Karen
http://www.marthasherpa.com/
http://hk-magazine.com/events/articl...ooking-schools old article but the majority should still be open
3 ways to help:
1) Learn a few Chinese characters which will make a huge difference in understanding basics of the menu
2) Download an app on your smartphone to help with ordering and/or translating
3) Join a foodie group - there are at least 4 that I know on meetup.com and let others do the ordering for you.
My husband is a Yorkshireman, and has the exact same reaction to most of Hong Kong. I think he lives by the old Yorkshireman's advice to his son line, which he has on an antique mug - "See all, hear all, say now't ... Eat all, sup all, pay now't ... And if ever tha does owt for now't, allus do it for thisen".
Although I also have the same reaction to HK prices and I'm from NZ. It's just commonsense really, most things aren't worth what they want to charge for them here.
I have gotten into cooking here, but I use books and the internet for my learning. The social aspect comes in sharing the skills learnt.
You don't need to know that, it's a local saying for local people
"See all, hear all, say now't ... Eat all, sup all, pay now't ... And if ever tha does owt for now't, allus do it for thisen".
Basically means:
See all hear all, say nothing (the older 'true' Yorkshire people I have met typically give one word replies to any question, so hard to have a conversation!)
Eat all, sup all, pay now't: Eat all, drink all, pay nothing. common conversation in a local pub - 'Get yer hand in yer pocket son' (buy a round)
if ever tha does owt for now't, allus do it for thisen". If you ever do something for nothing, make sure you do it for yourself - charity begins at home I guess.
Anyway, Monty Python says it best about the dourness of the Yorkshireman
I'm always happy to help. I'm bilingual....I speak Northern and Southern. ;-)
Kim, has your hubby seen the Yorkshire Airlines clip on YouTube? Can't post the link as I'm on a ferry right now but I think he'll appreciate it. It had my Northern father rolling around laughing over Christmas. [Jimbo - don't worry, it's beginner's level].
You should visit Whitechapel/Brick Lane in London. English speakers are in the minority. There are plenty of people living there (for years) who don't speak a word of English. Hence the local paper is half English, half Bengali. The street signs are also in English and Bengali and every business has at least one Bengali speaker. Sounds a bit like English speakers in HK....except last time I checked, Bengali wasn't an official language of the UK.