Hong Kong - Day 1 - Part 2

After breakfast, the team lead of our service provider came to fetch us to their office. I noticed people in Hong Kong do a lot of walking and they walk very fast. When we were at the traffic lights, everyone was waiting obediently for the light to turn green. Then we walked accross. Waited for another traffic light and cross. Waited for another traffic light and cross. We waited for 3 traffic light, U shape, just to get across the opporsite side of the street! Back home, pedestrians seldom cross corner by corner to the opporsite side of the street. We would just cross straight ahead! To see this side of Hong Kong people, I was pleasantly surprise.

It took us 15 minutes to reached their office. From there on, it was a long, long day with meetings. We had breaks in between and coffee was nice. There was a type of cookies made by Jenny's Bakery that taste delicious. We all help ourselves with second and third servings. Lunch was pizza hut. I had to informed and explained to my service provider the meaning of Halal. In the beginning, they thought it was just pork or anything related to pork. So They bought chicken pizza and seafood pizza. I had to explained again that chicken and beef that weren't slaugthered Muslim's way is consider non-halal. They were all confuse and don't really understand the reason.

That evening, our service provider brought us to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I was in a delima and so as my colleagues. Our host really trying to understand the meaning of Halal and at the same time trying to be a good host. They order everything that didn't have chicken, beef, anything of meat and pork. They order seafood, vegetables and eggs. Well, what they don't know was that the utensils for the food is non-halal. I really pity my colleagues. It was a very unpleasant evening for them. My advice to Muslim who have counterparts in a foreign countries, it is wise to spend a day explain the meaning of Halal or provide them with some short reading materials about Halal. Your counterparts may try their best to be a good host during your stay in their country but it would turn out unpleasant if misinterpretation happens.

After dinner around 11pm, we walked back to our hotel. I took a hot shower and ready to bed. It was an interesting day.