How to do Absolutely (Almost) Everything in Hong Kong
At a loss? All at sea? Don’t despair. HK Magazine is here to walk you through how to do (almost) everything in the SAR. By HK Staff.
How to… Count on one hand
How to… Open a durian
Durians may look terrifying, but they’re actually quite easy to open.
- You will need a big, sharp knife and a glove. Inspect the durian for its natural “seams” where the spines align. This is where you will make your first incision.
- Make a single, long cut along the length of the durian.
- Pull the durian apart. Make a further cut into the dividing section in the middle of the halves. This will allow you to remove the fruit easily.
- Do not do this on public transport.
How to… Order the perfect amount of dim sum, every time
It happens every time. You walk into a dim sum place starving and excited… you waddle out, bloated and sick. Through hard work and experimentation, we’ve come up the perfect dim sum quotient. You can thank us later.
- Trust us on this: the golden ratio is 2.2 baskets of dim sum per person. Follow-up trials have revealed that anywhere between 2.2–2.5 baskets is acceptable.
- But if you’re going out with your Chinese elders, it’s seen as good manners to order more. Our advice: never bring up the quotient with your in-laws.
How to… Correctly identify poisonous snakes
Hong Kong is home to 52 different species of snake, of which 14 terrestrial and six sea snakes are venomous. Most snakes tend to be more scared of humans than we are of them: but it’s still worth knowing what the more common and more deadly ones look like. (Photos: AFCD)
Bamboo Snake
Luminous green, yellow or white belly. Reddish-brown streak in the tail. Triangular head with orange-yellow eyes. Painful but not lethal bites: Hong Kong’s most common venomous snake.
Many-banded Krait
Black with thin white bands. Black and white head. Extremely poisonous: the bite is not painful, but will lead to respiratory paralysis and heart failure after 1-4 hours.