With all the misery in Hong Kong right now, we need a sign that God exists and wishes us to be happy. For a brief moment we had it: a gwailo pilot in quarantine publicly freaking out on Twitter because he had pasta, cabbage and spicy chicken for breakfast – when he apparently expected Marmite, instant spotted dick and deep-fried Mars Bars. Sadly, the potentially rivetting real-time anguish seems to have been deleted. I guess you had to be there. (There were some similar examples, like a family horrified at receiving/seeing for the first time congee. I know it’s cheap, but we need the amusement.)
Instead, some intriguing reading on the possible origins of Covid-19 from science writer Nicholas Wade. Pinch of salt: Wade is a journalist rather than a scientist, and authored a controversial book on race. But let’s say that if you are suspicious or skeptical about Beijing’s denials that the virus escaped from a lab, this won’t make you feel any better. (Retraction Watch meanwhile has a report about a leading Mainland scientist’s conflict of interests involving Covid-19 research.)
Just occurred to me, reading this, that the Hong Kong government managed to procure both the most effective and least effective vaccines. And clearly pushes the latter.
Kevin Carrico watches Carrie Lam’s ‘sudden and quite creepy occupation of RTHK airtime, which seems to have abruptly emerged out of nowhere’ so you don’t have to. Or perhaps, because no-one else is going to. It sounds even more dire than you expected – as well as Bunny Chan, there’s a guest from the Taoist Association, much talk of Jiangsu snacks with Henry Tang, and of course endless ‘interviews’ in which both sides of the conversation agree with each other about everything.
For those of us manly enough to ignore sell-by dates – or donating to Penny’s Bay emergency food parcels – bargain of the week at Green Price is HK$5 for 600ml of Yanjing beer. A pretty acceptable-if-chilled light-but-not-quite-insipid slightly-dryish lager. Hey, it’s five bucks for more than an Imperial pint. A good way to get rid of surplus change.
Yanjing: “Cool and refreshing in addition to reminding you who your masters are”
. . . amusing as ever but I’m guessing that the piece was penned prior to the knowledge that Penny’s Bay government issued comestibles caused food poisoning ? that’s NOT quite so amusing for the afflicted.
“ bargain of the week at Green Price is HK$5 for 600ml of Yanjing beer. A pretty acceptable-if-chilled light-but-not-quite-insipid slightly-dryish lager. Hey, it’s five bucks for more than an Imperial pint. A good way to get rid of surplus change.”
As much as I love craft beer, you can’t go wrong with a cheap Yanjing beer.
As predicted, the gerrymandering of Legco is going to cost the taxpayer squillons.
“Legislative Council plans involve adding four floors to existing building and a new 10-storey structure connecting to the main block”
All this to accommodate an additional 20 rubber stamps????????
Yanjing is the official beer served at state banquets in China.
Apparently it’s not just expats whinging about the food in quarantine https://hongkongfp.com/2021/05/10/covid-19-hong-kong-govt-replaces-quarantine-camp-catering-firm-after-reports-of-mass-food-poisoning-symptoms/
And this https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/230125/Our-living-nightmare-in-Penny's-Bay?fbclid=IwAR2c-1Wz6reEvapWPLTHwKTsrCZBTpZwF9YD6142wUfKsm1jrlOmxXj6WxM
Maybe that gweilo was smart to turn his nose up at the local fare on offer.