An acient Chinese proverb says that the Cantonese believe that the way to heaven is through food. And that’s exactly the principle we’ve been living by. For the past three days in Hong Kong I’ve been eating beyond belief! Four hour Dim Sums followed by four hour dinners. I’ve eaten everything from a vegetarian meal with the monks at the Po Lin Monastery, to eel soup at the Wampoon seafood restaurant. I don’t think my taste buds have ever been this overwhelmed. Even daily life revolves around the concept of food. I asked my uncle how you would greet a stranger or a friend. He said people here will ask you if you’ve eaten yet. Skip the “how are you’s.”

My sister and I sit quietly during most meals, as our plates are loaded with ton-ku mushrooms, mim-pau buns, and steamed ha-kau dumplings. No, no, we shake our heads, patting our stomachs. Pow-pow we say, meaning full in Cantonese. But when it comes to food, this language barrier is impenetrable. “Is good, good” my grandmother’s friends say, stacking parcel after parcel of steaming fish and vegetables on our plates.

Below: Huge tanks of eels, large fish and crustaceans at Fisherman’s Warf Restaurant in Hong Kong.

Below: Eating a vegetarian meal at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.

Right: Sunday Dim Sam