hku reunion at chungking mansion

I had a very full day today and (of course) have lots to blog about. But first, let me do some catching up...

Last night I met up with three HKU friends (+ 2 spouses and 1 son) for dinner. The reunion was long in coming, and it was fun to see everyone again! Since we last met, all four of us have made the transition from student to teacher, and it was interesting to hear everyone's stories about their first days of school...

Before meeting up, we exchanged emails in the hopes of deciding where to go for dinner. I had no shame, and suggested (surprise surprise) a little vegetarian Indian place that I know of. The idea of Indian food was well-received, but a couple in our party expressed a desire to eat the flesh of animals... so Brantos was out. Thankfully someone in our group had connections, and we ended up at a great Indian restaurant in Chungking Mansion. Chungking Mansion, in spite of its somewhat scary reputation, will always hold a special place in my heart -- it's the place where, 10+ years ago, I first developed a taste for Indian food! It's also a fascinating place to explore.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of our food (shocking, I know!), but our friend, Asma, did take us on a little tour of the kitchen, which was really exciting.

Here's a huge bowl of rice-flour/lentil batter being mixed. It's used to make dosas (sp?) -- rolled-up savory pancake that is one of my faves...
And here's the very important tandoori oven.
And here are all 7 of us, full and happy, crammed into the elevator on our way down.