June 03, 2003
YOU MEAN THERE'S ANOTHER BIG WHITE GUY BLOGGING?
It's always cool to find another interesting blog to read.
Meet Randall, who lives with his wife Mabel in the Ma On Shan section of Hong Kong.
Randall reports that people there refer to him as Gwi Lo [gw-eye l-oe] What does it mean? In English, gwi means ghost, and lo is a colloquial term for a common man.
""Gwi Lo is a frequently used Chinese expression referring to men like me. 100 years ago it was considered an offensive term. Nowadays, it's not really all that bad.''
He has some interesting insights into the SARS virus and how mainland China is reacting to it.
Here's an excerpt:
Think you're immune from getting ticketed in Hong Kong for spitting or littering because there are no officers around?
Think again. A group of 45 undercover officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department began patrolling areas such as MTR entrances, wet markets and bus stops yesterday, nabbing 25 offenders in the process. The new plainclothes agents operate concurrently with 4,000 uniformed officers to enforce public hygiene laws.
In addition, the department also sent out 18,000 warning notices to wet-market vendors, restaurants, food factories and canteens, ordering them to clean up or face the consequences. Daily inspections and "blitz operations" will begin later next week to ensure full compliance with all regulations. Particularly outlawed practices include:
• Working in dirty surroundings.
— Ever been inside the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant? I have. Shudder.
• Placing cooked food on display without cover.
— This is specifically aimed at Hong Kong snack vendors that sell things such as fish balls and squid right at street level.
• Preparing food in back alleys.
— I've seen it happen. And don't even get me started on the condition of the back alleys.
• Allowing infestation of pests.
— Translate: Cockroaches.
• Tolerating filthy toilets.
— If at all possible I rarely use the washrooms in restaurants unless they happen to be a higher class establishment. That's because the toilets in small restaurants are so frightening that if you ever were to go in there you'd probably not feel like eating for quite a while afterward.
As for the undercover officers, they are armed with a zero-tolerance policy against spitters and litterbugs. Personally, I am very happy to hear that. I can't wait for the day when I actually get to see someone being handed a ticket for hawking a loogie on the sidewalk. When it happens, I hope to God I have my camera with me. So be advised: whether you're in Hong Kong for a visit or to make it your home, just because other people spit and litter doesn't mean you should too.
Remember, you're being watched.