Thanks to two friends, I got to try Shanghai Hairy Crabs for the first time. Homemade no less! So, yes, this was my first time sucking (out the meat) and licking (the gold out of) hairy crabs. You may stop laughing now…I’m talking about food here!
Shanghai hairy crabs (technically the Chinese mitten crab) are a delicacy during the autumn months. When I was in Hong Kong in November, that happened to be toward the end of the season and when I was asked if I’d like to have hairy crab for dinner at a fren’s house, I said, “you betcha!”
Food porn. Bound. Restrained. Steamy. I’m stopping now.
Now, mind you, prior to this, I’ve never had hairy crabs before. I was told there’d be a lot of licking and sucking involved. And they were right! There’s a ritual in cracking open one of these hairy buggers. First, you twist off the legs and use your chopstick to poke the meat through, like typical crab legs. Then you take the crab body, flip open the nose (like a coke can tab), peel the shell off and lick and suck your way through. If you’re good at dismembering your hairy crab, the shell should come off in one piece, forming a bowl. The gold part (the roe) lining the inside is especially decadent. I think I fulfilled my cholesterol quota for the rest of the year devouring that golden stuff. Don’t eat the intestines, lungs or brains cuz it’s bad.
If you do it right, this is how it winds up looking like.
And it was so good, I had another! That’s right, I had two at once! So that would be like a threesome! WAHAHAHAH!
That’s enough innuendo for the year. But wait, the year begins anew next week! Talk about planning!
More from the “missing Hong Kong” series
When you make it here and you wind up on the Tram, make sure to go upstairs and sit at the very front of the car. You get to see views like this.
Somewhere in Wan Chai…
So fast fast
Xmas on Orchard Road
Orchard Road in Singapore gets all blinky and bright during the Christmas season.
Lots o’ lights here!
People always in a hurry…
You can make a tree lidat with cocktail glasses, vodka and some food colouring!
It’s one of the few places I’ve been recently where they still say “Merry Christmas”. However, snowmen and trees in 30+ degree weather is, for me, odd. That’s 30 degrees CELSIUS!
Then I think of Australians and their Xmas summer…
Humphrey Bogart Place?
I didn’t know he had a street??
NYC Travel Advice
Some things that are a MUST HAVE while visiting New York City:
Good manners and a no bullshit attitude,
A very robust metabolism to deal with all the food you’ll be eating,
And don’t forget to dress for the weather and do it in a stylish way! You’ll meet more interesting people that way!
Peter Luger’s at last!
Peter Luger Steakhouse is an icon for those of us meat-a-tarians who eat meat. It’s one of the best steakhouses in the US and has been a mainstay in everyone’s “best steakhouse” listings since Fred and Barney ate there. I SMSed one of my buds who made it here before I did about a year ago that I was having lunch there. His reply? “You bitch“. Then he asked for a doggie bag. WAHAHAHAH
It looks old school because it is!
Well, maybe they’re not THAT old, but they’ve been around for a long time.
Anyway, I’ve been to New York three times since I was tipped off about the existence of Peter Luger’s but haven’t been able to go. Until today. I finally made it to the promised land of meat! Now where is the promised land of meat? It’s in Williamsburg which is a part of Brooklyn. Take the N or the R to Marcy Street and then follow the signs. It’s a good 6 minute walk from the Marcy Street station. Easy.
Peter Luger’s doesn’t take credit cards. Bring lots of cash. If you need cash, there’s a big HSBC across the street. They have a bar that you can wait at while you wait for your table. You will be drinking a lot of booze waiting. If you plan to come here for dinner, make reservations months in advance. You’ll have better luck at lunch where the wait was only an hour.
Even the steak sauce was good (and I dun usually use da stuff)
I decided to go full-on for lunch since A: This was my first time here and I wanted to see if the steak was all that, and B: I was flying home on UA that night and running around beforehand. UA = NO FOOD, even on its “Premium Service” flights. I asked the waiter what was good for a Peter Luger virgin and he asked me “how do you like your steak”?
I like it like this!
Well, it wound up being a medium rare porterhouse and the best US$50 lunch I’ve ever had. I couldn’t finish it all, it was such a meal. What I mean is that I couldn’t finish the meal. I devoured the steak but couldn’t finish the token greens that came along with it.
Go here. Eat. Revel in the “old school” that this place is and that it still exists. Be content.
Peter Luger Steakhouse
178 Broadway
Brooklyn NY 11211
718-387-7400
www.peterluger.com
It’s art, I tell ya, ART!
The last time I made a trek to THE Museum of Modern Art was in 2003 when it temporarily moved to Queens while its Manhattan digs were being rebuilt. I’ve not been back since the MOMA reopened, so I figured it was time for a visit. Art should be accessible so it can be appreciated, but entry to the MOMA is a steep US$20. Still accessible? I guess that the new building has to be paid by someone…and there were a lot of people there on a Monday morning so they won’t have any worries about paying for it.
Art should be accessible and what’s more accessible than having Starry Night on your HP?
Great wallpaper
Art should make you go “hmmmmm, it DOES work!” Sometimes it’s great to have a guide to walk you through it.
this is how you fly around, by flapping your arms!
Whew. Tired now.
Detail of Water Lilies by Monet
I’ve made some critical comments on the state of “modern art” and what passes for it in past entries. I still stand by what I wrote before. There are some things out there that make you think, “art, how can?” For example:
How is this art? It’s not that unique, nor is it a breakthrough in concept. People do this a lot! Just walk around San Francisco during Clean-Up day and you’ll see lots of “art”. What was the artist trying to convey with three basketballs in a half filled fishtank? How about: “$ucker$$$!”
On the other hand, the MOMA is one of the few museums that showcases Architectural and Industrial Design and many breakthroughs in these fields, we take for granted because we see them in everyday life (such as the first iPod or the tablelamp iMac) are rightfully showcased. The Design section for some reason, feels smaller than it was in the old building.
how about this beeeyoutiful E-Type?
Imagine the size of the desk that this lamp usually sits on!
Good looking mobile phones are very rare in the states. This is a Japan-only model.
It’s good design, but we see it everyday so it’s part of the norm, rather than being seen as outstanding, which they are.
In fact, when I left the MOMA several hours later, I made the trek to accessible design. It’s on W57th next to the FAO Schwarz…
Now THIS is art, even the stuff that they sell inside!
Don’t let United and American read this…
…lest they get any ideas. Come to think of it, UA and AA are ALREADY doing most of these things. No blankies and pillows on AA and no magazines (cuz they get stolen) on UA. Are the toilet restrictions next?
From the unlinkable South China Morning Post, 1 December 2006, Lai See Column:
AIRLINE FLUSH WITH IDEAS ON HOW TO LIGHTEN COSTS BURDEN
All right, enough of this flushing profits down the toilet. Go do it in the bushes! China Southern has calculated that it takes one litre of fuel to flush an airplane (toilet) at 30,000 feet, according to the Xinhua news agency. Which explains that really loud sucking noise airline toilets make. So, in order to save a few yuan, the airline is kindly requesting passengers to use the bathroom before they board. We dare not ask for extra peanuts.
A survey by the company’s logistics department found that filling the water tank only 60 percent will save the airline another 47 million yuan. It failed to mention by how much this step would shorten the bathroom queue.
Another easy weight loss trick is to toss the pillows and blankets, as each kilogram of such creature comforts uses 0.2 kg of fuel per hour. “This means the blankets and pillows on board the aircraft eat up 60 tonnes of fuel every day. If each seat is loaded with three 450-gram magazines, another 60 tonnes will be consumed,” explained Captain Liu Zhiyuan who flies regularly between Hangzhou and Beijing.
The last time we flew on China Southern it was near impossible to get the trolley dolly to hand over a second beer. Perhaps that was two expenses cut with one, er, flush.
And you know what’s truly disturbing? I can see UA and AA doing this! Except for the first class passengers and the flight crew of course…
back in SF
Mucking about in Asia is nice, but it’s always a pleasure to sleep in your own bed…
Memories of an icon
On 1 December, between my flights arriving from Taipei and going out to San Francisco, I paid the old Star Ferry Central Piers a final visit. They’re being demolished to make way for reclaimed land. Their replacement, the new Central Piers are a good 300 meters and 15 minutes away (I timed it!). They shouldn’t even call it “Central” as the out of the way location of the piers will deter many regular commuters from riding the Star Ferry. For the longest time, the Star Ferry was the only way across the harbour. I’ll bet that most of the people in Hong Kong have ridden the Star Ferry and more than a few have a story or two about it.
Remembering an old friend…