Hong Kong Is ...

Hot Pot • children wearing 50-pound packs full of schoolbooks.

• Sunday-morning Dim Sum.

• elderly women wearing a jade bracelet, flower-print blouses ... and cross-trainers.

• flip-flops and backpacks.

• high speed, low drag.

• late-night triad street fights.

• loud grandmothers.

• maniacal bus drivers.

• men in shorts and with tank tops rolled up to their armpits.

• middle-aged men wearing vests with many pockets.

• myopic.

• over-saturated with mobile phones.

• people fishing in Victoria Harbour ... and eating what they catch.

• punters crowded around Jockey Club outlets on race day.

• shopping for fresh food at the wet market.

• squid, fish balls and stinky tofu at street-side snack shops.

• the tailgating capital of the world.

• three-piece suits in 38C heat.

• weekend mah jong games.

• winter hot pot.

• wonderful.