點滴10 Sharing 10: 喜愛下廚 Love Cooking

旅遊其中一樣省錢秘笈是自備晚餐，但首要條件是所住hostel 有廚房，如果有提供基本調味料和油 (西方國家多採用橄欖油-正!!!) 的話更不用自費購買和不用帶著他們繼續旅程，減低行李被未蓋好的油沾污，背包裡灑滿未包好的鹽和糖。其次當然是你本人喜歡下廚啦，不然你只會每天吃麵包和泡方便麵。
One of the trick to save money while travelling is to prepare dinner by yourselves. The first criterion, of course, the hostel or accommodations provided the kitchen. If there are simple seasoning and oil (In western countries, you found olive oil - super!!), you saved the money to buy your own and do not have to worry to carry the rest with you to the next destination. If the lid of the oil bottle was opened, your luggage screwed up. If the salt and sugar were not packed properly, your backpack taste good!!Another criterion is you like to cook, otherwise, you ended up having cold bread or instant noodles everyday.

我興幸Moritz也喜歡下廚，我們一起旅遊時，大多數日子都是自己煮食，不會為到餐廳吃飯或是自己煮而有分歧。省錢是重要但不是主要原因，我們享受一起到超市買菜、烹調的樂趣，也許只是簡單的菜餚也特別美味，不諳爐灶的我也因為對方相伴變成大廚。

 I am glad Moritz and I love cooking. We cooked most of the days during our trip. It is good that we won't argue to eat out or to cook in. To save money is important, but that is not the main reason. We enjoy shopping in the supermarket for food, the fun of cooking. It could be simple cuisines, but it tasted wonderful. I am not good at cooking, but I could become a master chef when he is with me.

情侶之間在大時大節的秘密武器就是親自下廚為對方造一頓飯，這對於平常小玩煮飯仔的情侶的確有效，但我和Moritz已經一起炒過菜、煲過湯、包過餃子、造過kebab、打過火鍋，我是什麼料子他已經很清楚，所以造飯已經不是什麼驚喜也不是殺手鐧。

During big days like Valentines' Day, Birthday, Anniversary or Christmas, to cook for someone you love is an ultimate tools to show your love. It works on the couples who seldom cook during their date. But Moritz and I tried the fried vegetables, soups, homemade dumpling, homemade kebab and having hotpot together already. He knew what I got, so making him a meal is not a super trick or surprise anymore.

也許我要想想其他驚喜。我期待著下次一起焗蛋糕做甜品。

Maybe I should think of something else to surprise him. I look forward to bake a cake and make dessert with him.

點滴9 Sharing 9: 食出中國文化 Eating Chinese Culture

中國人主張團聚分享，這是書本上告訴我的，也是預科中化科出現最多的關鍵字。西方人也許略知中國文化一二，但未必會切身體會，直至真正遇上實況才明白箇中道理。

Chinese always focus on gathering and sharing which is what I learnt from textbook and also the key words I used in my Chinese Culture essay in high school. Westerners may know something about Chinese culture, but they may not really understand it until they encountered the actual situation.

大排檔是香港的特色，外國遊客也樂得去體驗街邊風味。以下是我聽過的真實事例，一班外國人圍在一起吃大排檔，各自點了一味菜，有炒蛋、生炒骨、蔬菜、更點了蒸魚。枱面十分豐富，但問題來了，一般大排檔都是叫餸食飯，大家開心Share，但外國人卻把一碟碟餸拉到自己面前一口一口在吃，他們也許習慣自己吃一份牛扒餐或法國菜己分好菜上碟的吃法，並沒有打算分享或吃一口其他人的菜，旁人看來覺得傻眼。

Dai Pai Dong (traditional restaurants with food served in fast speed) is one of the specialty in Hong Kong which is a must-do for tourists to feel local style. Here is a real situation I heard: a bunch of foreigners went to Dai Pai Dong and ordered one dish each, fried eggs, sweet and sour fried pork, vegetables, and also steamed fish. Plenty of foods were on the table to be eaten and shared. However those foreigners took the dish they ordered and started eating. They treated the dish as T-bone steak set or French cuisine which served in seperated dishes individually. There was no sharing at all in the meal and made the outsider felt awkward.

點滴8 Sharing 8: 我看外國好 Viewing to the West

前陣子天氣回暖，是看紅葉的好時機。香港也有紅葉，不用遠赴韓國日本，不用一小時便身處郊外在紅葉樹下野餐，想起都開心。

It was warm in the previous months which was the season for red leaves. There was red leaves in Hong Kong too. You did not have to fly all the way to Korean/ Japan and arriving at the country side in less than an hour for the red leaves, picnicking under the trees made you smile. 

跟Moritz說起香港有紅葉，每到假日那些郊野公園都會人山人海，他淡淡然表示沒有興趣，因為在德國他經常看到紅葉，對他來說紅葉就是7-11 ，總有一棵在附近。高峰時期，他走出露台不單可以看到紅葉，連黃葉橙葉都有，難怪他不把看紅葉覺得是浪漫和十分難得。

I told Moritz we have red leaves in Hong Kong and the country parks were full of visitors in weekend. He did not show any interest in that because he could always see red leaves in Germany. Red leaves were like convenience store in Hong Kong, you can always find some nearby. In the peak season, he could see the red leaves in his balcony. Sometimes, they are in yellow or orange in different stages. That's why he did not think seeing red leaves is something special or romantic. 

點滴7 Sharing 7: 家庭聚會 Family Gathering

Annette (Moritz媽媽) 邀請我參加一年一度的家庭聚會，地點在離法蘭克福3小時車程的小鎮，我們由慕尼黑出發約5小時車程。

Annette,  Moritz mom,  invited me to join the yearly family gathering.  It held in a small town 3 hours away from Frankfurt and 5 hours from Munich.

聚會地點是一個營地但不用紮營，因為有一座主樓提供多間單人或雙人房，一個大廳供用餐﹑休息和玩遊戲，一個設備齊全的廚房和另一個可容納十多人一起切菜煮食洗碗旁觀的大廚房，一個洗手間和地庫的大型集體洗澡間。住宿方面如果想私隱度高點不想選擇主樓的房間，營地還有獨立小平房提供，當然收費不一，而且沒有浴室和衛生設備，晚上人有三急需自備電筒走幾分鐘回主樓解決。

The location is a campsite but we did not need to set up our tents because it provided accommodation. Double or single rooms are inside a main building and it contains a spacious living room for dining, resting and playing games.  Besides, there are a well-equipped kitchen and another advance full-gear kitchen which allowed more than 10 people working together for preparing a big feast, like washing the vegetables, cutting the onions, frying the meat, cleaning the dishes and standing with nothing to do. Everyone could find their own work station. You could find a washroom next to the kitchen and another united-bathroom in the basement. For the accommodation, if you prefer having more privacy and wanted more luxury, the wooden bungalow next to the main building could be an option. The price is different and it did not include the sanitary. In case you wanna go to toilet in the middle of the night, you need your torch with you and a few minutes walk back to the main building.