Heart moving with the wind

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Hong Kong has secured its second high-profile tech IPO inside a week. Following on from gaming firm Razer, which filed its prospectus on Friday, Tencent’s online publishing service has followed suit with plans for a Hong Kong IPO.

China Literature is akin to Amazon’s Kindle service, with 8.4 million pieces of content from more than five million writers. It counts 175.3 million monthly users across all services, of which more than 90 percent are on mobile.

The service is being spun out of Tencent, Asia’s highest valued tech firm, which currently owns a 65 percent share of the business. Tencent plans to sell part of its equity for the listing, but it seeking to retain at least 50 percent control as China Literature becomes a subsidiary.

The company recorded 2.6 billion RMB ($377 million) in revenue for 2016, up 59 percent year-on-year, with a profit of 38.8 million RMB, or $5.6 million, according to its filing. That’s compared to a 354 million RMB ($52 million) loss one year previous.

Tencent beefed up its online publishing focus when it merged its publishing unit with Cloudary in 2015. Cloudary had previously filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange before parent company Shanda aborted the move in favor, ultimately, of an alliance with Tencent.







  

In Part II.—The Spirit of German Policy—an attempt has been made to understand the ambitions of our chief antagonist, and to trace the manner in which these ambitions have been fostered, forced, and corrupted by a priesthood of learned men. The relations which exist between this Pedantocracy and the Bureaucracy, the Army, the Rulers, and the People of Germany have been examined. It would appear that under an academic stimulus, healthy national ambitions have become morbid, have resulted in the discovery of imaginary grievances, and have led the Governing Classes of Germany to adopt a new code of morals which, if universally adhered to, would make an end of human society. On the other hand, it would also appear that the German People have accepted the policy of their rulers, without in any way accepting, or even understanding, the morality upon which this policy is founded. It is also important for us to realise the nature of the judgment—not altogether unjustified—which our enemies have passed upon the British character, and upon our policy and institutions you beauty hard sell.

In Part III.—The Spirit of British Policy—our own political course since the beginning of the century has been considered—the difficulties arising out of the competition for priority between aims which are {xi} not in themselves antagonistic: between Social Reform, Constitutional Reform, and Imperial Defence—the confusion which has resulted from the inadequacy of one small parliament, elected upon a large variety of cross issues, for dealing with these diverse needs—the lowering of the tone of public life, the depreciation in the character of public men, which have come about owing to these two causes, and also to a third—the steadily increasing tyranny and corruption of the party machines.

The aim of British Foreign Policy has been simply—Security. Yet we have failed to achieve Security, owing to our blindness, indolence, and lack of leadership. We have refused to realise that we were not living in the Golden Age; that Policy at the last resort depends on Armaments; that Armaments, to be effective for their purpose, must correspond with Policy. Political leaders of all parties up to the outbreak of the present war ignored these essentials; or if they were aware of them, in the recesses of their own consciousness, they failed to trust the People with a full knowledge of the dangers which threatened their Security, and of the means by which alone these dangers could be withstood groom suit rental.

The titles of Parts II. and III. are similar—The Spirit of German Policy and The Spirit of British Policy; but although the titles are similar the treatment is not the same. Confession of a certain failure in proportion must be made frankly. The two pieces do not balance. German Policy is viewed {xii} from without, at a remote distance, and by an enemy. It is easier in this case to present a picture which is clear, than one which is true. British Policy, on the of other hand, is viewed from within. If likewise it is tinged with prejudice, the prejudice is of a different character. Both Parts, I fear, diverge to a greater or less extent from the main purpose of the book. Mere excision is easy; but compression is a difficult and lengthy process, and I have not been able to carry it so far as I could have wished.

In Part IV.—Democracy and National Service—an attempt has been made to deal with a problem which faces us at the moment. Democracy is not unlike other human institutions: it will not stand merely by its own virtue. If it lacks the loyalty, courage, and strength to defend itself when attacked, it must perish as certainly as if it possessed no virtue whatsoever. Manhood suffrage implies manhood service. Without the acceptance of this principle Democracy is merely an imposture
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I don’t think there is a day where I’m not craving Pad Thai, and I know I’m not alone on this. One of my friends is so addicted to Pad Thai that after she went away to college, she would stock up on the local Pad Thai every time she came home. She would order several of them to go and pack them with her back to college the next day. Now that’s the kind of obsession I can get behind!

Pad Thai varies so much from place to place that I have a hard time ordering it anywhere other than my favorite spot. Over the 4 years that my husband and I traveled back and forth from Calgary to Montana on the weekends to see each other while we were immigrating, we drove right through Fernie B.C. There’s this great little place right off the main highway called the Curry Bowl.

Normally it’s the kind of place I would shy away from because they do a little bit of all kinds of cuisines from Thai to Indian. Usually this spells disaster because most restaurants trying to do it all fail across the board, but that’s not the case with the Curry Bowl. Every time we go, it’s this battle between their absolutely amazing Pad Thai and all the other delicious things on their menu, (like Red Curry Noodles with Shrimp, the Japanese Karaage, or the Panang Curry).

I usually cave and go with the Pad Thai because how often do you get a truly spectacular Pad Thai!?! Since we don’t pass through Fernie very often anymore, I’ve been trying to come up with a simple at home version with normal ingredients I can actually find at our local grocery store. As it would turn out, it’s pretty easy to get Pad Thai wrong at home, whether it’s overcooking the noodles, to not enough sauce, and the list keeps going on.

So I turned to one of my favorites, veggie noodles! First I tried zucchini noodles which are definitely good, but with all zucchini noodle dishes it’s easy for them to get overcooked and watery. One day a lightbulb finally came on and I decided to try sweet potato noodles which never get watery, and their sweet flavor turns out to be the perfect pairing for the flavors of Pad Thai.  

Ate Friday lunch from a food truck, the first time I’ve eaten from a food truck in a very long time, and now that I think about it, the first time I’ve eaten from a food truck maybe ever. Even when the Kogi Truck hit the streets as one of the very first gourmet food trucks way back when HKUE ENG, I tried the tacos when they were being served in a bar, i.e. sitting at a table in a dining room.

Ramen isn’t the first food that comes to mind when I think of food trucks. Long unwieldy noodles, broth that can splash and spill, and having to use chopsticks just wouldn’t be easy standing on a sidewalk, or even sitting down on the edge of a curb. Shake Ramen gets around all these things by serving broth-less but flavorful ramen out of over-sized plastic boba cups hong kong company registration
. The ingredients are sealed inside the cups so that you can shake the ramen noodles, sauce, and additional ingredients together before peeling back the top and eating.

If you have a vague memory of McDonald’s McSalad Shakers , it’s basically the same thing.

Shake Ramen comes in either small or large size, with shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), or miso flavors, varying levels of both garlic and heat, and the usual topping suspects: ground beef, pork belly, fried tofu, boiled egg, and vegetables including corn. I liked mine: shio + extra garlic + extra spicy + double tofu + cabbage + green onions horizon.


  

Sometimes we busy bodies need to take a step back and rejoice at the little things in life. As unnatural as it feels for me to cool my jets istick 40w, remove the blinders from my tunnel vision, and slow down, I’ve been practicing the fine art of gratitude and enjoyment lately. You guys, it’s really quite invigorating.

Some of my most cherished daily moments include: Slowly pouring hot water over freshly ground coffee in my French press and smelling the rich aroma while sipping (versus the usual chugging) to not only satisfy start hong kong company, but fully enjoy, my morning addiction. Taking deep breaths of fresh mountain air and being mindful of the way it makes me feel, rather than hurrying through the day and being unaware of my breath at all. Looking passers by in the eyes and smiling – a simple gesture to connect with others, only if for a moment.


…And finally, taking the time to give myself the metaphorical pat on the back for my own little triumphs, like going for a more challenging run than usual organic search engine optimization, handling a conflict like a mature adult (versus the quick-to-ignite spit-on-a-skillet rabble-rouser I am), or getting a recipe right on the fourth try.

Thaaas right. You’re looking at round four of paleo zucchini bread – a project that has quite literally taken 3 months to perfect. In general, baking is unforgiving when a slight miscalculation occurs, but then when you add a gluten-free spin, it becomes even more complicated. Make it grain-free, and now we must summon the all the good baking jujus and ask for small miracles.  

Tomorrow is National Flag Day so I thought I would share this adorable Flag Brownie which not only is a great way to celebrate Flag Day but makes a fun 4th of July dessertconventions et expositions.

I made a homemade brownie batter, but you could use a brownie mix. You would probably want to use 2 boxes of brownie mix.

Flag Brownies make a patriotic dessert for the 4th of Julyreenex cpsMy brownies were a little on the thin side and a boxed brownie would probably be even thinner if you only used 1 box.

Once baked and cooled, the brownie is covered with a thin layer of white frosting. I just used store-bought frosting but you could make your own. A cream cheese frosting would be really goodHKUE amec.

Flag Brownies make a patriotic dessert for the 4th of July.

The fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries are arranged to make a flag pattern.

Finally the space between the strawberry rows is filled in by piping rows of frosting using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

The combination of chocolate, frosting, and fresh fruit makes a delicious and festive party dessert.

  

There have been many dinner table discussions at out house on which ingredients could be left out of kung pao. I must point out that this is my simple interpretation and if my Irishman was cooking, he would stick to the original Mr Wong recipe.

Chinese black ‘Chinkiang’ vinegar is a really lovely ingredient but if you don’t have it already, use rice vinegar, sherry or red wine vinegar instead. It’s not worth buying a bottle especially for this recipe.

enough for: 2
takes: 15 minutes + marinating
450g (1lb) chicken
1 tablespoon soy sauce + 2 tablespoons for sauce
4-6 fresh or dried red chillies
1 tablespoon Chinkiang black vinegar
2 green onions (scallions), chopped
steamed rice or cauliflower ‘rice’, to serve

1. Slice chicken into bite sized strips and place in a bowl with 1 tablespoon soy. Cover and stand for a few minutes or if possible refrigerate for a few hours but no longer than 24.

2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan or wok. Add half the chicken and cook, stirring until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Place cooked chicken in a clean bowl and add the remaining chicken and the chilli. Continue to stir fry

3. When the second batch of chicken is browned and cooked through. Return the first batch of chicken to the pan. Stir.

4. Remove from the heat and add the additional 2 tablespoons soy sauce and the vinegar and stir well. Taste and add more soy or vinegar if you think it needs it.

5. Serve chicken on a bed of rice (or cauliflower ‘rice’ – raw cauliflower grated in the food processor) with green onions sprinkled on top.

Variations

optional extras – handful roast peanuts, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar to marinate the chicken and another to finish the sauce.

vegetarian / vegan – replace chicken with firm tofu or use diced eggplant (add a little water and allow extra time for the eggplant to cook).

more veg – serve with steamed or stir fried Asian greens such as bok choy or Chinese broccoli on the side. I usually dress the greens with a little sesame oil. Steamed broccoli or broccolini is another lovely accompaniment. Or in Spring time consider asaparagus.

no Chinkiang vinegar – use rice vinegar, sherry or red wine vinegar instead. It’s not worth buying a bottle especially for this recipe unless you are a vinegar-ophile like me and are keen to add something new to your collection.

less hot – 6 chillies should make it pretty punchy, like ‘pao’! If you prefer less heat, use less chillies and remove the seeds. Or just skip the chilli.  

As always when the use of the oven is required, the first thing you want to do is preheat it. This time, you’ll want to turn the knob all the way up to 425F QV baby cream.

While the temperature is climbing, trim about an inch off the bottom of your asparagus, just to make sure you get rid of all the dry, tough bits. Once that’s been taken care of, cut them into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on their actual length. You want your pieces to be approximately 3” long.

Next, cut the cute mini sweet bell peppers in half and remove their stems and seeds, then slice the red onion fairly thinly loop.

Now grab a glass jar or small mixing bowl and add some olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, lemon zest, capers and fresh herbs to it, then mix well with a flat whisk until slightly emulsified.

You’re not looking for perfectly smooth and silky here… this needs not be perfect, so long as everything gets blended in hotels in kowloon Guangdong Hotel is situated in Tsim Sha Tsui Central Business District of Kowloon Peninsula and major urban area of Hong Kong. We have detailed transportation information free for guests to download.
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Place all your vegetables in a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet and pour about 3/4 of the vinaigrette over them, then stir well with your fingers to distribute the vinaigrette as fairly as possible between all the veggies.

You wouldn’t want them to start arguing about who got the most…

There… I’d say that’s pretty even. There doesn’t seem to be any visible signs of turmoil in that pan.

Throw the vegetables in the oven and roast them for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are slightly softened and start to brown a little, then set the oven to broil and let the vegetables caramelize for 5-6 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the rest of the vinaigrette over the vegetables; add the chopped walnuts and stir well once again.

You can serve this salad immediately or let it cool down to room temperature.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a couple of days but will need to be slightly reheated before to be eaten, as the olive oil will set when chilled, rendering it not very palatable.

Besides, all of the flavors seem to burst into life as if by magic as soon as this salad gets warmed up a little.

Try it, you’ll see!
  

I’m quite sure that the very first time I ate popcorn, it was the multi-coloured candied variety. I just assumed that was what popcorn was and had no idea most commonly it was eaten in its natural colour, seasoned with butter and salt.

Country fairgrounds with their ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, laughing clowns and petting zoos were where you could buy candied popcorn back in the 70′s. It was packaged in conical-shaped plastic bags hanging from the bunting that looped around the canvas roof of the market stalls in the fairground. You could buy a bag for a few cents and it was big enough to live off for the rest of the day.

Country fairgrounds have changed a lot since the 70′s but one thing that’s remained unchanged is the conical-shaped bags of candied popcorn hanging from the roof of the stalls. For me candied popcorn conjures up warm memories of a day of great excitement and anticipation at a country fair where the only other thing I probably ate that day was a bag of fairy floss (cotton candy).

When Queen asked me to try their new food colour gels that come in blue, green, yellow and blue, I had just seen candied popcorn in the supermarket and wondered how easy it would be to make my own.

It’s actually very easy. You just make the popcorn then make a sugar syrup and add a few drops of Queen food gels. And you don’t need more than a few drops as these are strongly concentrated gels and a little goes a long way.

But candied popcorn also needs to be flavoured. I bought Fresh As fruit powders that are freeze-dried fruit ground into a powder. There are no additives and the powders are intensely flavoured. I used raspberry, passionfruit and pineapple. If you don’t want to use the powders or can’t source them, Queen has some essences that can also be used like lemon, orange, coconut and strawberry.

Queen’s gel colours are wonderful to use. The colours are strong and give a clean and vibrant result. I’ve seen recipes for candied popcorn where jelly crystals are used to provide the colour for the popcorn but by comparison this gives a very muddy, muted and wishy-washy result. The gel colours also have no bitter taste as some other brands do; these gels didn’t affect the natural flavour of the popcorn at all.

It’s very easy to control how much you use with the gel colours as there’s a very fine tip on the tube and with a gently squeeze you can have just one drop coming out at a time. Because of the way the packaging has been designed, you don’t end up with a mess in your kitchen as there’s no bottle to knock over and spill.
  

We cooked and ate and photographed. Non stop. From the sunrise until long after the sun had set. The ingredients rough, raw and fresh. Local and exquisite. Strawberry and thyme galettes, fava bean soup, rosemary sugar biscuits, blueberry lemonade, grilled sardines and salted focaccia warm from the oven. We picnic-ed on the nearby beach, hot sand under our bare feet. A makeshift canopy to give us shade at midday, and a roaring bonfire to warm us at night. All very Robinson Crusoe – in a pleasing, leave your troubles far behind you kind of a way.

Perhaps the biggest treat of all was cooking alongside others who relish the art of chopping and whipping and sifting, with the same nutty passion as I do. I love how every cook has a favourite trick for greasing a cake tin, or for peeling an onion - each little idiosyncrasy paints a picture in miniature of its chef’s singular style.

I got up early one morning to bake with Beth. A fennel scented bundt cake with buttermilk and olive oil. The scientific precision with which she cooks - so technical and so very different from my own throw-everything-in-a-bowl way of doing things - opened my eyes to how pleasingly satisfying science in the kitchen can be. The moment I landed back home, I was struck by an overwhelming urge to bake these miniature olive oil cakes – with a dash of cointreau and fresh sprigs of rosemary. And to buy a set of digital scales.