas started early for us this year. From when we put up our sad little plastic tree up to when we have our Christmas dinner.

I was delighted to learn that Christmas dinner was to be held at Sushi Kuu Hong Kong, one of our favorite restaurants, possibly one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong in my opinion.

We had Omakase, which means "I will leave it to you", thus, leaving the chef to decide what to serve you while you sit and get fed till you blow up.

Our first dish was the following - egg cooked to perfection, fish roe, sea urchin and some other delicious stuff I had no idea what they were other than that they were really fresh and the mixed taste was unbelievable!

The second dish was rather adventurous but was absolutely phenomenal - fish liver and sperm.  Yes, SPERM. I promise you, it's not what you have in mind and you WILL WANT TO HAVE IT AGAIN!

The third dish was a fresh oyster, nothing special but was still yummy.
 

The fourth dish was the DADDY!!! Japanese crab, a superb dish, possibly my favorite because it was all natural and simply delicious.  There was so much "brain" my husband and I didn't have to fight over it, and we managed to share some with my Father in law.
 

The fifth dish was a plate of colorful and exquisite sushi.  They were so fresh that they actually melted in our mouths.  The Toro was unreal by the way.
 

In between, they gave us some hand rolls and sushi which just melted in our mouths...again.

The sixth dish was ox tongue.  I don't know if it's sent from Heaven but the ox tongue melted in our mouths, I have had ox tongue before but I have never had this level of quality before in my life, it was a divine dish.

 

The seventh dish was steamed egg with black truffle sauce.  Honestly, even if you are not a fan of steam egg, you would still love the black truffle sauce.  I love the simplicity of this dish and actually ate my husband's because I liked it so much! Absolutely splendid dish.

The eighth dish was a special steam Sashimi rice.  I know it sounds strange but it tasted as good as it looks in the photo.
 

The ninth and tenth dishes were Japanese radish and soup respectively.  The eleventh dish was a beef rice burger.  I could barely eat anymore at that point.
 

The last dish / dessert was melon, really fresh and sweet.  They were prepared to feed us with more food if we weren't full but I was about to blow up at that point.

Check please and bring a stretcher! Make that 3 please!!!!


Sushi Kuu is not cheap but in my opinion, it is very good value.  It was a marvelous dinner and we had a fantastic time.  We go there on special occasions and we always receive wonderful service and absolutely magnificent food.


I can't wait to go back again.  Maybe on Valentine's Day?

Get Fat? Get Taxed.

Denmark has introduced fat food tax i.e. applying extra charge on food with more saturated fat as the government's attempt to help its people fight obesity and obviously diseases caused by obesity such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke etc.

In simple English, such fat tax applies to food like butter, cheese, bacon, meat, oil, pizza, cookies, muffins, pastries and the list goes on.

In 2010, Denmark has increased taxes on food such as chocolate, ice-cream, soft drinks etc.

I can see where the government is coming from and I know it only has good intentions for its people.  In the long run, I'm sure fat tax would also benefit the costs of public health care, improve quality of life of its people or even a small possibility of a tax reduction or rebate.

However, only 1 in 10 people in Denmark are obese, I mean, if a country was to impose such tax on its citizens, wouldn't England be right at the top with 1 in 4 Brits being obese?  Seriously, Denmark???

Further, what gives a government have the right to control what its people eat? If you are that concerned for their health, shouldn't you ban tobacco and alcohol altogether?  But you won't, because the money from the tax is nice and FAT.

Also, why should the whole country suffer because of the 10% of the population who can't control themselves?  I don't mean to sound heartless but I am sorry, if you are obese, you should take full responsibility for your own actions and hold yourself liable for the way you are today.  No one else should have to suffer because you have no self control or that you are to lazy to help yourself.

And no, I have no sympathy for obese people.  Some of my friends are overweight and they work their asses off to get healthy - this takes discipline, sweat, tears, determination and a shit load of HARD WORK.

There is no short cut to weight loss or getting fit.  You can't sit there and eat four times your body weight and blame the world for what's happening to you.  

My girlfriends run at 6am in the morning or hit the gym at noon time and they will always find time and a way to get healthy.  I don't have a gym membership but I just run and watch what I eat (or I try to).

Fat tax is just one of the most unfair things I have ever heard of.  I love junk food, I love fries, chocolate, cheese, ice-creams, cookies, muffins and so on...I would rather die full, happy and penniless than rich with an empty stomach! 

Plus, many people simply don't put on weight, no matter what they eat; alright, they may not be the most healthy people on the planet but they will never even be overweight until they turn 60.

Thank God that Hong Kong has a close to zero obese population (is anyone actually obese in Hong Kong if obese means one's BMI must be over 30kg/m²?); with its female population obsessed with weight-loss, sticks-and-bones mentality, we will never have fat tax here.

Thus, my thoughts on fat tax can be summarized into two words - DO ONE!

Some figures from BBC news and Wikipedia

Dear Dad...

Dear Dad,

How are you?  Hope all is well on your side of the world.  

I am sure you already know, Uncle passed away last night.  Did you come to pick him up?  Were Grandpa and Grandma with you, along with Irene?

Saying goodbye is never easy, is it?  No matter how prepared you think you are?  No matter how much time you have to say goodbye to someone you love.

I still wonder, often, whether I will ever see you, Irene, Grandpa and Grandma again.  What really happens after people die?  Do you really go to Heaven (or Hell), do you come back to another life or do you become fish food?

Dad, you are so far away, are you happy? Are you really in a place with no pain, sadness or suffering?  Are you with the rest of the family? Can you really see me from where you are?  Can you really hear me when I sometimes talk to you?  It seems a bit silly really, but it makes missing you less painful, when I believe you can hear me.

I had a dream about Irene when I was traveling. I didn't remember she was dead in my dream, it was rather odd. In my dream, she had really grown, she had long, black and silky hair, she was really tall and slim, like a supermodel.  And she looked happy.  

Some Chinese believe that when you dream about dead people, it's really them trying to tell you something. I want to believe Irene was trying to tell me she was happy.  Is she happy?  Does she think about me, like the way I think of her? Does she miss me too, or are you not supposed to feel sadness in Heaven?

Every time when I experience death, it brings back all the memories. 

I can still see everything like it was yesterday.  I can still see your smile, your eyes...I can still hear your voice, your laughter. I can still see you by my side, teaching me how to ride a bicycle. I can still see you sitting next to me, teaching me how to do long divisions. I can still see you running around, playing football with us. I can still see you lying in that hospital bed, making me promise to finish school and to look after mum.

I didn't realize Dad, that you have been gone for almost 20 years.  

I never really got the chance to say goodbye to you, did I?  I was in England, and you were in Hong Kong.  But I was lucky enough to say goodbye to you on the phone and I am lucky enough to be loved by the rest of your family, the rest of OUR family.  There is a lot of love around me, and it's because you loved them so much when you were here.

Dad, after your death, I honor you by living life to the fullest. I may not be a millionaire or coolest looking girl in town.  But I am healthy and happy and I have a loving husband who loves me to bits.  I wouldn't doubt it if he loves me as much as you did.

I am sad that Uncle is gone, but I am also happy because he no longer has to suffer, and that I believe he is in a much better place.  I guess all of you will be playing mahjong every day!

Take care and say hi to everyone for me. Don't forget to come back into my dreams more, and bring the rest of the troops with you!

I miss you, Dad.

Love you always,
Jo

London's Burning

We were at the end of our trip when the riot in England broke out.  We were actually in London just 10 days before all hell broke loose and were thankful we had moved on in time and that all our family and friends were safe.

It was chilling to watch the news and see the streets we had recently been to, being filled with looters and shops set on fire.

I don't understand why people say Cameron is too harsh on the looters.  I agree with Cameron, if you are old enough to commit the crime, you are old enough to be held responsible for your own actions.

If the punishment is not hard enough and these looters only get a slap on the wrist, none of them would ever learn.  So many people get stabbed and the offenders get like a few months to a few years!!!  Try sentencing them to 20 years for stabbing and see if people dare to break the law again.

I don't agree with China on everything but I do agree with her that you must be able to control your people and you must be tough on law breakers.  And unfortunately, it has to be done by fear.  At the end of the day, results count. 

So I don't think Cameron or the government or the police are harsh at all.  As for evicting people from their council homes if any member within the household is found guilty, yes, it's a complicated matter; However, if your teens were running around during such time, or had participated in the riots, you as a parent or parents or family SHOULD be held liable.  If my dog bites someone, I am held liable, regardless!!!

Sitting aside and letting it all happened was no difference from joining the looters yourself.

It's one thing to attack the police or break windows, it's a total different thing when innocent people were being beaten up, homes were broken into or burnt down and the famous furniture shop which survived two World Wars was burnt to the ground!!! I mean, what the fuck is wrong with these people?

People's livelihood, childhood and families were ruined because of these dipshits who have absolutely no respect for the society, the law or human lives.

I was surprised when I heard this woman on the news saying that they didn't want to use water cannon because they didn't want to hurt the relationship between the police and community.  I was like...come again?  

What about everyone who had had their house burnt down, their shops ransacked, their family member killed and so on?  

SHOOT THE FUCKING BASTARDS!! 

Thank God, Cameron ordered the police to come down hard on the looters.

Many people, such as myself, applaud the police for their great work, countless overtime, their sacrifices and their bravery.  My heart goes out to the police and people who had sacrificed their lives in order to protect others from these looters.

It is chilling to learn that these looters included not only teenagers but also an Olympics Ambassador, ex-soldiers, college students, a primary school worker, postman, a young dad and so on.

It's a cultural and social problem and it can't be fixed overnight.  But maybe at the expense of many victims affected during the riots, the people are beginning to turn their attention onto what England has become today. 

I am glad as the day goes by, more and more looters are being captured and charged. Put them were they belong and no matter how they excuse themselves (such as how little the government was giving them..hello???), serving their time is no where near as bad as what they have put innocent people through.

Brazil - Sun, Sand, Sea and Sexy People

We saw the Iguazu Falls from both the Argentina and Brazil sides and they were absolutely amazing.  Pictures just don't do it justice, you have to see it with your own eyes!!! The majestic water falls along with the roaring sounds they make were just unreal.  I heard that the Angel Fall is great but it's one big fall, whereas the Iguazu Falls are made of a number of falls and it's massive!!!

The next day, we headed off to Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil.  We were there for 2 days and frankly speaking, it was disappointing.  I guess it's a monstrous city, more for living instead of visiting. The so called landmarks looked like buildings that have been bombed!

One good thing though, there is an area called Liberdade, it has the largest Japanese community outside of Japan in the world!  That is, where you will find RAMEN!!!  Both nights we just hung around Liberdade and ate double our body weights. 

Further, we had a rather interesting experience the first night.  We booked into a sex hotel accidentally (we found it on hotels.com and someone had actually rated on it so we thought it was a legit place); we weren't in a very good area and it was getting late. So we decided to stay for one night. Our bed was octagon with full length mirrors on each wall.  There was no duvet or blankets on the bed, everything looked disgusting and the only English chanel they had was hardcore porn.  Later that night, we heard someone getting spanked.  It was an interesting experience.

We were in Sao Paulo for 2 nights before heading off to Fernando de Noronha, the Hawaii of Brazil. 

It houses some of the world's best beaches such as Praia do Sancho and it is where many Brazilians go to for their honeymoon.  Fernando is also a turtle sanctary so it was nice to see baby turtles being dug out of their birth ditches and watched them race to the sea.  Fernando is bloody expensive.  The longer you stay, the more tax you have to pay.  The accommodations and food were really expensive but it was totally worth it.

We were in Fernando for 2 weeks and were lucky enough to stay at a really nice place with air-con, hot water and cable TV.  Soft sand, crystal clear water, beautiful beaches but most importantly, there were NO RUBBISH on the beach.  And basically NO ONE with you.  Most of the time, you go to beaches with like a zillion people around you and tons of rubbish and crap all over the place.  But you don't get that in Fernando which made it worth it.  We felt like we had had the beaches exclusively to ourselves for 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks of doing absolutely nothing but sunbathe and swim, we headed off to Rio for 4 days.

Rio de Janeiro - January River - the marvellous city.  It houses one of the New Seven Wonders of the World i.e. Christ the Redeemer, a massive statue overlooking the city.  It was great but why that's on the New Seven Wonders of the World list but Angkor Wat isn't is beyond me.

Anyhow, Rio was lovely.  We visited some of the famous beaches such as Ipanema and Copacabana, Sugar Loaf and Santa Teresa (colonial area, cobblestone streets).  Rio's setting reminds me of Hong Kong.  A magnificient city among hills and mountains with river/sea surroundings.  It's funny how sometimes, the things that you want have always been there, you just don't notice it.

Anyway, you haven't been to Brazil if you haven't had the Brazilian BBQ where you eat till you die.  Before your drinks come, you would find meat whacked onto your plate and I shit you not, the meat is incredible. The lamb, beef, pork, you name it.  There were so many different types of meat, different cuts and different ways of cooking them. We had a great time but we nearly died from eating so much.

We didn't see any Gisele walking around but we saw a lot of butt cheeks hahahaa...Brazil was the most expensive city we have visited in South America but all in all, we had had a fantastic time in Brazil.  If anything, we will definitely go back for the Brazilian BBQ!!!