I am now in Hong Kong for my annual evaluation of the nucleic acids program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Today was a busy day of the two activities that predominate in Hong Kong leisure time: shopping and eating. Although the shopping was successful, the eating was far more adventurous! My hostess, Rossa, took me to Yung Kee (bottom photo), which has been in business since 1942. In 1968 it was listed by Fortune magazine as one of the top 15 restuarants in the world. It is famous for its roast goose, and serves at least 300 of them per day (see middle photo). Asian prople love the roast goose so much that they package it up and take it on the airplane, much like visitors to New England take lobster home as a souvenir. In 2001 and later the SARS and avian flu epidemics forced an embargo on the geese. The goose was tasty and moist, but much more exotic was the thousamd year old egg, also known as the "century egg." A recent CNN blogger called this "the most revolting food in the world," which caused an outcry regarding Western sensitivity (or lack thereof) to this delicacy. I must admit I was hesitant to eat it because of its unusual appearance. The yolk is a teal blue and the "white" looks like tea-colored jello. The recipe dates back to the Ming Dynasty, around 600 years ago. You coat the duck or chicken eggs in a clay-like plaster of red earth, garden lime, salt, wood ash, and tea, and bury it in the earth for a few months. The key thing is to expose it to alkali, which breaks down the proteins, and intensifies the flavors. While I wouldn't want one every day, it tasted better than it looked! It was served with pickled ginger, which made for an interesting contrast of flavors. A must for foodies!
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