We Put The Traveling In Traveling Spoon

There's a website called "Traveling Spoon"  where you can do anything from one to three steps.  Step one is that you go with a home cook to a market, get local fresh food.  Step two is that you work with the cook in their home to prepare it, and step three is that you eat it.  The chefs are vetted by the site.

The first time we did it was in Marrakesh, and we just did step 3 (eat the meal prepared by a local cook in their home).  It was fun, and something more connected than going to a restaurant).  (Click on the link in the first paragraph, then click on the "Where Are You Traveling?" drop-down -- it will show you how many cities this is available in.

(Then click on Hong Kong, and it will show you Sandy with more info on the experience.  Some cities have one option, others have multiple options for home meals.)

Our second time we tried was in Iceland, but the couple had to cancel.

Undeterred, we tried again in Hong Kong.  To save time, and hassle, we took a cab over to the address that Traveling Spoon had sent us.  Our cabbie drops us off, points in a general direction, then zooms off.  We wander around for a bit, so I GPS the address.  Turns out he had dropped us on the wrong street.  He dropped us on Des Voeux Road West instead of Queen's Road West!  (Ha, ha, funny cabbie!)

We get to the apartment building, flash the Traveling Spoon paper to security.  He dutifully lets us up.  It's 4:25, and we are right on time for our 4:30 start.  We go to the 30th Floor, and knock/ring the doorbell.  No answer.  No stirring.  Hmmm. . .so I call Sandy (our chef), and say, we are here on the 30th Floor at her apartment.

One problem.  She moved in December, and Traveling Spoon never updated their records.  This was April Fools Day, and we felt like fools played by Traveling Spoon.  Honestly, I was a bit irritated.  Carol was ready to bag on the idea, but I refused. . .there was no guarantee we would get our money back.

Sandy's new apartment is in North Point, which is about 2.4 miles from her old apartment.  So we trudged back downstairs (Editor's Note: Fact check -- you took the elevator.  Blogger: It felt like a trudge).  Cabs whipped past us on Queen's Road West, disinterested in picking us up.  

We headed downhill to Des Voeux Road West because it was busier.  Still no luck.  We divided -- I crossed the street, while Carol stayed where she was, doubling our chances.  I hailed a cab (no special skill, just luck), and Carol played Frogger with a dramatic dash through traffic to come over to the cab.  

After some traffic jams, we finally got there at 5:05 pm.  Sandy was there to greet us, a little nervous about our mood.  Somehow, my mood had improved once we got there, so all was good.  (It wasn't Sandy's fault, and blowing up at her would have made the rest of the evening awkward.)

I guess I had forgotten that I had signed us up for the cooking step as well as the eating step.  We have a simple rule in the family -- Carol cooks, I grill.  (Calm down -- it's not sexist, it's a division of labor that works for us!).  Point being, I had flashbacks to Carol's Myanmar triumph and my humiliation (honestly, I'm over it).  

(C'mon people, I put these links in for a reason -- click on them and read!  What else are you doing right now -- playing Free Cell?)

I was pretty nervous, but Sandy walked us through each step.  Carol prepared certain parts of the meal, while I did other dishes.  

Sandy was originally a banker in Manhattan, but loves to cook, so she has spent the last fifteen years as a food educator.  She gets to do what she enjoys most.  Her husband does marketing for a bank.  They are from Manhattan, but he got transferred to Hong Kong about 18 months ago.  Sandy already loved Asian cooking, so it is the perfect place for her to do even more experimenting.  

We've already been blown away by the freshness and size of the food at the markets, and she goes virtually every day to shop.  She has to, with a very small apartment (and small kitchen -- all three of us could barely fit).  We did the food prep at the dining room table, which gave us enough space to work.

With generous amounts of help from Sandy, Carol prepped the Steamed Water Eggs, the Stir-Fried Tofu with Black Bean, and Steamed What Rice.  I prepped the Smashed Cucumbers with Chili Oil, Sesame Oil, and Garlic, the Cantonese Steamed Whole Fish, and the Szeechuan Sweet and Sout Cabbage.  

Even though I was nervous, it turned out to be fun.  Carol and Sandy hit it off as two women from New York will do.  Sandy was an engaging host, and I learned that smashing cucumbers can be quite relaxing.

Carol and Sandy did most of the actual cooking (I did a modest amount), and the meal was great.  We stayed and chatted for a while.  After the fresh fruit course for dessert, Sandy pulled out mangosteen, which is a tropical evergreen fruit that we had never seen before.  It is quite tasty, so if you ever get the chance. . .try it!

Sandy's kitchen, proving Springsteen right.  

From small things, mama, big things one day come.

Tofu.

Carol cooking the cabbage.

Smashed cucumber, steamed 

whole fish, and stir-fried tofu.

Steamed Water Eggs

Sandy and Carol.

With a full table.

Do give Traveling Spoon a try, we've had two very fun experiences with them.  Just be sure to double check the address!

(According to the Wikipedia link you just ignored, mangosteen is now grown in Florida too!)

Sandy walked us and her little dog down the hill to a main road, where we caught the ding ding tram for nine stops.  We headed to another pier to catch the ferry.  At that point I ran out of gas, so we flagged down a cab and took the easy way back to Kowloon and our hotel.  We used our free drink coupons at the hotel bar (we had to!  The drinks were free!) and called it a successful trip to Hong Kong.

A Ding Ding pictured from our Ding Ding.

They have a bit of a Knight Bus feel to them.

Our biggest miss with not going to the Giant Buddha on Landau Island, and I would have liked to have hiked the Dragon's Teeth (although the weather really wasn't conducive to view hikes).