Macau, and the need to take Pictures of food
Living in Hong Kong, it’s hard to get away. Not because one’s affection to the city’s appeal and the people’s charm, no, geographically hard.
Getting out of Hong Kong normally involves flying to friendlier places (as in every place flown to is more friendly than Hong Kong) or, if available, visiting ones/a mistress in Shenzhen.
Not wanting to fly and (sadly) not having a mistress only leaves option three: going to Macau. With the girl.
The gateway to Macau is Shun Tak Centre (and China City inTST, same same but different). Two modes of transport are offered: helicopter (for the likes with Mistresses) and ferries (for the ones without).
Many people don’t seem to have mistresses.
Many people don’t want to fly (other than the helicopter).
Shun Tak Centre is packed with people.
Shun Tak Centre symbolizes the core values of Hong Kong: unparalleled unfriendliness (adorably performed by immigration staff (barking at the girl: ‘who’s your boss who’s your boss’)) and greed (beautifully illustrated by the rubbish low ceiling and cheaply fit out shopping mall).
Not surprising since it caters for the neither mistress nor flying slice of population: the general population of Hong Kong, Mainland Chinese and visa running Filipinos.
The ferry ride is pleasant.
My last trip to Taipa was five years ago. Also with the girl. Then, the pier was a temporary contraption with long walking distances outside in the heat and humidity along an impressively huge construction site. Today the pier is a contemporary contraption with long walking distances outside in the heat and humidity along an impressively huge construction site. Neither girl nor pier has changed. Surely if the pier was allowed to have gaming facilities and prostitution, it would be all marble with bathrooms the size of typical Hong Kong flats. There is no gaming.
The pier is rubbish. (Not so the girl though.)
Astonishingly not as rubbish as the Macau jet foil ferry pier though. In its simplicity and reduction to greed it does rival Shun Tak Centre.
We are on Taipa, not Macau.
Apart from the Casinos, there is little to do on Taipa. That leaves one with prostitutes. I am with the girl. Apart from the Casinos, there are not many places to go to. That leaves one with restaurants. Apart from the Casinos (that overshadow the rather charming little village on Taipa), there is very little to see. That leaves one with photographing food.
Taking photos of food has become as mandatory in Hong Kong as sending a prayer of thanking God for even an empty plate in the Philippines or the reflex to do the victory sign when being photographed (all of Asia).
Perhaps it’s the tiredness of looking at people’s pictures with always a crooked head and the victory sign that makes them take photos of food instead. Food does not do victory signs.
And Coffee. The heart shaped milk foam does look impressive in 5D mark II 20 Megapixels and does not do the victory sign.
And Ice lemon tea. And water. Indiscriminately anything.
Actually not true: the pinnacle of contemporary photo art in Hong Kong is a D800E 36 MP jpg image of a crooked headed girl with smart Samsung telephone in a Hello Kitty soft pouch with cats ears (often both girl and phone) pointing with a victory sign at a lemon latte cappuccino coffee of which she also takes pictures of to immediately share with friends who put up pictures of mugs of coffee…
People should take high resolution pictures of food after the process of digestion, but these would perhaps look not much different than Shun Tak Centre.
Nobody has ever been seen taking photos of Shun Tak Centre.
pfefferfish 