There were two locals in particular that we met who left us with deep impressions. The first was a young lady at the buffet section in our hotel. She could not communicate in English well, but her smile full of sunshine grew wider whenever I made the effort to try to communicate with her every morning. Some local traditions were served, like plates of mango sticky rice which combined both a salty blue rice, and a white rice that was sweetened with coconut milk. Because my grandmothers didn’ t particular care for it, and they only ate steamed rice with Choy Sum. Of course, it was no place for Chinese cuisine in this city of spices. I couldn’ t help but to capture a fun sighing expression of Linda, looking away from her rice with chicken.
However, there was one street stall that caught Grannie Linda’ s attention. This is where we met the other local who we grew particularly fond of. It was a man selling dried smoked octopus in the middle of China Town! How could we resist?
“ Oh I remember this place!” she exclaimed.“ This was where grandpa once bought me a packet to eat on our way home!” The man in the stall full of octopus was astonished, too
– to see a woman with such eagerness, and with such a sharp memory. Because of her passion, he handed us two pieces of dried octopus. She recounted how strongly she could remember the scent, just as if it were the day when my late grandfather bought it for her.“ We got so lost that day. And still, I’ m able to remember this scent.”
One day, I hope to return, and to recall some of the same wonderful memories like my grannies are able to do, even to this day.
Chicco Leung is a final year BEd student at EdUHK. Travelling and writing are two of her favorite interests. Writing has helped her with calming her nerves, and she also enjoys relaxing and reading to pass the time. While at EdUHK, she was an exchange student in Czech Republic and England. She ultimately enjoys facing new challenges, as each success and failure elicit learning.
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