Compare England and Hong Kong

[SpeakCantonese]

Real villages, you know with duck ponds, beautiful old houses, no triads.

My village in England: Naphill Common, basically a wood. A village green with cricket pitch. A village pond, yes, with ducks. Two pubs, one for drinking, on for eating. No street lights. A village hall that everyone could use. A community. A village newsletter. History; our house had been built in the 50s and was till described by some as 'one of the new bungalows on Laurel Drive'...

[TheBrit]

Comparing London with Hong Kong

London benefits

Work/life balance
Housing - quality and cost
Air quality
Supermarkets - quality, variety and cost
Convenience - Amazon, delivery services for clothes, staplers, groceries etc. Public services that are online rather than needing office visits

Hong Kong benefits

Safety
Taxes
Restaurants - variety and cost
Public transport
Airport


Subjective

Weather - but I prefer UK weather to HK's humidity.
travel - cheap access to Asia vs cheap access to Europe. Swings and roundabouts.

[imparanoic]

Hong Kong is not really a city state, but more comparable to a conurbation such as greater london, west midlands, greater manchester as there is more greenry (according to the maps) than urban areas, around 65% to 70% of Hong Kong is still rural.

there are always going to be advantages and disadvantages between Hong kong vs greater london, west midlands and greater manchester, it really depends what suits your needs, at the current moment, HK is better for me and my family lifestyle due to lower direct taxation, better public transportation, less crime and less likeliness of economic threats such as brexit or recession

[imparanoic]

The average amount of rainy days in Hong Kong is 137.
The average amount of rainy days in England is 156.

Humidity seldom gets above 90% or below 70% in England...

How often did you need a/c or a de-humidifier to protect your books and clothes in England? Personally, I much prefer getting warm in front of a fire than cooling off with a/c.

I'm a mountain biker and I find it frustrating in the summer as it is often too hot/uncomfortable for me to ride.

As to food... I didn't say 'English food' is better... I said 'the food' is better in England.

First of all, I think Hong Kong food is generally garbage... I like some dim sum I suppose... but watery soup that looks like mop bucket water? Tripe? Gruel? Chicken's feet? Meat cut so as to maximise bone content? Gristle and tendons and fat? Lungs?

It's subjective, but in my opinion, Hong Kong food is simply rubbish.

If you want great English food, there are many gastropubs that cook proper traditional English fare... One thing I miss is a good Sunday carvery with Yorkshire Pudding... Popping to a cosy pub with real ale, a roaring fire, dogs and Shepherds Pie after a brisk walk on the common.

At home, I usually ate in the Mediterranean style and supermarket shopping made that a breeze. If I was feeling lazy, ready meals, a selection in the 100s.

I would argue that restaurants in England are better. My town had several Indians, Chinese, a Greek, a Spanish, a French, a Noodle bar and many other specialty restaurants... all great food, reasonably priced and great service... not to mention all the usual chains; Pizza Express, Nandos, etc... sans overcrowding, noise and service with a scowl.

I also cycle in HK, i normally cycle at night time after work (7pm to 9pm) on the cycling paths in NT, around my area, it's not crowded and the rural areas between towns and the tracks are awesome, ie, public toilets every 1 or 2 km, lifts for bridge cross in middle of nowhere, well lit rural bicycle tracks with few roads to cross, if i am on annual leave and at home, i wake up at 5.30am and cycle to university station and back to fanling, best of all, seems like i don't get bitten by mosquitoes either.

you are wondering how do i combat the humidity and temperture, i normally keep a few bottles of frozen water in freezer, then i get my wife or helper to take them out 2 hours before my cycling session, so when i arrive home, the water is semi frozen and slushier which combats the heat and humidity

[imparanoic]

food wise, but hk and uk have decent food take outs and restaurants, from low cost frugal food to high end food, it's just a matter of taste in reality, grocery wise, UK is better due to the fact that there is no duolopolistic chains who dictate high prices compare to UK chains which are better in this aspect, however, u select/ vanguard's partnership with tesco in recent years have alliviate the situtaion a bit better.

[si0001]

England wins on food, including Chinese food.

I am chinese and my family used to own a couple of chinese restaurants back in the UK. Even we think chinese food in the UK is terrible.

Of course, if all you like is curry or sweet and sour (most popular dishes by a huge margin) then I guess you are right.

[jgl]

I also cycle in HK, i normally cycle at night time after work (7pm to 9pm) on the cycling paths in NT, around my area, it's not crowded and the rural areas between towns and the tracks are awesome, ie, public toilets every 1 or 2 km, lifts for bridge cross in middle of nowhere, well lit rural bicycle tracks with few roads to cross, if i am on annual leave and at home, i wake up at 5.30am and cycle to university station and back to fanling, best of all, seems like i don't get bitten by mosquitoes either.

you are wondering how do i combat the humidity and temperture, i normally keep a few bottles of frozen water in freezer, then i get my wife or helper to take them out 2 hours before my cycling session, so when i arrive home, the water is semi frozen and slushier which combats the heat and humidity

Mountain biking is a whole different story to cycle paths- you're out in the jungle with no breeze, sometimes wearing loads of hot protective gear. Full face helmet, shin and arm pads, possibly chest protection. There's no way to cool down (half frozen camelbaks are a good trick, but they don't really help that much and only last a couple hours).

It's way easier to cycle year round in the UK- in the cold and wet, you simply deal with the weather by riding harder to keep warm.

Interestingly, I've found that good riding conditions in HK are either dry autumn/winter days, or during rainy season when it's bucketing down. The full on rain keeps the trails surprisingly grippy, and stops you from overheating.

I used to be an avid mountain biker here. I'm on the verge of giving it up because of the climate.

[imparanoic]

I am chinese and my family used to own a couple of chinese restaurants back in the UK. Even we think chinese food in the UK is terrible.

Of course, if all you like is curry or sweet and sour (most popular dishes by a huge margin) then I guess you are right.

that's westernised chinese food, designed for western taste, while some has true chinese origins, other such as chop suey and sweet and sour chicken with fish shop batter was originated from the west, just like UK's balti and deep fried mars bars

[merchantms]

The average amount of rainy days in Hong Kong is 137.
The average amount of rainy days in England is 156.

It's not just rain. The UK is gray, cloudy and overcast most of the time. On the non-rainy days in HK the sun shines. Lived in London for years and the lack of sunlight really wears you down after awhile.

[si0001]

that's westernised chinese food, designed for western taste, while some has true chinese origins, other such as chop suey and sweet and sour chicken with fish shop batter was originated from the west, just like UK's balti and deep fried mars bars

Absolutely, most "chinese food" in the UK isn't really chinese food. In most of the cities with a significant chinese community, there are a few restaurants that cater to chinese people and the rest are mostly westernised.