Zoute Drop

Hong Kong has many foods and snacks I've either found too repellent to contemplate or have tried and hated, such as duck feet, dehydrated fried squid, stinky tofu and century eggs, to name but a few.

On the other hand I've come to enjoy lots of Hong Kong flavours, and when playing tour guide I have fun getting visitors to sample them. When my cousin visited from Holland almost everything he ate and drank was new and he found all of it delicious, with the notable exception of 24-herbs tea.

Hong Kongers are often amused when a foreigner can't get down a small cup of the bitter tonic, but then the tables can be quickly turned.

As a gift he brought the traditional Dutch zoute drop, otherwise known as salted licorice, which is very much an acquired taste. I like it, but I recall times past when I shared some with local folks. Not one could handle it, and in fact after scant seconds and a look of utter horror each one spat it out.

And that was only the single-salt version. The Dutch also have double- and even triple-salt varieties (you need serious stones and an unnatural immunity to salt to tackle the triples).

So I have yet to meet a single Chinese person who finds zoute drop palatable.

But if you should be one by all means drop me a line.

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