Lotus in Hong Kong

Do you know that lotus is edible?

From petals to leaves, from rhizome to seeds; almost every single part of lotus can be turned into food.

In Hong Kong, lotus-related dishes are actually pretty common.

The petals can be used to brew tea; the leaves can be used to warped food; the rhizome can be cooked into either savory dishes or sweetened snacks; while lotus seeds are usually used for desserts: lotus seed paste buns, moon cakes, lotus seed soup…

Sometimes, Hong Kong people simply forget that all these things they put into their mouth comes only from a flower.

How about you? You can also give them a try.

All you have to do, is to visit a “Dim Sum House” (茶樓, basically a Cantonese restaurant where you can eat “dim sum”, or snack) and you can order all you want.

I recommend lotus seed paste buns.

Flower in Hong Kong

Do you know that Hong Kong has lots of things to do with flowers?

That may be just a coincidence, but now that I have brought that up, let’s have a little talk about that.

There is a Flower Market Road (花墟道) in Hong Kong. Just as the name just suggested, it is a dedicated wholesale flower market since 1970s. It has been, and is still a to-go place when you need flowers in Hong Kong, as especially during festivals.

Fat Yuen Street (花園街, literally means “Flower Garden Street”) is another example. During Ming and Qing Dynasty (1368 – 1911, AD), the street was a village famous for planting flowers, and was turn into a garden in 1910. Though the street becomes a famous shopping district in Hong Kong and has nothing to do with flowers now.

And our need for flowers never cease! During Lunar New Year, we Hongkongers will buy flowers for decorations because of what they symbolize: peach flowers represent fruitions and accomplishments; lilies symbolize “everything goes smooth”; peonies symbolize wealth and prosperity, and the list goes on. Let’s not forget that we also buy flowers for our beloved during Valentines’ Day, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.

You want more flowers? No Problem.

We also have the Hong Kong Flower Show, a flower exhibition held annually. The show displays a large amount of potted plants and floral arrangements from local, mainland China and all over the world. There are commercial stalls, student arts and competition during the show that aims to promote horticulture and green lifestyle.

Hard to imagine a concrete jungle like Hong Kong has such great connection with flowers, huh?