HK Alphabet :: U

Yes, I'm returning to this series to finish it up. Most of the remaining letters are already written, and inexplicably unfinished or even just unposted. So here we go, returning to June of 2011, when this was actually composed.

U :: Umbrella

Rainy days in Hong Kong can be really rainy. And crowded streets in Hong Kong are really crowded. Put it together, and you get scenes like this:

Though it can be a little dangerous in there--a little crazy--it's also cozy, and I love how people synchronize their movements, raising an umbrella here, holding it close there, all weaving together and avoiding accidents. Watching it--and staying dry!--from the second story of a bus is a great treat of rainy days, all the beautiful colors dancing in a moving canopy.

U :: Under bridge spicy crab

You can hardly tell what's under there, but it is crab. And what's hiding it is the most deliciously obscene amount of fried garlic and chilis (but mostly garlic) that I have ever seen, much less eaten. Needless to say, this is not for the faint of heart. Or maybe it is, because isn't garlic good for the heart? It's certainly not for the faint of nose, anyway. But it is delicious, and so is the crab, though it becomes almost an afterthought to all that perfectly fried garlic. There are a few restaurants that specialize in this dish, also known as "typhoon shelter crab", and they are all located--you guessed it--under a bridge.

We did our best, but couldn't even begin to finish off the garlic.