The first Charlie Hebdo cover after the terrorist massacre of their staff features a tearful Muhammad holding a Je Suis Charlie sign with the caption All is Forgiven.
Category: feature
The Joy of Beef
American beef is very popular locally, in fact by value Hong Kong is the world’s 4th largest importer of American beef. Recently the US Meat Export Federation and the Texas Beef Council were in town to promote US beef and raise awareness among supermarkets and butchers about how to best cut, trim and prepare raw beef for their customers. As well as an effort to encourage shops to help advise and inform customers on the best way to cook different cuts and to buy their meat based on how they’re planning to cook it.
While they were in Hong Kong bc spoke to Tom McDonald (Chairman, Texas Cattle Feeders Association; VP of Environmental Affairs, JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC), Ross Wilson (President & CEO, Texas Cattle Feeders Association), Austin Brown III (Vice Chairman, Texas Beef Council; Vice Chairman, Beef Promotion and Research Council of Texas), Jason Bagley (Sr. Manager, Beef Resources at Texas Beef Council).
With the concerns locally about counterfeit meat, what should Hong Kong customers look for when buying American Beef to know that it’s authentic and the real thing?
Hong Kong requires country of origin labelling for meat sold at retail. We would assume most follow that. The US Meat Export Federation also supports importers and distributors for promoting US red meat and their stickers often appear on packages of US beef.
Texas is renowned for it’s BBQ, for non-Americans what is it that makes Texas BBQ so special?
It takes the right cut of beef, time and a low cooking temperature. It can be done on the smoker/grill or even in the oven. Texas BBQ uses mainly salt and pepper as a dry rub and then cooks the beef at a low temperature, about 120C.
What are good cuts of beef to use when BBQing, and what should customers look for in their meat when shopping?
Some good cuts are steaks from the ribeye or loin, or thicker roasts like the strip, sirloin cap, brisket or shoulder. It’s best to look for a little fat on the outside to protect from the heat while cooking, but more importantly to look for marbling in the steak or roast.
HK flats tend to the small size with limited ovens – are there ways to Texas BBQ at home?
Absolutely, the same cuts Texans cook on a BBQ pit can be cooked in the oven with the same spices. For a little smoke flavour you can even include some liquid smoke if it’s available. Use the same salt and pepper seasoning.
We love our outdoor BBQs, can HongKonger’s get a Texas flavour from these open pit style BBQs?
Yes, choose wood or charcoal that will enhance the flavour and season as usual. It’s best to BBQ with indirect heat so move the meat away from the coals to decrease the temp and slow the cooking process.
‘Organic’ and ‘Natural’ are increasingly popular words locally, what is the Texas beef industry doing to improve sustainability?
The beef industry has done many things to improve the sustainability over the years. One of the things cattle ranchers in Texas and across the US have done is to use the best genetics when selecting bulls and cows to use in their herd. This can ensure that cattle have higher quality meat, at the same time as decreasing the amount of water, food and resources needed to grow an animal to a given weight. In short, they breed efficient growing cattle that produce a quality product.
The drought has driven US beef prices to an all time high, and made beef from other countries attractive on a price point. What does the future hold for the price of US beef?
I think the future will continue to see US beef prices stay high. Until the cattle herd is able to rebuild and supply increases. However, we continue to see demand stay at high levels due to the high quality meat being produced compared and the great eating experience that you get each time. The “value” is still very good.
Many people think of Texas and cowboys + big cattle drives. How has the life of the cowboy changed? What impact is technology having on our romantic movie driven view of the cowboy?
The days of cattle drives are long gone. Although today’s cowboys still wear the same hats and boots, they also use lots of technology, from the smart phones used to check emails and weather from horseback, to the computer software and RFID ear tags that are used to track cattle birth, growth and sales. Another example would be the computer programming and technology that ensures cattle are getting the exact food ration needed to meet their nutritional needs. As with many businesses, technology has become a major part of being successful and creating a high quality product.
If you don’t fancy or aren’t able to cook your own beef, head down to Great in the basement of Pacifc Place and have your prime US Beef cooked for you.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Biting Satire, Charlie Hebdo’s Iconic Covers
HKU & Kennedy Town MTR Stations
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Kennedy-Town-HKU-MTR-Stations/46641311_HZrLvj#!i=3792392706&k=hTjbngz&lb=1&s=A
Quite how, during busy periods, the MTR will get 689 mainland tourists just off a Macau Ferry and their 689 pieces of heavy wheelie luggage onto a train inside a ‘normal stop’ is anybody’s guess… However as of 6am on the 28 December after passing through HKU, the MTR’s Island Line ends in Kennedy Town instead of Sheung Wan. The two new stations, located 80m and 60m underground respectively, are efficient and well connected to to bus stops and minibus terminuses.
There’s big shiny wall murals at each station – with HKU having an interested potted history of the the University on the long corridor to exits A1 & A2. It’s an interesting 50m plus panel with some nice photos, but people reading the mural block half the space creating an irritating logjam even during the afternoon.
The Good:
Public toilets: the MTR have finally recognised that it’s customers might need a toilet, and there are public facilities inside each station.
Wifi hotspots: at each entry concourse, the MTR’s free wifi hotspots allows 5x 15 minute logins per day – registration free.
New Ticket machines: which among other things allow for checking of your Octopus transaction history and, for $3, a transaction print out.
The Bad:
Exit A at HKU station. This lift only exit is split into two parts A1 and A2 – each is bank of four elevators using a new lift tower. A1 opens at the top to offer exits at HK University and A2 which opens at the bottom onto Pokfulam Road. The lifts are double sided, with the unsigned exit side opening before the entry side. This makes for very slow lift fills – in the middle of the afternoon there was a queue. It’ll be messy in rush hour and a nightmare when raining.
Click on the photos to see more internal and external images
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Kennedy-Town-HKU-MTR-Stations/46641311_HZrLvj#!i=3792396669&k=G8DcL7R
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Kennedy-Town-HKU-MTR-Stations/46641311_HZrLvj#!i=3792400777&k=FkZXPKt
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Kennedy-Town-HKU-MTR-Stations/46641311_HZrLvj#!i=3792394092&k=hMz9r8R
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Kennedy-Town-HKU-MTR-Stations/46641311_HZrLvj#!i=3792402283&k=X7C2Bhv
The Great European Carnival Opens Today, Sort Of…
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/European-Carnival-Media-Day-22/46511057_Gg5vK3#!i=3778838542&k=4t7whS9
For the next 60 days Hong Kong’s harbourfront event space hosts the ‘Great European Carnival’ and to give it’s CEO Micheal Denmark his due – it has potential. There’s plenty of games with lots of stuffed animals and toys to win, a lovely outdoor ice skating rink, a beer tent, a community stage, food (most food stands were closed on the media tour so we can’t comment on the quality of the food) and rides…
And here’s where the problems start, the rides. There are plans for between 25 and 30 rides of all shapes and styles for adults and children alike. On the media tour, none were open – not even the most basic slide. The bumper cars were quiet, the ghosts of the Haunted House under arrest for shopping in Mong Kok… A couple of interesting looking rides were being tested, but most were still awaiting construction.
I know from spending three years working on a traveling carnival in the United States that good carnies can erect or tear-down a ride pretty fast – but these are international rides and new to Hong Kong and getting them safety checked and licensed appears to be complicated. It’s good that government is ensuring the rides are safe, but when they ask “What happens when two bumper cars hit each other…”
10 rides are scheduled to be working today, opening day – but with unbuilt and un-opened rides dotting the midway, the carnival looks like what it is, a work in progress, which is a shame.
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/European-Carnival-Media-Day-22/46511057_Gg5vK3#!i=3778867149&k=RzDHPMT
Entry costs $125 which includes 10 tokens. Games and rides use tokens – which cost $10 each. All food and beverage is cash only. There don’t appear to be any ATM’s on site. Don’t like waiting, there’s a fast track entry and ride band which costs $600.
The carnival can hold around 12,000 at any time, so at busy times, expect to queue. As I said earlier, the carnival has potential lets hope the organisers can get it fully up and running as quickly as possible, because really, there’s nothing like a day at the fair.
Great European Carnival
When: 11am – 11pm, 23 December, 2014 – 22 February, 2015
Where: New Central Harbour Front
How Much: $125
More info: www.tgec.asia
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/European-Carnival-Media-Day-22/46511057_Gg5vK3#!i=3778882716&k=P5ptkTN
Umbrella Movement – 22 December, 2014
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-22-December/46511051_tSsmWK#!i=3778837564&k=FJkFfmM
Outside Legco and Civic Square the Umbrella Movement’s tented enclosure fights off the cold and government as the struggle to bring competence and accountability to those ‘elected’ to run Hong Kong continues.
A ‘Lennon’ chair, re-cycling, study corner 2…
Click on the photos to see more.
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-22-December/46511051_tSsmWK#!i=3778833285&k=zP7hQsN
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-22-December/46511051_tSsmWK#!i=3778834697&k=9GWJq9v
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-22-December/46511051_tSsmWK#!i=3778843262&k=GBqLxJQ
http://bcmagazine.smugmug.com/Bcene-photos/2014/Umbrella-Movement-22-December/46511051_tSsmWK#!i=3778837452&k=nSZ3t29
Panda by Sadhu-X
#Occupy: an expression of global conscience is an exhibition at the City Museum Kathmandu that seeks to acknowledge the art and creativity that is inspired by the spirit behind occupy.
An expression for social justice that grows into a social movement, largely with the use of social media: this is what has defined a generation’s efforts to stand up for what they believe is right, it is what has inspired thoughtful and provocative art and literature, and it is what has helped destroy the notion of staying silent, and being ignored when speaking up. If “we” see something, we say something. If “we” feel something, we do something. If those in position of delivering social justice turn a deaf ear, “we occupy.”
#Occupy resonates and is an ode to a generation looking for itself, and eager to “do something.” It is a generation occupied with liking, double tapping ♥, showing up, being seen, obsessing about everything, obsessing about self, a generation occupied with wanting to do something, to mean something.
Among the many exhibits is Panda by Sadhu-X one of two pieces commissioned by Kashish Das Shrestha the curator of “#Occupy: an expression of global conscience” who says this about Panda.
“When the International New York Times published an image by Vincent Yu (Associated Press) of Hong Kong police dragging a protestor away, I spoke with Aditya Aryal (Sadhu-X) on using that image to make a larger point about accountable systems. I also wondered if we could play with the dynamics of Banksy’s iconic protestor with flowers. So I urged Aditya to replace the protestor from Vincent Yu’s photo with something else, as Banksy replaced a Molotov cocktail with flowers. After a day, Aditya proposed a teddy bear. We eventually settled on a Panda.
In early December 2014, as the #OccupyHongKong protest was in its last throes, China extended its ‘Panda Diplomacy’ to Israel, offering to loan its zoo in Haifa two pandas. China has often used pandas as a way to extend its diplomatic relations with the receiving country. However, China’s relationship with the global ecology and wildlife is far from being diplomatic.
In November 2014, China’s top leaders were implicated in a massive illegal haul of ivory using the President’s jet. The news was based on the report ‘Vanishing Point: Criminality, Corruption and the Devastation of Tanzania’s Elephants’ published by Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). In it, China is repeatedly declared the global leader in enabling illegal wildlife trade. In July, EIA also reported on how China’s illegal timber trade is the leading cause for loss of forest in Mozambique. And days after the Panda diplomacy made news, EIA also reported how captive-bred tiger trade in China is posing an “enforcement nightmare” and “stimulates illegal trade.”
Political unaccountability has many serious repercussions for a society, and a global ecological crisis is as serious as any. In this piece, we have tried to express both these issues, while paying homage to an iconic street art.”
