Erratum

Apparently Duke's is not the most expensive hamburger in town. The Intercon lobby has a burger on the menu that is over HK1,000 (approximately US$130).

No, am not going to spend over a hundred bucks on a burger, BUT if anyone would like to take me there for dinner, am available most week nights.

Hong Kong's Most Expensive Hamburger

I've had a ridiculously priced hamburger before -- back in 2003, Cousin Malu took me to DB Bistro in New York where we each had a US$50 cheeseburger. Back then I thought (1) it was really good but (2) I would never spend 50 bucks on a hamburger.

Fast forward 5 years later. I am at Duke's with C. The restaurant just opened and has been causing a bit of a buzz. Yes, they sell HK's most expensive burgers. At HK$280 (approx US$40) a pop (not including service charge or fries) you get a patty of beef-ribs with a sliver of foie gras.

As I dug into my burger in the middle of the oppulently designed restaurant (I guess to make up for the fact that they sell only burgers and beer) I thought: (1) this is really good and (2) on my God, we just spent close to a hundred bucks on two burgers, a couple of beers and some fries.

Graphs + 80's Pop = Funny

Shirt Envy

I went to the tailor yesterday to fit the trousers and shirts I had made. Bespoke clothing is one of the few small number of luxuries I enjoy. I like picking out the fabric, running my fingers through hundreds of swatches, trying to imagine the three by five inch piece of cloth as a full shirt.

I usually have my work shirts made with French cuffs, although yesterday, while at the tailors, I saw this sharply dressed, "well put together" woman who was wearing a shirt that had two buttons at the collar and a three button cuff.

Hmmm.... At that moment shirt envy struck.

You have one guess how my next shirts are going to look.

Angkor waaat?

Ode to lamb masala

I've written previously about my food fixations. You've read about my obsessions with pho, frozen dumplings, and poached chicken from the corner roast shop. (Yes reader, TWS is quite a fascinating blog.)

Recently though, I've been nuts about lamb masala. (Dad, this is essentially lamb curry, with a tomato based sauce.) The way the sauce just explodes in your mouth is simply amazing. I've found myself walking up LKF at lunch time to fight the crowds in this tiny hole in the wall to get my curry take-away (with free diet Pepsi). I convince myself that the trek offsets the calorie intake (the curry comes with the *best* basmati rice), which of course is ridiculous (probably not full off-set, but definitely 50%....)

Today I was back at my favorite curry shop and this time the lamb masala came with boiled egg thrown in. Just when I thought things couldn't get any better.

Lamb curry with egg.

Saddest book ever

I'm reading the saddest book on earth. It's called, "You Remind Me Of Me" and is written by a guy named Dan Chaon. Not only are the inter-twined plots all sad (i.e., boy is savagely attacked by a dog and survives, child disappears from the yard and goes missing, man slips into drug addiction, etc.), the narrative is sad.

How sad? Well, here's a passage that's not *too* sad --

"Jonah's mother would talk about his brother sometimes -- the baby she had given up for adoption when she was in high school. She would joke sometimes about it. Whenever she saw a lady with an infant, she would say, "Oh, look, there's my baby!" and she would smile at Jonah, as if they were sharing a bitter joke. After Jonah's grandfather died, when she started taking drugs more she would occasionally grow sentimental.

"Don't you wish I'd given you up, Jonah?" she would say, full of slurry self-pity, in a haze of her own angry thoughts. "I'll bet he's a lot happier than you are."

Each time I pick this book up I am propelled to a place of great sadness.

It's a good thing I'm deliriously happy now.

Old body, new clothes

I paid a visit to my tailor today. I've had it with the loose fitting pants and shirts. I look like a 17 year old boy from Oakland. Kulang na lang, diamond studded chain with a fist sized pendant (also diamond studded) and a baseball cap worn sideways.

Since the weight loss, I've been looking v. silly at the office.

So I go see my tailor J. (J. makes Elton John look like a marine sergeant) and he takes one look at me and gasps, "What happened!?!?" I love J. He makes going down a couple of shirt sizes sound like the Second Coming.

I hate the Fed

I realize the American economy is tanking. But does it have to affect me so directly? Since the Fed started cutting interest rates in the beginning of the year, I've seen my savings account interest take a nose dive. I'm earning 40% less now on more money then I did 4 months ago.

I am *not* pleased.

Someone bring Greenspan (and 2005 market conditions) back.