(Photos: Top to bottom -Guilinggao HKD50 (USD$6.4), set lunch at Wanchai market consisting of fried fish in tomato sauce with soup with pork ribs HKD26 (USD$3.35))
All of us go through different phases of life. Hence, the tips on this blog relates more to myself for active reflection, my family for retrospection of the past, and the rest of you as entertainment. Though many would argue that eating well is a tip that should be applied in all phases of life. But, how do you define eating well? Are expensive food necessarily more healthy? Do we define eating well based on the idea that it satisfies our taste buds and gives a good smile on our face even when eating high c
holesterol food, or do we make a point to always distinguish between healthy eating or eating for pleasure? Do we make it a point to not think about cost whenever something is worth eating whether for health or for pleasure? What then is worth eating? Royal jelly of the highest grade, Guilinggao from endangered turtles, shark fin soup for those who are not opposed to shark killing? Notice all these are food of the Chinese and not everyone would price the same value to such food. Do we constantly keep tabs on eating for pleasure, monitor cholesterol and carb levels? Do we need a budget for food and ensure we have sufficient expense spent on fruits and vegetables (and for some herbal soup), even when in certain countries like Japan, these items are more costly than others? Do you further hunt for organic and naturally grown vegetables which has higher price premiums especially in countries that do not have such preferences? How fresh should food be and do expiry dates on frozen food and canned food suffice or should frozen and canned food not be in the shopping list at all? Does eating well outweigh a more conservative saving culture even for some who are students? Tough questions especially for Asians who have more eating varieties and the mindset stays with them even when they are abroad. For me at least, the next 2 weeks will be less of a headache as I alone decide on what eating well means to me alone. Its harder to decide for the whole family but if I am only deciding for my own stomach and taste bud, then eating well means feasting on the different varieties of cheap Hong Kong food available. Gone are the days when Asian food were expensive (in Hawaii or Tokyo), varieties of good greasy hawker food were limited (in Tokyo) and when my student budget for food was limited (in Hawaii). Now, I can only remind myself to eat well, whatever that definition may be.
(Photos: Top to bottom - char siew siew yuk rice with soup HKD28, shop is at crossing of Stewart Road and Johnston road, Wanchai).
When I got a scholarship to do my MBA at Hawaii in 2005, I did a simple calculation and found the allowance in USD to be 14% higher than my Malaysian salary. However, after deducting rent at my host families' place at Hawaii, I was 22% worse off. I still had to pay for my monthly Malaysian car mortgage of a car that my brother drove instead, which leaves me with a little monthly expense budget of USD500 to live by. Though, that did not stop me to save for vacations around the Hawaiian islands at Maui, Big Island and Kauai. On top of that, I brought back USD$3300 in savings by participating in regular fixed term deposits when the USA deposit rates were at a high then, as well as my 1.5 month work in Hawaii. Though, I probably only ate well about 3-4 times a week, while other times were simple cooking with whatever ingredients consisting of cheap canned food or other bargain promotions at the supermarket. But as I look back, that 1 year wasn't that miserable as I did have my fair share of good eating and I survived. Later, when arriving at Tokyo, I did get a little culture shock at the high food prices and also saved more initially but later got back into the habit of eating well by treating myself to good lunch buffets that only cost 1000 yen (USD$10). Things got much better when Tomomi cooked balanced organic food daily plus daily brown rice with barley and other beans that has lots of nutrients. Now, in Hong Kong, I get my daily dose of good soup. There is a chicken rice shop with a long queue of customers for their 1 plate of rice and char siew and siu yoke with a bowl of soup costing HKD28 (USD$3.6). Still pricey if thinking in terms of Malaysian ringgit. But, it got me happy that I am eating well again. To me, eating well means having a bowl of nutritious soup daily that has been boiled for at least 2 hours (unlike the Japanese miso soup that requires stirring miso and hot water for only 10 minutes). To my wife Tomomi, eating well means having a home cooked meal using organic vegetables and Japanese bred beef or fish. It was never easy spotting a bowl of soup in certain countries and so is spotting organically grown vegetables. I am sure this will be a theme in my mind as we travel more in the coming years.
holesterol food, or do we make a point to always distinguish between healthy eating or eating for pleasure? Do we make it a point to not think about cost whenever something is worth eating whether for health or for pleasure? What then is worth eating? Royal jelly of the highest grade, Guilinggao from endangered turtles, shark fin soup for those who are not opposed to shark killing? Notice all these are food of the Chinese and not everyone would price the same value to such food. Do we constantly keep tabs on eating for pleasure, monitor cholesterol and carb levels? Do we need a budget for food and ensure we have sufficient expense spent on fruits and vegetables (and for some herbal soup), even when in certain countries like Japan, these items are more costly than others? Do you further hunt for organic and naturally grown vegetables which has higher price premiums especially in countries that do not have such preferences? How fresh should food be and do expiry dates on frozen food and canned food suffice or should frozen and canned food not be in the shopping list at all? Does eating well outweigh a more conservative saving culture even for some who are students? Tough questions especially for Asians who have more eating varieties and the mindset stays with them even when they are abroad. For me at least, the next 2 weeks will be less of a headache as I alone decide on what eating well means to me alone. Its harder to decide for the whole family but if I am only deciding for my own stomach and taste bud, then eating well means feasting on the different varieties of cheap Hong Kong food available. Gone are the days when Asian food were expensive (in Hawaii or Tokyo), varieties of good greasy hawker food were limited (in Tokyo) and when my student budget for food was limited (in Hawaii). Now, I can only remind myself to eat well, whatever that definition may be.
(Photos: Top to bottom - char siew siew yuk rice with soup HKD28, shop is at crossing of Stewart Road and Johnston road, Wanchai).
When I got a scholarship to do my MBA at Hawaii in 2005, I did a simple calculation and found the allowance in USD to be 14% higher than my Malaysian salary. However, after deducting rent at my host families' place at Hawaii, I was 22% worse off. I still had to pay for my monthly Malaysian car mortgage of a car that my brother drove instead, which leaves me with a little monthly expense budget of USD500 to live by. Though, that did not stop me to save for vacations around the Hawaiian islands at Maui, Big Island and Kauai. On top of that, I brought back USD$3300 in savings by participating in regular fixed term deposits when the USA deposit rates were at a high then, as well as my 1.5 month work in Hawaii. Though, I probably only ate well about 3-4 times a week, while other times were simple cooking with whatever ingredients consisting of cheap canned food or other bargain promotions at the supermarket. But as I look back, that 1 year wasn't that miserable as I did have my fair share of good eating and I survived. Later, when arriving at Tokyo, I did get a little culture shock at the high food prices and also saved more initially but later got back into the habit of eating well by treating myself to good lunch buffets that only cost 1000 yen (USD$10). Things got much better when Tomomi cooked balanced organic food daily plus daily brown rice with barley and other beans that has lots of nutrients. Now, in Hong Kong, I get my daily dose of good soup. There is a chicken rice shop with a long queue of customers for their 1 plate of rice and char siew and siu yoke with a bowl of soup costing HKD28 (USD$3.6). Still pricey if thinking in terms of Malaysian ringgit. But, it got me happy that I am eating well again. To me, eating well means having a bowl of nutritious soup daily that has been boiled for at least 2 hours (unlike the Japanese miso soup that requires stirring miso and hot water for only 10 minutes). To my wife Tomomi, eating well means having a home cooked meal using organic vegetables and Japanese bred beef or fish. It was never easy spotting a bowl of soup in certain countries and so is spotting organically grown vegetables. I am sure this will be a theme in my mind as we travel more in the coming years.
What about you? What does eating well mean to you? Don't you think how we are brought up affects our sentiments towards what is a good well balanced healthy meal that is satisfying to our taste buds and stomach?
(Photos Top to Bottom: Wanchai market scene which may not be so appetizing to some after all, Lots of food billboards everywhere at Kowloon)
3 comments :
Eating well... So difficult to define with all the "expert" coming up with all kinds of theories nowadays.
For me is simply, fresh veges, not too much of fats, not too much of deep fried stuffs and of course, home cooked.
Its good to eat healthy. Not too much of deep fried, fatty food. And of course, home cooked is best.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I do not cook for the family and I can decide what to eat for lunch -whether eating for health or eating for pleasure. So eating well sometimes to me is whatever that taste good on my taste buds. Maybe would act like central banks - add or reduce interest rates by checking financial health - in this sense - checking my weight and health then I monitor whether I can eat well for pleasure more or less or eat well for health. This is of course, more difficult when you are cooking for the whole family as its more difficult to steer the rates up and down as even central banks make mistakes.
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