Hey Jude! Happy Hanukkah!

I am a big foodie. I like good food. When I was growing up in Hong Kong, I was brainwashed just like everyone else, thinking that Hong Kong is a shopping and food paradise. Tax free. No service charges. I was really into the notion that Hong Kong is an international hub: vibrant, dynamic, fair and safe for locals and foreigners.

Then I went to New York.

I was like, wait a minute. This can't be true.

Either what I was told in Hong Kong textbooks was completely based on false claims, or we are all delusional to a point, which we may be classified as schizophrenic.

Hong Kong does not produce anything of significance. We used to be big in electronics and plastic manufacturing in the 60s. Then housing prices soared, no more factories. Then we became a trade port, or more recently a financial center.

We still don't produce anything. Trade port is just a middle ground platform for shipping. Finance does not even make money out of commodities or products, it is just simply buy low sell high for stocks and bonds.

Hong Kong needs a lot of marketing to maintain its position, otherwise, our existence does not matter to anyone at all. Frankly speaking, we don't need to exist and people can still do trades with China. We, as a middle man or so called super connector, may become obsolete any moment in time.

So Hong Kong has a lot of brainwashing propaganda in schools, starting from kindergartens.

I was told to memorize all these factural details about Hong Kong. That the Victoria Harbour is deep and wide (urgh, it is as narrow as a river); Hong Kong is a tax free haven for businesses; Hong Kong is a cultural desert, we don't produce anything of substance in humanities; Hong Kong is a hub for international flights (Seriously, who wanted to land on Kai Tak if you know what I mean?); Hong Kong is an international trade port, the key hub for foreigners to enter China; Hong Kong has a wide variety of food, thanks to the influx of labor from mainland during the Cultural Revolution.

Hong Kong people read news every day because it makes us to feel good about ourselves. It is very sad because the only thing that keeps us going is witnessing others' misfortunes and suffering. Japan has earthquakes; China has poverty and corruption; America has gun violence; Canada is slow and boring; Singapore is no fun. We basically witness everyone else's problems through the lens of Apple Daily to justify that we are indeed the last resort on planet earth that is disaster-free, war-free and tax-free.

Hong Kong people also think that we are fortunate, because it looks like Hong Kong has an unshakable presense in Asia. We are just a bit behind Japan, and Japanese work too hard to a point that it is pointless. With a bit of superior intelligence, we are almost on comparable levels with cities like Tokyo, Paris, New York and London.

Wait, I used to think that way too.

Until I studied abroad.

I realize how the other end of the spectrum reasons. And then I realize how much of a shithole Hong Kong has been, despite all its propaganda.

To give you an example, New York has the world's most international diners and restaurants. I had hummus from the Middle East; gyro from Mediterranean Sea; plantains from the Caribbean; bagels and pastramis everywhere in Jewish restaurants in Manhattan; orange chicken from Chinatown; Turkish ice-cream; kebabs from Persia; Argentinian steakhouse; Halal food for Muslims; Kosher meals at Barnard dining hall.

There was a diner called Columbia cottage near campus, they sold sichuan cuisine. Then there was a pan asian restaurant called Swish; Japanese sushi place called Tomo; Chinese restaurant Ollies right across the street from campus; pizza for 2 dollars a slice and even an Ethiopian restaurant two blocks away from school. Tons of yakitori places at St Mark's.

Throughout my four years of college, I did not encounter any Shanghainese restaurant in the entire New York region, including the 5 boroughs.

I was able to eat Peking duck in Chinatown, Sichuan hotpot; even 煎餅粿子 for brunch in Flushing.

But four years, I could not find a single Shanghainese restaurant.

Do you know why?

I heard it is because during the second world war, a lot of the Jews from Europe escaped Nazist persecution and seeked assylum in the United States. Many of these people fled to Shanghai as a middle station before they moved on to America. Yes, many Jews lived in Shanghai for a handful of years during their transition.

So you see, they did not like Shanghai very much. They obviously didn't like them enough or miss them enough to allow any Shanghainese restaurants to flourish in Manhattan and the Greater New York region.

We have to trace back to its roots and cultures why Jews don't like Shanghainese.

Shanghainese are known to be meticulous and calculating. They love money. They are willing to do anything for material gains.

Also, the Shanghai and Suzhou regions are known for sex and prostitution.

So before you hate on other races and other people, ask yourself first, do they also hate you?

Hanukkah Sameach!