Hue 1968
Book Review: Hue 1968 (2017) By Mark Bowden By tradition, your first encounter on the morning of Tet was supposed to be a harbinger for the entire year. If that were true, then Hue’s fate in the New Year would have been sealed. Its first …
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From Eagle’s Nest to Beacon Hill
Having done the Eagle’s Nest Nature Trail in the previous week, we decided to vary our itinerary this time for just a little. The day was overcast, and in fact the weather forecast predicted squally thunderstorms. We tried our luck. The Eagle’s Nest Trail connects …
The Eagle’s Nest Nature Trail
The Eagle’s Nest Nature Trail is an easy walk around Eagle’s Nest Hill (also known locally as Tsim Shan). The Eagle’s Nest Hill is also where the Eagle’s Nest Tunnel is. The 1.5-hour loop is a pleasant stroll, without rigorous uphill climbing but rapid steps on the trail will result in a good exercise.
We parked on Tai Po Road and headed up the overpass toward the Eagle’s Nest direction. On the west is the Kam Shan Country Park, which I have visited on a previous occasion. At the entrance of the trail, we went on the route on the left. The trail is a loop and therefore you will exit at the same location.
The views on the trail are not exceptional, but they are pleasant. There were quite a number of sections where we saw the tracks for streams, but all was dried up. If there were water, it would have made much better scenery. But then without the streams, the route was safer.
Most of the trail is covered with generous shades. Therefore even though we went on a rather hot day, the heat was tempered throughout.
Along the latter part of the route, there are panoramic views of Kowloon (featured above).
Directions: we went by private car and parked on Tai Po Road. If you go by public transport, take Bus 72 or 81 and get off at the Kowloon Reservoir stop.
Annoyances: monkeys!
Dangers: in terms of difficulty, this is a type of route suitable for solitude walks. However, during the 2000’s, there were incidents of robbery on this route committed by illegal immigrants. Therefore, perhaps it is better to go with someone.
Beyond Pho – Goodbye, Danang
Since the 19th century, Danang has replaced Hoi An as the preeminent trading port in central Vietnam. It remains as such today. In terms of the American War in Vietnam, Danang was the first location in South Vietnam that received the U.S. Marines. Apparently, this …
Beyond Pho – Boating to the Full Moon in Hoi An
In the evening, we came back to Hoi An and found it bustling with festivities. The night market has opened. Music filled the air, food stalls lined the streets, and the colorful lanterns decorated the sky with the full moon above us. We had a …
Beyond Pho – Biking Between Heaven and Earth
We joined a biking tour on this sunny day.
The Nu Eatery
Lunch was at the Nu Eatery. The restaurant was known for its fusion touch on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We had to try our luck as we did not make a reservation, and luck we had. At late morning we arrived at Nu, which was tucked away in a residential neighborhood. There was a table. We sat down with their famous pork bun, a watercress salad, and a rice paper roll. As with every meal, we finished with a cup of ca-phe sua da (iced coffee with milk). In terms of volume, there was not a lot of food. And yet each dish was so tasty that we were fully satisfied.
Heaven and Earth Biking Tour
We joined Heaven and Earth Biking Tour for this afternoon. The traditional countryside bicycle tour took us on a 45-minute boat ride to an island across the Song Thu River Delta. As we loaded our bicycles on the boat, I was incredibly excited to be able to see the village life of Vietnam up close.
On the boat ride an older man was at the helm. We tried to have a friendly conversation, although we did not speak a common language. He said, “Vietnam, Vietnam” to me. I knew then he was giving a word of praise. Over the years, especially having traveled in Southeast Asia, I came to understand that the locals were paying a compliment when they thought of you as their own. He showed me a picture of him in a crisp military uniform. He had served in the military before.
At our first stop in the villages of this unnamed island (I never found out what island it was), we came to see the art of weaving. A couple was weaving a beautiful tapestry. Our two very colorful young guides asked us questions. “If you get any of our questions right, you will get the ticket to the boat ride back to Hoi An!”
Tapestry-Weaving
The couple was weaving a beautiful sleeping mat. I thought the material could have been rattan. It is a common material in Asia that adds a nice, cool touch to the surface. It is perfect for sleeping mats in the hot and humid nights of Vietnam. “How long does it take for this man to weave a mat?” I had no clue how long it would take on this traditional hand-operated loom. Someone guessed right, “three to four hours!” Indeed, it takes one afternoon to make the product from start to finish.
Vietnamese Homes and Their Three Doorways
The four seasons of Vietnam are hot, hotter; wet, and wetter. At the traditional Vietnamese home the tour guides first showed us the high beams that give the roof its support. During the rainy season, Hoi An would come under the danger of serious flooding. When it floods, the villagers would have to take those beams as their last resort. The first thing to stuff at that level is the television, which for most families would be the most valuable piece of household appliance. Then they put all other furniture, sofa, chairs, tables, up there to the best they can. Yes, the flood can level as high as the ceiling of the houses.
A typical traditional home of Vietnam has three doorways. The men take the left, and the women take the right. “So who has the middle doorway?” Our lovely tour guides said to us. “The ancestors!” Everybody turned to look at me when I shouted the answer. I knew because this traditional home had an ancestral altar in the middle of the living room. And the middle doorway would be the direct through way to the altar. “You got your ticket back in Hoi An!” The tour guide Quic said cheerfully.
Scenery of Tranquility
We saw wonderful scenery in this large island as we biked. It was an intimate view of rural Vietnam. Fresh waterways crisscrossed everywhere within that island. As the sun began setting, we biked through a floating bridge. It scared me at first. But as we biked on, I realized that the bridge was very sturdy despite its looks.
Green shoots of grain waved gently at us in the wind. The growth of the rice paddies signaled a good second harvest for the year. The view of lush rice paddies comforted me. A good harvest might just be the only humble wish for farmers. They are tied to the land.
The interactions with the villagers revealed a life in tranquility. They did what their families did for generations. While the means of production may seem primitive to us, it was, in many instances, in harmony with nature. They fully appreciated the resourcefulness of the environment, and practiced sustainable farming.
For example, at the winemaker family home, the villagers reared pigs alongside their wine business. They had a way of collecting the methane from the manure, to power the lights in their home.
Basket Boats
The water is also a lifeline to the villages on this island. We visited the family that produced basket boats. The people of this island frequently ventured out on its waterways on the basket boats, which comfortably sit one or two persons. The boats are giant baskets. It was like the rattan baskets that villagers used for drying preserved veggies and seafood, except that it could sit a whole person. After hand-weaving the boats, the villagers applied a thick layer of cow manure. They then let the coating dry. The coating would keep the baskets water-proof.
The really interesting demonstration was how the villagers motioned the oars in order to move the boat forward. There were two ways to move the oars. Either drawing in the water the shape of infinity in front of the boat, or in the shape of the number “eight” as written in Chinese. That means doing short strokes on the two sides interchangeably. When some volunteers went on the basket boats, we could tell that either way was easier said than done. The tourists simply could not move the boat at all.
The price of these basket boats was 100 USD. Clearly, they were valuable as a means of livelihood.
Finally, the tour guides explained to us why the villagers painted fierce-looking eyes on the front of the standard village boats. They said that the most convincing theory was these eyes stared down at the river monsters. Thus the villagers were protected from the havoc raised by these monsters.
We began our tour after lunch, and the tour ended around 5pm or so. We shopped for some souvenirs and boarded the boat to ride back to Hoi An. The man at the helm changed his clothes, with a shiny white shirt and a suit jacket. He was looking more like the smart military officer on the picture he showed me.
We tipped generously for our two lovely tour guides on this bike tour. They were clever, sweet, and passionate about their job. I highly, highly recommend this bike tour for anyone visiting Hoi An.
Ho Pui Reservoir and its Bamboo-Lined Trail
The hike of the day was the Ho Pui Reservoir in Kam Tin. The Trail to Lui Kung Tin At the Ho Pui Village we passed through the store and the village to enter the route up the hill. The hike up the hill was …
Fusing Faith with Food – Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant (2)
“This cleaver of yours,” Chef Tong Li began the cooking instruction with displeasure, “is not even good enough for cutting bean curd!” James Li, Chef Tong Li’s son, said that his father was very demanding when it comes down to cooking. Chef Tong Li had …
Fusing Faith with Food – Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant (1)
I asked Chef Tong Li whether he thought that God was always with him, even before he came to know and accept Jesus Christ. The answer was a resounding yes.
The first cuisine with which Chef Tong Li would make his name was the snake soup. And to make snake soup, he would first have to learn how to kill live snakes. Chef Tong Li thus served as an apprentice in the snake shop.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, in the streets of Hong Kong there were snake shops that kept live snakes for sale. There were a few steps to prepare the snakes before serving them in a soup. They had their fangs removed first, then they were killed, skinned, the gall had to be removed (usually for making wine), then the meat had to be shredded and cooked.
The snake shops distinguished the snakes by whether their fangs have been removed. A number of snakes would be kept alive after their fangs were removed, because ingredients were considered fresh only if they were slaughtered right before they were cooked. The practice was to keep the ones with fangs removed in one designated drawer, and the ones still with their fangs in another. As such, these snake shops had drawers wall-to-wall, each with a spring door that kept the snakes in.
One afternoon, Chef Tong Li was alone in the shop. He decided that it was a good opportunity to take a photo with the snakes. Chef Tong Li was camera-ready on that day. He was about to take a selfie with the snake from the fangs-off drawer. But his camera was not ready. It needed new batteries. When Chef Tong Li returned, his coworker was back in the shop. He casually asked, “this is the drawer with the snakes without the fangs right?”
“No, we swapped the two boxes last night. These snakes have fangs.”
Chef Tong Li was stunned. He could have already been killed.
“The Lion Rock Spirit” refers to a particular mentality of the Hong Kong people during the 1970s and 1980s. It was the spirit of perseverance, hard work, strength and solidarity with which the humble people of Hong Kong survived, and eventually succeeded, during this period of economic takeoff.
Chef Tong Li made very good snake soup. Yet, like many others with humble beginnings, he did not have the funds to rent or buy a restaurant. He had yet to make his name in a crowded field. In those times, many entrepreneurs began by selling on the street in a wooden food cart. Yet Chef Tong Li could not swallow his pride.
His wife said, “I will push the cart and sell the soup for you.” She was a few months pregnant with their first son then. So she pushed a wooden food cart from Sau Mau Ping to Kwun Tong to sell snake soup. By walk, the journey would take more than thirty minutes for a normal adult.
Business was good indeed. In those days, food of the street carts would sell for 1 dollar, 2 dollars a piece. Chef Tong Li’s snake soup was going for 5 dollars. After a few days, he decided that he would join his wife on the street. Slowly, they saved up the money needed for a rented space to sell the snake soup.
Chef Tong Li named his restaurant after his son, whose name is Chun Biu Li. That was because the name Biu would bring better fortune. Snake King Biu’s Restaurant thrived for a very long time until the SARS epidemic.
Chef Tong Li became Christian during the SARS epidemic of 2003. Perhaps not surprisingly, as a chef and a businessman he was once very superstitious. He worshipped the gods of all trades. He did every kind of fortune telling, in order to make sure that business was good.
Snake King Biu’s Restaurant was a neighborhood restaurant that served Cantonese cuisine the traditional way. Along the same lines as with the snake soup, with which Chef Tong Li made his first bucket of gold, the restaurant served game.
And it was the game that gave Snake King Biu’s Restaurant the kiss of death during the SARS epidemic. Not long after the epidemic broke out, researchers found out that the virus came from bats. Researchers theorized that the virus passed onto people via the intermediate host of civet cats. His restaurant took the brunt, because it sold game as its specialty. People shunned these restaurants particularly, let alone the fact that all of Hong Kong closed down during that time. Decades of hard work and pride went down the drain.
Although he resisted many times, Chef Tong Li finally accepted the invitation by a reverend to attend church service. He told himself, “sure, for just this one time I will go, and never again.”
The message of the sermon hit him. The reverend preached about men’s sinfulness, and God’s wrath on men’s stubborn refusal to repent. Chef Tong Li remembered his thoughts, “he is talking about me here, all my problems!” Though not without reluctance, Chef Tong Li accepted Jesus Christ, with remorse over his former life.
His wife managed to line up funds from the government’s relief programs. For the time being, the restaurant survived. Fellow church members assisted Chef Tong Li with renovating the restaurant. He changed the former name of Snake King Biu into Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant, which served to distance the brand from game-related cuisine. Chef Tong Li also called back his son and daughter, who were studying abroad at the time. In due course, they would take up the restaurant fully.
Chef Tong Li was young in his faith, but he wanted to praise God with his culinary expertise. Every year after he turned to Christ, he would host a banquet to celebrate his birthday as a Christian. His menu featured a dish, “Five Loaves and Two Fish.” He prepared his two fish by frying two kinds of fresh water catch. Then he made the five loaves with a meatloaf. As he rested, he was sure that this would please the Lord.
“The Five Loaves and Two Fish is not yet perfect,” a voice said to Chef Tong Li.
“What!” Chef Tong Li was angry when he heard that. He had done his very best to dedicate this to the Lord, how could it be not perfect? He asked why, but received no answer.
So he decided to seek out the Bible. It must have been the Lord speaking to him. He revisited Mark 6, and read till the very end, carefully.
“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.” Mark 6: 42-43.
Chef Tong Li was amazed. He missed the twelve baskets. The Lord was right, his dish was not complete without the twelve baskets!
To make the baskets, he used oranges, because the skin of oranges would be sturdy to hold a wok-fried filling. He praised the Lord. This inspiration of the twelve baskets could have only come from God.
In the immediate few years after Chef Tong Li turned to Jesus Christ, he experienced a period of creativity and rewards. He joined Hong Kong’s cooking contests and won gold for two years consecutively.
Photo: the accolades are proudly on display at Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant.
There was no going back to his previous life of worshiping the gods of all trades. He found his true faith — and fused it with food.
Sources:
Interview with Chef Tong Li of Brother Biu’s Restaurant.
Interview with Chun Biu Li and Cindy Li of Brother Biu’s Restaurant, The Gold-Plated Plaque, Metro Radio, 176th Session (in Chinese).
Tong Li, the Undefeated Playbook of a Chef (in Chinese) (2014).
Beautiful Sha Tau Kok – Wang Shan Keuk Village at the Foothill of Pat Sin Leng
Pat Sin Leng, because of its ridge of eight rolling summits, is named after the Eight Immortals in Chinese folklore. The villagers called it “wang shan” instead. Therefore the village of Wang Shan Keuk means “the foothill of Pat Sin Leng.” The Itinerary I arrived …