Halloween in the 852
Last weekend was Halloween. It isn’t a traditional holiday in Hong Kong, and was barely celebrated when I first arrived. When I lived in my little subdivided flat, I encouraged my neighbors to celebrate by putting a bowl of candy out in the hall with a pumpkin and a sign for the kids to help themselves. I returned to an empty bowl so I take it that my neighbors approved. I’ve also invited various friends over to carve pumpkins. I still hold a grudge against a little girl who yelled out, “曱甴 gaat6 zaat2!” when she saw my stuffed pill bug. It is most certainly NOT a cockroach. This year I haven’t celebrated much outside of some general fall activities (pumpkin bread for the win!), but Hong Kong is really making up for it. I heard that the government was trying to promote Halloween as a way to get more people back to LKF (the party area in HK) and stimulate the economy. More people buying costumes, more people frequenting bars and restaurants, more people creating a fun e...