I arrived in Hong Kong this morning, and am now succumbing to the jet lag that is finally catching up with me. It’s only 3 pm in the afternoon Hong Kong time, corresponding to midnight in Vancouver. I figure if I can make it until at least 8 o’clock tonight, I should be okay.
My first taste of the food was on the plane while flying to Taiwan. I had the choice between a Western style breakfast of scrambled eggs and an Asian style breakfast of porridge with fish. I figured that I might as well get used to the food since I would be eating a lot of it, and went with the Asian. It came with a little plastic sachet of something called “fish floss”, which my neighbour poured over his porridge, leaving a distinct fishy smell. Needless to say, my breakfast went unfinished. 
Later on, after settling in at the hostel, I set off to find authentic Hong Kong cuisine. I settled for a popular spot called “Delicious Kitchen” which was full of Asians but didn’t appear to have a single tourist. It passed the authenticity test. I ended up being seated at a table of four with three girls already eating and speaking in Cantonese. Once I received my dish of vegetable noodle soup, I had the distinct impression that they were talking about the way I was eating. Was I doing something wrong? Holding my chopsticks the wrong way? I had no way to tell, since I couldn’t understand a single word they were saying. I also noticed that everyone seemed to have brought a small package of Kleenex with them to use as a napkin, since there were none in the restaurant. And napkins are essential when slurping on noodle soup with chopsticks.
The rest of the afternoon has found me wandering aimlessly, willing the day to fast forward so I can go to sleep and wake up tomorrow well rested. 
I’m curious to see what the following days will bring. Ideally I’d like to fit in some Cantonese opera, a bit of shopping at the markets, and hiking to Hong Kong’s highest peaks. I’ll keep you posted.