True Monks Only

Hong Kong's overzealous mall security guards can be a pain in the ass, but for once I witnessed them doing the job right.

While enjoying an early morning beverage in Central, I spotted a Buddhist monk approaching a scattering of people having coffee at an outdoor patio. Unlike proper monks, he was carrying a small bronze bowl and handy handouts, a dead giveaway that he was a phony.

He managed to annoy several people, none of whom gave him a cent (although one Chinese girl gave him an incredibly dirty look), before security went outside to have a little chat with him. They knew he was a nogoodnik, but he kept up the pretense, bowing and grinning as he backed off.

It only took him about five minutes to return to the patio, but he'd gambled that the uniforms had moved on, and he lost. Seeing the guards exit the building made him realise they were no fools, so he left for good.

Oddly enough, a real Buddhist monk arrived only minutes afterward.

The guards ignored him.

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