Saturday, June 05, 2021

Friends Reunion

 It has been more than ten years after the end of the drama "Friends". "Friends Reunion" has brought back so much memories of my teenage. 

The theme song is so memoriable that even some of the phrases like "DOA" has been outdated. "I'll be there for you" the lyrics is top of mind. The fountain scene is very iconic!

I bearly recongnize Chandler and Joey while Rachel, Monica, Phoebe and Ross look the same. 


Thursday, May 28, 2015

Foods in Seattle and New York (eating in New York)

Top 1: Rare Bar & Grill in Hilton New York Fashion District
Since we’re tried and walked a lot after going to Metropolitan Museum of Art, we just wanted to find something near our hotel and eat. It’s cold outside at night, we decided to go Rare Bar inside the hotel. We tried Larceny Ribs and Cowboy Rib Eye (Medium Rare). The ribs were tender enough that it melted in your mouth. The steak was cooked so well with pale pink in the middle and little juice flowing. It’s soft, springy and spongy. The side dish was risotto and mashed potato. They’re perfect!






Top 2: Clinton Street Baking Company in Lower East Side
We ordered blueberry pancake with warm maple butter and eggs benedict with house smoked salmon. They’re  super delicious! It was the best pancake I ever had. Do come early otherwise you’ll need to wait for 30 minutes if you come after 9am. Many tourists went  there for breakfast.



You cannot resist from buying seafood for tasting when you saw other people were enjoying yummy food around you in Chelsea Market. There’re fresh shrimp, oysters, tiger prawn, mussels, scallops, etc  in the Lobster Place Seafood Market in Chelsea Market. We bought a steamed lobster. The cooked lobster was fresh and yummy! It’s par-steamed fresh daily. You will definitely want to eat more after tasting.



Top 4: Cioppino and grilled salmon in Pike Place Market
One of the world’s most fabulous, freshness, and famous seafood market is Pike Place Market in Seattle. Alaskan King Crab or Dungeness Crab from Washington


Top 5: Hot dog in East Village
As mentioned before, we tried in during the food on foot tour. Probably the best New York hot dog in Crif Dogs.



Katz’s Delicatessen is an absolute New York experience. It’s established by Jewish. The romantic comedy “When Harry met Sally” in 1989 was filmed in Katz’s. Try the counter experience! When you go in, remember to keep the ticket. Don’t lose the ticket otherwise it will cost you US$15. We tried Knoblewurst and fries.




And many other foods like bagels in Tinys Giant Sandwich Shop in Lower East Side, we tried salmon bagel with cream cheese, tomato, onion and capers. Burgers in Kobeyaki are juicy.

Bagels

Food trucks are located everywhere in New York. We tried Go Go grill’s battery burger with 5oz beef with onion lettuce and chedder near charging bull. It’s a pity that we forgot to try Apple Pie in New York.
Food truck near Charging Bull

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Tours in New York (Food on foot tour, Radio City tour & Inside Broadway tour)

We joined 3 tours in New York - Food on foot tour, Radio City music hall stage door tour and Inside Broadway tour! It was great fun! Each tour shows the inner beauty of New York and we learnt New York from different perspective.
Food on foot tour is guided by Corey, it was a wonderful way to see part of the city and walked around the neighbourhood in East Village. He took us to some delicious places to eat.

The first stop started by Chinese dumplings which is same taste as the dumplings in Hong Kong. Other people enjoyed the dumplings so much!


The second stop is pizza from Artichoke. It was started by The slice was huge and the crust was thick and fresh. The creamy white sauce was delicious! It truly represents the taste of New York pizza.

Artichoke
 



Next, we tried Porchetta sandwich. The taste of pork was so special.





















The fourth stop was Butter Lane, the cupcakes were amazing! We ate chocolate cupcake, it was light and fluffy. We’d recommend this place if you’re a cupcake fans! The staff was friendly and funny. We asked if we could take a photo of the cupcakes and he danced and said we needed to pay tips. We showed a surprised face and he said was just kidding and made fun! 

Butter Lane
Butter Lane Cupcakes
Crif Dogs is one of the best hot dog places in New York. It’s among the highest rank if you search “hot dog” in Yelp. One of the customers was surprised with a crowd suddenly came in Crif Dogs in non-peak hour. We chatted with her and explained we’re on a food tour. She suggested trying the Tsunami Dog. It was wrapped with pineapples and green onions. The pineapples added a good taste to it. The food was great in the tour and we got so full!

For many, Radio City Music Hall may not be a must-see sightseeing spot in New York. We don’t even know the history of Radio City Music Hall. We just passed by after Easter Parade. Radio City Music Hall Stage Door tour introduced the interior design, art decoration and history. Interior designer Donald Deskey showed the contemporary and modern design in 1929.

Radio City Music Hall is one of the largest indoor theatre in the world. We walked all over the building including bathroom and balcony. The hall was the largest LED panel in the world. We got a chance to meet the Rockette and asked her questions. We thought it’s the first generation of Korean girls’ group SNSD. It was an interesting tour for us.


Inside Broadway tour, our tour guide, Samantha shared her experiences with us. For off-broadway, it refers to theatre with fewer than 500 seats. We can buy cheap tickets on the date of purchase. TKTS Discount Booth located at Times Square offers same day theatre tickets up to 50% off! Or buy from App Today Tix, you can find great deals! Broadway shows normally start at 8pm except Tuesdays which starts at 7pm, do come early to find cheap tickets.

The most popular broadway show is Lion King nowadays! She recommended us to see it! She’s enthusiasm and energy. The Shubert Organization is America's oldest professional theatre company, currently owns and operates seventeen Broadway theatres. On 45th street, you can see 5 theatres operated by them.


The top-5 longest broadway show in New York is “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Chicago”, “Cats”, “The Lion King” and “Les Misérables”. There’s a “Living Legend” plague outside Imperial Theatre. We watched Les Misérables after the tour. It was a great performance and the actors and actresses acted so well! The audiences were mesmerized and got emotional when they sang “I dreamed a dream”. The music was good!


On the day of tour, “Hand to God” has its opening night! It’s a tradition that Broadway shows always have previews for weeks. Script writers will observe audience’s reactions and rewrite the scripts during the preview period. After opening night, the show is set and no further changes will be made.


Cooking class in Institute of Culinary Education

The 5-day fine cooking I in Institute of Culinary Education was a great experience! We tried different forms of cooking and got hands-on experiences. The class started from 10am to 3pm, the 5 hours cooking class was awesome! Chef Anita was our instructor. There’re eight students in my class. People from Thailand, Russia, London and Chicago come to join the class, offering much diversity. We worked in groups of 3 and randomly rotated team members each day.


The first day was knife skills. We cut vegetables with different ways. Everything was new to me. We learnt how to cook vegetable soup and lamp chops in the first lesson. The lamp chops were cooked by a technique “sautéing”. By using a small amount of oil or butter and a very hot pan so the food browns and cooks quickly. The lamp was served with herb butter.


The second lesson we learnt how to cook chicken stock. The taste is so different compared to the chicken stock we bought from supermarket. The cooking technique was roasting. We first trussed the chicken then basted the chicken with butter and roasted it in oven.

After that we learnt rice cooking, we prepared rice pilafs. We boiled rice in pan instead of using rice cooker. We made baked tomatoes provencal as an appetizer by stuffing the ingredients into the tomatoes and baked until brown. It’s simple and delicious! The dessert was clafouti, a tart with pears/apples/cherries. It’s a typical dessert from the Limousin region in France.



The third lesson was a challenging one. We cooked lamps shanks with juniper berries and rosemary in wet braising. It required almost 2 hours cooking time. Mussel is one of my favourite dishes. We steamed mussels in white wine. Other groups cooked in tomato paste and Thai curry. For dessert, we cooked chocolate mousses in sabayon style. It was rewarding when you enjoyed the yummy food.


Mussels
 Lamp shanks 
The fourth lesson was all about eggs! We ate 5 eggs in the lesson - omeletes, poached eggs, salad Niçoise with tuna and soufflé! Omeletes were easy to made, simple but  people often cooked too old.

 

souffles

Times flies and it’s the final lesson of the course! The final technique we learnt was grilling technique for protein and vegetables. The steak will catch fire if your grill is not clean enough. We had a great experience for learning the grilling technique.





Each class ends with a group meal. We discuss the cooking methods and theory. We enjoyed the wine and food. The class was great and let me know the real taste of American cuisine. Not only do I have fun during the class, but I also gained important fundamental techniques and cooked American-style cuisine with confident. Chef Anita was excellent! Her instructions were easy to follow and everything was clear. I love the cooking class!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Window display in IFC SS15

Spring and Easter is coming! What a colourful season after winter. I can feel the warmth by the window displays in IFC! 

The first one is Godiva! Love the colourful decorations of "Spring Celebration"! It feels like u're in a garden with a cart of chocolate.


The second one is skincare brand Clarins which uses plain gold and white for the window display. 





Wednesday, April 30, 2014

My America Dream – Join Five-Day Cooking Fundamentals course in San Francisco Cooking School

My American dream is inspired by Alice Waters, who change the world through food. Chez Panisse Restaurant is a Berkeley, California restaurant known for using local, organic foods and credited as the inspiration for the style of cooking known as California cuisine. Alice Waters was cited as one of the most influential figures in American cooking over the past 50 years and the 100 most influential people in Time Magazine in 2014. She stated that good food was a right, not a privilege. She started Edible Schoolyard Project and proved that one passionate person can reshape the eating habits of a nation. Simply "local, simple and seasonal"!



My dream is to join Five-Day Cooking Fundamentals course in San Francisco Cooking School. The series is offered for 5 consecutive days, Monday through Friday. The curriculum is designed to arm home cooks with a solid foundation of culinary skills for everyday cooking. It includes the basic techniques like mastering your knife, making appetizers, salads and sauces, soups and eggs. The reason I choose San Francisco Cooking School because it has strong ties to the chef community and one of the United States’ true culinary epicenters. Within 50 hours of training, I will learn 18 amazing meals from America!



Food also represents the culture of a nation. No wonder Clifford Hart enjoyed Nai Yau Chu, Ja Wan Tan and Yu Fu in Hong Kong! I have heard of a love story – when a man comes from cheese nations meets a girl from sushi country and get married at the place of kimchi. Can u guess? The man from Italy met a girl from Japan and married in South Korea. How romantic it is! I really want to explore and taste the American food - gumbo ya ya, slumps, mile-high pancakes, cobblers, corn cakes, jambalaya, coleslaw, barbecued ribs.... I smile when I'm typing about the American food! I just want to get into the American spirit!



American cuisine: Buttermilk-bathed fried chicken, Hotslaw, Mile-high lime meringue pie
Buttermilk-bathed fried chicken, Hotslaw, Mile-high lime meringue pie  Photo: JONATHAN GREGSON
Why I pick San Francisco? It is the cultural center and a leading financial hub of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. Captain John Fremont declared California’s independence from Mexico in 1846. San Francisco is home to one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse communities in the U.S., making it an amazing place to visit. The signature landmark Golden Gate Bridge represents the real America which is located in the San Francisco Bay area which is known for its natural beauty, liberal politics, entrepreneurship, and diversity. It first opened to pedestrian traffic in 1937. It celebrated its 75th Anniversary in May 2012. San Franciscans have passionate on every subject and the Art Deco on the bridge represents the spirit of true Americans. United States Postal Service unveiled Golden Gate Bridge commemorative stamp in 1998. The bridge is an engineering marvel and one of the most beautiful walks in the U.S.


I have a passion for food and a craving to learn. I have studied Home Economics cookery stream until Secondary 5. My mom used to sell Chinese traditional food in wet market when I was in primary school. She sold steamed bus(茶果), red bean pudding(砵仔糕), Turnip cake(蘿蔔糕) and Zongzi() for a living. I really admired my mom who can make all these wonderful dishes and greatly appreciated by neighbors. Food brings joy to everyone!

America is a land of change and I hope I can go to United States and bring the taste of America to Hong Kong! I will share my experiences on my blog and make videos about all my learning when I back to Hong Kong. I will create recipes on daydaycook.com, a local website for recipes, with other Hongkongers. I wish my dream come true – not only join the cooking lessons but also enjoy the fine foods e.g. organic meats, mushrooms, pastries, cakes in San Francisco. There are many things to explore! Can’t wait for a journey to seeing the U.S. through food!



Thursday, October 10, 2013

Creativity x Start-up x Innovative by Chim Shui Man

Mr Chim Shui Man(詹瑞文/Jim) - Not only he's one of the leading drama kings in Hong Kong who demonstrates great creativity, he also has superior business sense running his own business. It's a great talk organised by The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited with Mr Jim sharing his experiences in a pleasant atmosphere ! 

Mr Jim Chim - seminar by HKMC 
He started by his views on business. Many people want to create their own business but imagine their working life like this: 9am: wake up and work, 10am: chat with customers, 12noon: lunch, 3pm: accounting, 5pm: off work.

The real business enviroment is like a war. If you want to live a life like above, you better apply to be a civil servant in Hong Kong government. 

The most important thing is to EARN money. The interesting thing about drama industry in Hong Kong is - he used to spend money from funding from government and not thinking the concept of making money. 

Then, he introduced 4 personality:
- skillful: stick in own profession, take him as an example, he focuses in drama
- marketing: know how to promote and sales
- management: manage or motivate others
- creative: give directions  

The kind of personality decides your fate. If you don't even think of your dreams, how can you achieve your business success! 

After his graduation in Hong Kong, he applied scholarship to UK to study drama. Starting his career as an actor, he received compliments from UK audience of performing pantomime with "Chinglish". He thought Hong Kong audience would also like this kind of shows, he decided to bring this performance back to Hong Kong.

Coming back to Hong Kong, he just performed on the streets in Sheung Wan with few audience. People at that time only rehearsed their drama in outdoor places in Polytechnic University. Later, he felt that he needed a better place for rehearsing. He borrowed money from finance corporation to rent a place in a factory building and redesigned it. The place was equiped with his first fax machine and a computer. That's the start of his own business.

He also faced hard times running his business. He realized that his industry is in luxury sector. People would buy tickets unless they want to improve their spirital enjoyment. However, the economy was extremely bad in 2008 and it was hard for him to sell the show tickets(男人之虎). He restructured and had lay-offs in his company during financial tsunami. This was a painful process for him.

At that time, he also worked with Giordano to create a series of t-shirts named "Cheer you up" to cheer Hong Kong people during the hard time of Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. The sales reached 1 million across the globe. This brings in cash flow for him to overcome the hardness in bad times. The most important thing he recalled from his experience is "CHANGE"! 

He created his own company "PIP "which stands for his living philosophy "Pleasure Imagination Play". He is now still working with passion and sharing his happiness with Chinese speaking audience! 

The last thing he shared is about his understanding of business(生意) which stands for the meaning of life (生命的意義). 

In Q&A session, someone asked how to boost creativity. Jim encouraged using differenet ways to stimulate your brain such as using left hand for eating, change your ways to work, switch to ATV instead of TVB. People get used to their own way of living and don't want to change and that hinder creative minds.

Another guy from a game start-up company said he's facing competitiors copying game ideas. He'd like to know how to prevent this issue. Jim said it's really a problem but the reality is - Samsung beats Apple by making a few changes to iPhone. How you twist the brillant idea into your thing is important in business. 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Lego 香港展覽 - 太古城 Piece of Peace

太古城lego展覽展示了不同城市建築物,細緻得令人歎為觀止! 四十件文化遺產活現眼前,的確擴闊小孩子的眼光! 今次首次衝出日本於香港公展,以宣揚和平為目的,更特別新建三件中國地區的展品,富士山模型更首度曝光。

但你不會知道lego這個王國,其實也經歷過財困。Bloomberg便訪問了"Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry "的作者Robertson講解Lego周轉的策略,Lego如何改寫了創新規劃,征服了玩具業。

Lego磚自1958年於丹麥創立,立即瘋魔全世界,為何Lego後來會有財困呢?原來Lego投入過多資源進行產品研發,利潤減少。當時Lego覺得玩具漸漸電子化,你看現在多數人都使用智能電話玩遊戲,多於實物,Barbie等玩具也試過被電子遊戲超越銷售。

當其他玩具的生產大多東移到中國之時,Lego依然在丹麥生產,令Toys "R" Us、Walmart等玩具零售商的銷售貨架上Lego玩具的售價較其他玩具高,銷售受影響。而現在Lego的生產也不限於丹麥,Mexico也有生產Lego玩具。

你也想去Legoland吧,這是另一個生意模式,Lego t-shirt、手錶、精品等等…Lego也嘗試開發女性市場,但發覺不太成功後,再專注以往的警察、消防員模型。

Customization也是另一個方向,除此以外,Lego還徵求新idea,如果你有一個自己設計的Lego模型,你可參與CUUSOO project,當你的design賣出後,你可獲得1%利潤。詳情︰http://lego.cuusoo.com/guidelines

Lego所賣的不是玩具,而是construction experience,讓小孩子感覺像工程師,建立屬於自己的建築。就像Starbucks賣的不是一杯咖啡,而是experience一樣,這個模式令lego成為玩具王國。

可按此聽全部訪問內容︰
http://media.bloomberg.com/bb/avfile/Economics/On_Economy/vD4MTSChHu6Q.mp3