Melted Leeks and Mimosas: an Asian Easter

Lucky me! Brett took the whole day off for Easter Sunday- so the festivities really began on Saturday night with celebratory Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). We decided to rent a movie and have a night at home. Since we were passing a grocery store, we stopped in because Brett has been looking for Tamarind sauce since he got here- and this was a shop we hadn't looked in. We did find a Thai sauce with Tamarind, so we picked that up. Very exciting. On our way to the register, we decided we needed candy to go with our movie. We picked up a Kit Kat Dark (a favorite or Brett's) and Mint flavored M&Ms. Some of the candy is the same as in the states, but there are tons more options. Remember, they love their snack food out here! We also passed the produce section, where Brett suggested we get some dragonfruit- see picture! WEIRD looking- and delicious. Tommy, this is the ingredient in that flavor of vitamin water that you love. Or, at least the flavor the flavor they are artificially replicating. Brett was on my wavelength and he didn't even have a clue how well the dragonfruit would fit into my Easter morning plans...

Easter morning started with food. Lots of it! I'd been gathering elements for the meal (both ideas and items) for a few days. I considered it an International Brunch, as so many different countries were represented in some way. Eggs are easy to find here, though more expensive than in the states- and I knew I wanted to make omelettes. Thrilled to know that I would be able to find a variety of veggies, I settled on leeks and portobello mushrooms (from New Zealand) for the filling. I had spent a few days in search of Bacon, because was dying to surprise Brett by waking him with the familiar smell. Imagine my total excitement finding a small package all the way from Wisconsin in the "Justco" Asian grocery store. I found strawberries and a beautiful pineapple. I also found a jar of Raspberry jam- and decided I should stop at the bakery on the way home for fresh bread. This is funny: I bought Raisin Coffee bread thinking it was the same as Coffee Cake in the states- as in "Goes with Coffee" not actually has coffee in it. LOL- I was surprised to find that coffee was an ingredient in the bread! But gosh, it was tasty! I also picked up some plain French Milk Bread to go with our Jam. Because there isn't a toaster, I "grilled" the toast in the skillet. YUM! This picture is really of the first course, Coffee flavored toast and tea. A brilliant combo, actually. (Note the rice cooker in the photo as well- I am mastering the art of working with limited counter space.) Once that was ready I started on the bacon. Incidentally, I discovered that chopsticks are an excellent tool for flipping bacon in lieu of tongs; use them with one hand or two!

I mentioned the dragonfruit before- so that was cut up and joined my pineapple and strawberries. The dragonfruit is white with black seeds. We decided a good description is that it looks like the inside of a poppy seed muffin! You can see it in the picture below, of the "breakfast buffet/bookshelf." Off to the top right in the picture are our Grapefruit Mimosas, which I concocted from a split bottle of sparkling wine from Australia!

The result was a very tasty breakfast to fuel our day of fun!

Brett and I set off to return last nights movie. Then decided to head into Kowloon so that we'd end up at the southernmost point at 8pm- more on that in a moment. On our way to the MTR, we walked through a park where a famous "Pebble Path" lives. This is a cement walkway with inlaid stones protruding upwards. The challenge is to walk across (without shoes) and test your abilities. I understand there is also some medicinal value believed to come from a successful crossing. Because socks were required, I was spared the experience, but Brett took a shot at it.

We exited the MTR at Mong Kok, where the flower markets are. Brett wanted to show me were he picked my beautiful lilies from last week. These markets are amazing. I have never seen so many flowers. There are exotic varieties everywhere you look. The most affordable and the most beautiful orchids I have ever seen, anywhere. I'm talking about a fully grown probably two foot tall potted orchid with maybe 7 large blossoms for $20-$30 dollars- HONG KONG. That's about $2.50 US people. OH MY GOSH.

We wandered around and I suddenly realized that we were very near the Educational Foundation office were I'd interviewed and taught last week, so I took Brett down Sycamore street to see. It's a sleepy little street in the midst of a very loud city district. Very nice.

Ready for a break, we found a gourmet ice cream stand that claimed they served espresso. While I was slightly apprehensive about my first Cappucino since the states, I wanted coffee and ordered. AGAIN Asia surprised me. I swear that was the best foam I've EVER had. Either that or it's been too long since I've enjoyed it! See the coffee below after my initial eye-opening sip. Brett's latte was also a hit. Delicious.

After profusely thanking our Asian baristas, we wandered a bit more, and finally wound up at the southern point of Kowloon, looking across to Hong Kong Island. Every night at 8pm there is a light show. The buildings in the city are synced to music from the symphony hall on Kowloon. Brett and I joined hundreds of others to see the show! We had some trouble taking our own photo- after about 5 attempts it just got funnier and funnier. Hopefully this shot will make you laugh! I also took a short video of the scene. Find that at the bottom of this post. Forgive my shaky hand...

We grabbed dinner at a local restaurant- I had vermicelli with shredded pork. (Ham seemed fitting for Easter dinner.) What a lovely day spent enjoying the city! I continue to be amazed by how much there is to learn. On our way home, we ran into a familiar sounding street. ;)

I wish you all a very Happy Easter!