Kowloon Bay it is probably the best area to live in Hong Kong. You name it, it is there: big shopping malls, fast-food chains and restaurants for your choice in cuisine, two cinema multiplexes, a public library and other recreational facilities, a convenient transport network – 30 minutes to Tsim Sha Tsui or Causeway Bay, overnight bus and minibus to and from major districts – and even a recently opened HMV. It makes me laugh to see TV ads for those luxurious private apartments that try to makes you feel as if you’ll be living in the south of France where in fact they are in the middle of nowhere. As a resident living in Kowloon Bay for 20 years, if there is one thing I know about the real estate market in Hong Kong, it is that estates like the Telford and Amoy Gardens of Kowloon Bay are honest. When you buy a flat of 600 sq feet, at least 500 should be useable. You shouldn’t get just 70% of space for your 100% of money like most modern apartments offer these days, and put up with an exclusive and extravagant clubhouse you can hardly enjoy because you are too busy making money to pay the mortgage.

The find: A pair of silk socks and a toe cover
Original asking price:
$5 for the socks and $4 for the toe cover
Where found: Causeway Bay

What would you do with a pair of silk socks? Well, you could use one as a filter to make a nice cup of “silk sock milk tea”, the infamous Hong Kong signature drink as found in your local dai pai dong. Rumor abound that in the past they filtered the tea through old ladies’ pre-worn silk socks because it made the tea “taste better”. I used to believe that, but of course it’s just an urban legend – good grief, I hope it is – can you imagine the waiter “And how sweaty would you like your tea ma’am”. After you’ve finished your tea you could pull the other sock over your head and make like a bank robber from an 80’s Hong Kong movie, because you’re so broke after all those festive season parties. Or you could be boring and actually wear this pair of cheap leg warmers to keep the winter chill at bay…
Also found on the stall was this toe cover – the shopkeeper said it’s a “sock” for slippers so that “you will feel more comfortable and your slippers will not slip away”. Isn’t the whole point of slippers, to not wear socks?
Anyway we have a fine pair of slightly used silk socks to give away to the person with the best silk sock usage suggestion. Please include a photo, and you may wear a sock to protect your identity - hkeditorial@bcmagazine.net