Gov'ts Half-Hearted Attempt to Cut Plastic Containers, Cutlery

Polyfoam boxes will be banned from 2025 in Hong Kong

 

Hong Kong is a disposable city -- things are easily thrown in the garbage here without much thought. Even though the plastic bag surcharge in place, people don't mind paying 50 cents for it because they didn't think to bring a bag with them. Food in takeaway boxes are mostly in styrofoam containers from local food outlets because they can't afford to pay more for cardboard boxes, but those are lined with plastic so they can't be recycled.

However, the government is now putting its foot down and banning all disposable plastic to start in 2025 -- but not providing much of a roadmap let alone solutions for eateries, who are left scrambling to figure it out on their own.

Fast-food restaurants need to pivot faster

The only plan is a two-step ban. First is banning the sale and use of disposable expanded polystyrene tableware, basically the ubiquitous white foam takeaway boxes, and eateries cannot offer throwaway tableware (disposable plates, cutlery, straws and stirrers).

In the second phase, eateries cannot provide dine-in customers with disposable cups, cup lids or food containers.

What the government should be doing is putting the onus on the consumer to realize they need to change their eating habits and bring their own food containers to restaurants to eat, or take home leftovers. It would also force fast food restaurants like McDonald's to hire dishwashers who are already scarce.

Not enough people consider bringing their own mugs to coffee shops, let alone carry their own food containers to takeaway food and their own cutlery.

Garbage like this was 200 tonnes in 2019

In 2019 Hongkongers threw out an estimated 14.6 billion pieces of plastic cutlery each year, or about 1,940 per person. 

Another crazy fact is plastic and polyfoam dining ware was 200 tonnes two years ago, equal to the weight of 13 double-decker buses.

Green groups say the ban in 2025 is too far off and should be implemented much sooner.

Greenpeace campaigner Leanne Tam Wing-lam criticized the authorities for making sluggish progress, saying it "was not difficult at all" to kick-start phase one because 26.9 percent of utensils supplied were simply disposable tableware for dine-in.

"Many restaurants have already given up offering disposable tableware to dine-in customers. You can say it's really easy to achieve phase one," she said, adding the government did not give a four-year deadline for eateries to stop giving out plastic cutlery and straws that were commonly used in homes and offices.

Again -- it goes back to the consumer. They should have their own set of cutlery at home or in the office to use. Food delivery services are offering the option of not receiving cutlery, but not everyone pays attention when ordering online.

Green groups say 2025 is too far away

Ten green groups held a joint press conference today, saying they were disappointed by the government's planning.

"The sizes of the plastic tableware banned in phase two are much larger than those in phase one. The environmental pollution it [will cause] is more serious. But the government does not have an exact time table for banning these tableware which will cause more pollution," said Tam.

She also pointed out pre-packaged food products were excluded from the ban, and so eateries may take advantage of this loophole to avoid using tableware made of other materials.

And if plasticware is banned, it may lead to an increase in waste of other materials, pointed out by Yu Kin-kong, assistant education and project manager of Green Power. He noted some paper food containers and cups could contain plastic and other materials, making it  harder to recycle.

Also many do not realize that once food touches a paper box that may not be lined with plastic, it also cannot be recycled because of hygiene purposes.

So we are again back to where we started -- the consumer must take more responsibility for their food choices and how they want to eat and store their food.

Food delivery companies are definitely exacerbating the problem. If the government is serious about cutting down the number of food containers going to the landfill then it needs to start getting consumers educated about the seriousness of the issue and offer solutions that people must follow now.

The earth cannot handle all this garbage anymore.

Creatively Circumventing the Govt App

Dining in restaurants requires scanning the QR code

 

Finally today's the day! People were so thrilled to have dinner in a restaurant tonight, though others still preferred takeaway. 

Walking along the waterfront tonight I could see Caprice, the three Michelin-starred French restaurant in the Four Seasons Hong Kong had guests seated by the windows, though at the same time by the ferry piers, many people carried plastic bags with their meals inside.

Lam scans the QR code before entering

Some were thrilled to finally go to the gym, another activity to do after having completed several of the hiking trails since November.

Meanwhile electronic shops were doing a brisk business these few days, some selling new phones, others "burner phones", or second-hand ones for people to use just for the LeaveHomeSafe app that must be used starting today if eating in a restaurant, going to the gym, and many other places.

"I'm buying a burner phone because the government clearly doesn't trust Hongkongers, so why would I trust them?" Vincent, 28, an accountant who gave only his first name because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters.

Many had the same sentiment, as people flocked to places like Sham Shui Po to buy cheap electronic equipment.

People flock to Sham Shui Po for cheap phones

"People are just looking for a cheap smartphone that can run the LeaveHomeSafe app," said a vendor surnamed Wong. She reported selling 50 phones in the past week compared to the usual 10 or so the week previously.

Anecdotally a relative reported seeing more people writing down contact details than scanning the QR code, in a protest of fears the government could see their private information from the contact-tracing app on their phones.

Some planned to write their contact details as "Carrie Lam", referring to Hong Kong's chief executive, and then leave a fake phone number.

While this may seem amusing, the government may not take the joke, and may instead enforce people to use the QR code, perhaps with penalties attached, as contact tracing during a pandemic is a serious public health issue.

An employee in Choi Wan Estate was assaulted

And putting the onus on the business to ensure people scan the app isn't going down well -- a McDonald's employee in Choi Wan Estate suffered injuries after he was assaulted by a man in his 20s or 30s with his phone after refusing to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.

Restaurant industry leaders had expressed concerns altercations could happen between employees and guests if they did not comply to either scanning the QR code or writing down their details.

And already the first incident happened on the first day...

 

Not Everyone Understands Quarantine

At the airport people are given quarantine bracelets and stay home for 14 days

Yesterday reporters grilled Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor about people who had come back to Hong Kong and were supposed to be under home quarantine but were seen out and about. What should the public do? They asked.

She explained that people were given about two hours' grace to get straight home on whatever way, as it might be public transport. But after, that they should not leave their homes.

This 13-year-old ate dinner with her uncle (right)

However, last night eagle-eyed Hongkongers immediately saw people completely contravening the quarantine order, taking videos and pictures of them.

One was a 13-year-old girl who was out having dinner with her uncle, her bracelet clearly showing on her wrist and she made no attempt to hide it. Nor did she put on a mask after eating.

The man filming them claimed they should stay where they are as he had called the police, but they kept walking away. At first they tried to get a taxi, but the man filming warned the taxi driver the girl had a quarantine bracelet on and not to take them.

Eventually the police found the pair.

This woman went shopping with her quarantine bracelet

Then there was a woman, again showing her bracelet and grocery shopping with a haul of food. She was also criticized.

Anyone who violates the quarantine order can be prosecuted and face up to HK$25,000 in fines or six months in jail.

There were other cases of people cutting the bracelet and going out and bragging about what they had done on social media... only to be caught later.

Some people really can't take things seriously, like a contagious virus that could be deadly when spread to people with compromised immune systems.

Carrie Lam teared up, asking people to respect quarantine

Lam even teared up during the press conference yesterday when she said: "To anyone who intends to breach the quarantine orders, anyone who still wants to go out and meet up with friends, can you not be restrained for some more time so Hong Kong can win this battle?"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears for some people.

Meanwhile McDonald's issued an announcement today that starting from tomorrow until April 7, all outlets will not allow customers to dine in all their Hong Kong outlets from 6pm, though they are allowed to order takeaway or have their meals delivered to them.

Perhaps people tend to linger more in the evenings than during the day?

While this move is completely understandable given the tense health situation we are in, this also means Hong Kong's many homeless people will have no where to go at night.

Homeless won't be able to stay overnight in McDonald's now

These "McRefugees" usually come into these places to not only use the washroom, but also shelter from the cold or heat, and have a cheap meal. Staff are usually sympathetic and let them stay. But this new rule will force the McRefugees to find another place to stay for the night.

Meanwhile after more than two-month lockdown, Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, is finally breathing some fresh air, with residents slowly allowed to go outdoors in the neighbourhood.

However, not all is well in China... if anything the weeks of being stuck at home to keep safe from the coronavirus has resulted in a spike in... divorces.

State media Global Times reports that since March 1 when the divorce appointment system reopened in Xi'an in Shaanxi province, the marriage registration office began receiving a slew of appointments. There were 14 of them on March 4 and 5, reaching the maximum daily limit.

Divorce rates spiked in Xi'an... why is that?

"As a result of the epidemic, many couples have been bound with each other at home for over a month, which evoked the underlying conflicts, and in addition, the office was closed for a month, so the office has seen an acutely increasing number of divorce appointments," said an official surnamed Wang.

"Usually the office sees a wave of divorce appointments after Spring Festival and after the college entrance examinations."

But by the same token, another official in Xi'an in another district office handling divorces reports that several of the divorce requests are impulse decisions, and some couples decide to remarry when their divorce certificate is being printed...

One Virus, Two Different Leaders

Ho Iat Seng announced today all casinos will be shut for two weeks

This morning Hong Kong recorded its first death from the coronavirus, a 39-year-old man who had suffered from sudden heart failure. Now there are two deaths outside of China, over 20,000 confirmed cases, 427 dead and interestingly 664 have recovered.

However over 20,000 cases is a lot, and health experts are expecting even more cases in the coming days, as people return from their extended Chinese New Year holidays. It's going to be a long, tough slog for all of us.

Carrie Lam still refuses to close all borders and wear a mask!

Yesterday Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced that no one would be able to cross the border check point at the Hong Kong-Macau ferry terminal, and then today her Macanese counterpart Ho Iat Seng declared at a press conference this afternoon that all 41 casinos would be shut down for two weeks.

He didn't say when this drastic action would start, but it was prompted by the case of a casino worker who fell ill with the coronavirus during the Chinese New Year holiday. Ho also shut the border between Macau and China.

Us Hongkongers have been impressed by his decisive leadership,  while Lam is still being pressured by striking healthcare workers to close the remaining borders with the motherland to prevent the fast spread of the virus.

And what is with her not wearing a mask at the press conference yesterday and today, claiming she ordered her ministers and staff not to wear them and give them to frontline healthcare staff instead?

Red and white ferries are docked in Shun Tak ferry terminal

The Hong Kong government surely has a steady supply now that prisoners are working around the clock to make these masks? Or does Lam want to show she is sacrificing her health for the cause? Either way it got no sympathy -- only confusion as infectious disease experts like Ho Pak-leung have strongly advised Hongkongers to wear a mask in public.

Her actions continue to confound...

This evening I walked to Shun Tak ferry terminal in Sheung Wan, where the ferries that would have carried people to Macau and back were all docked. In the last few days the ferries have been pretty empty anyway; from a distance I could see only a handful of people on each boat passing by the waterfront.

Upstairs the mall it was pretty dead, like Pacific Place and IFC, and it was only before 8pm. The McDonald's outlet only had one person eating there, though Maxim's next door had a few more customers.

The McDonald's outlet is practically empty at dinnertime

It's hard to see how businesses can be sustained here with the border shut down indefinitely.

All shops and restaurants are now basically depending on locals, but after eight months of protests and now this coronavirus have completely turned us off from wanting to dine out let alone shop.

Hong Kong has to seriously re-think how its economy is run and what kind of city it wants to be, what kind of talent it wants to attract, and who it wants to live here.

Sounds existential, but now is the time to really think hard about pressing the reset button on the city and consider what it wants its future to be. The current model we have been running on for over a century is not working.

In the meantime, though there is one good thing about this mess -- with significantly fewer boats passing through Victoria Harbour in the next few weeks and months, surely it will be a fantastic opportunity for the water quality to improve and the quality of life for the sea creatures that live below?

Picture of the Day: Plant-based Nuggets

The dish is served in a box that is reminiscent of an American fast-food chain

Yesterday I went to visit Kind Kitchen, a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Sheung Wan, though there are other locations in Wan Chai, Tuen Mun, Tseung Kwan O, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mongkok.

The restaurant is run by vegan/vegetarian shop Green Common that brings together Western and Asian plant-based ingredients, condiments and packaged foods in one space and Kind Kitchen uses many of those items on its menu.

Here are the chicken nuggets -- oh wait these are plant-based

One item I tried was the "Happy Nuggets" and they were presented in a box, much like the chicken McNuggets in McDonald's, except these ones are vegan and come with a honey garlic sauce.

They really did have a fibrous texture similar to chicken, but these were made of various soy and wheat proteins. The nuggets are lightly coated in a batter before being deep-fried then frozen. At Kind Kitchen they are reheated in the oven, giving them a fast-food kind of look and feel. They tasted delicious.

This dish is mostly to appeal to kids who think they are getting chicken McNuggets, but these are quite close to the real thing. Pretty cool way to get kids eating less meat but just as much protein.

Kind Kitchen
Shop 1, 1/F, Nan Fung Place
173 Des Voeux Road, Central
2110 0055

McDonald's Tasting Spree

Ebi or shrimp burger with pineapple in it at McDonald's is very bland

My general rule is to only eat McDonald's once a year -- after I finish the Standard Chartered Marathon 10K race as an excuse to refuel on calories, and it's open early.

However the other day I broke that rule when a friend visiting from the United States was on a mission to try some McDonald's food that you can't find there and I agreed to help try some of it. Why not in the name of research?

Pass on the mango drink with cheese on top

At the giant tablet where you can order food without a human, he was all excited to try several items and luckily we got there just before the lunchtime rush to secure a table too.

After about 10 minutes the food arrived in boxes and wrapped in paper, though the regular waffle fries -- called "potato grids" were already decent on their own. But when we added the extra seasoning of sesame oil flavour, and shook them in a paper bag together, the waffle fries -- oh I mean the potato grids -- were coated in a powder that made it hard to consume, and only when combined with my saliva did I detect the sesame oil taste that was completely redundant.

In terms of burgers we tried the ebi or shrimp burger with pineapple. Intriguing, right? Wrong. There was absolutely no taste in this deep-fried shrimp patty with a piece of lettuce, mayonnaise and canned pineapple. Why would anyone want to eat this?

We also tried the cowboy Angus -- a 130g thick cut Angus patty with a deep-fried onion ring, Cheddar cheese and Emmenthal cheese and shredded lettuce. You need a really big mouth to fit all that in, but it was a burger masquerading to be something fancy, but in reality it was hardly impressive. There was too much going on that the flavours cancelled themselves out.

Definitely go for the deep-fried chicken wings!

McDonald's is trying to catch up with the bubble tea craze minus the boba or black pearls and offering cheese toppings -- sourced from Europe and New Zealand -- on different flavoured drinks, like soy milk matcha tea, salted caramel latte, and long black. My friend ordered a mango one and it arrived with a thick white foam on top with an artful design of hearts in mango sauce.

But alas, I can only say the same refrain -- no taste! As we were drinking this without a straw, it took several gulps to even get to the mango part, and even then there was no mango taste! It's so visually misleading.

However our visit to the fast-food joint was redeemed by the chicken wings, deep-fried of course. Luckily we could order two pieces, one drumstick and one winglet. The outside was crispy, and surprisingly moist inside.

So I'm definitely done with McDonald's for the rest of the year. The lesson learned is to stick to the classics -- but maybe with a chicken wing on the side.

Macau's Gigantic White Elephant

The enormous (and empty) new Taipa Ferry Terminal

If you go to Macau from Hong Kong, don't take the ferry that goes to the new terminal in Taipa.

Although it's a relatively new building (construction was postponed for several years) that finally opened in June last year, it's a giant white elephant that is hardly passenger friendly.

Wear comfortable shoes to walk the very long terminal

First of all it's so massive -- the size of 25 football fields -- that people need to walk forever just to get to the immigration counter; the people movers along the way are turned off and barricaded. For elderly travelers, it's their worst nightmare to have to walk for ages. And if you're carrying luggage or heavy bags, it's a marathon to test how strong your biceps are. Believe me I just tried it.

Once you get through immigration, then it's another long walk to get out of the terminal and to the free hotel shuttle buses that seems like another kilometre away. And these buses aren't in an area that is sheltered from the elements, so if there is heavy rain, good luck trying to stay dry waiting for the next shuttle.

The immigration area is absolutely cavernous

And then when you are leaving Macau, the ferry terminal puts the food court right at the entrance -- but they aren't even busy -- not even McDonald's. You have to decide then if you're going to get sustenance or not, because after that, the options are dire.

Again there is the epic walk to the gate -- if your ferry is at gate 16, good luck. It's far, far away.

The gates themselves have a small food stall, but it's pathetic to say the least. There's tea eggs and soy braised chicken feet, and sandwiches with one slice each of orange-looking cheese and pink ham. How delicious.

The hotel shuttles aren't sheltered from the elements

It cost 3.8 billion MOP to build this Taipa Ferry Terminal that is capable of handling 30 million passengers a year, but a year and a half later it's practically empty...

 

Beijing Not Completely Cashless

It's so easy to buy things with your phone -- if you have WeChat Pay or AliPay

Last year I had a heck of a time buying things in cash when I visited Beijing because I didn't have WeChat Pay or AliPay. I remember going to JNBY, a domestic fashion brand and buying a dress there at their outlet in Sanlitun Village, and having to give exact change because they didn't have any cash whatsoever.

You can even take the subway by using your smartphone

But this time paying in cash was not a problem. It turns out in July, China's central bank issued a directive that the yuan was the country's legal currency and no units or individuals should refuse payment in cash.

During this trip some places would ask if we would pay by Weixin (WeChat) or cash, and we'd reply the latter; otherwise they would just accept cash no problem.

In subway stations you had to add money into the card using a machine instead of asking the person in the ticket booth to do it for you. However, at Beijing Capital International Airport (T3), the person there will help you add money to your card with cash.

Some people don't even use the Beijing subway card to ride the metro -- they use an app on their phone that they scan at the turnstile. 

There were only two instances where we had a slight problem -- two restaurants I went to expected us to order our food using WeChat. In one case my friend who lives in Beijing did the ordering (and paying) on WeChat at Beijing WTown -- in Miyun district, way outside of Beijing!

But getting a McFlurry required cold, hard cash

But in the other instance at a dumpling shop in a shopping mall in Wudaokou, we told them we didn't have WeChat so they took our order using a little handheld device and we paid in cash.

And then late one night my friend had a craving for a McFlurry -- even though we had just eaten a full-on dinner -- and made a pit stop at McDonald's near our hotel.

The thing is, their electronic payment system wasn't working so people had to pay in cash! They had to turn away several customers who only had money in their smartphones...
 

McDonald's: For Food and Refuge

There are a few hundred people sleeping in McDonald's on a regular basis

There are a lot of assumptions made about people who are down and out in Hong Kong. We think it has to do with someone's financial situation, but our perception of someone being "poor" should change, and we should have more empathy for them.

Some of these people hang out in McDonald's for long stretches of time -- some even falling asleep there. They are called McRefugees or McSleepers, and there was worldwide attention in 2015 when an elderly woman was found dead 24 hours after she walked into the McDonald's in Kowloon Bay.

Meanwhile a survey back in 2013 found 57 street sleepers in these fast-food restaurants. But this June another survey was conducted which found a whopping 334 street sleepers; of the 110 branches that are open 24 hours, 84 of them had seen overnight sleepers. Most of them were in McDonald's branches in Tsuen Wan.

Some have jobs, some have homes, but still go to McDonald's

Junior Chamber International, which conducted the survey, was able to interview 53 McRefugees aged between 19 and 79, and found 57 percent of them had a job, and 71 percent of them had housing, either rented or owned.

Some of them lived in sub-divided flats and because the small space had no air flow, they felt it was better to be in a place that was air conditioned. They also wanted to minimize their electricity spending, as air conditioning can be expensive.

Others had jobs but didn't get along with their families, and would rather not go home, and instead would rather hang out and eat at McDonald's.

There are also seniors whose husbands or wives had passed and they didn't want to be by themselves at home so they went to McDonald's to be around people.

"Family is the basic unit in a society," says chamber publication commission chairwoman Jennifer Hung Sin-yu. "Even one person who has a home but cannot return is too many. This phenomenon is worth our attention."

More needs to be done to reach out to these people

What is being done about these people?  It is sad to find Hong Kong as a community is not there for these people, whether it's offering companionship to lonely people or giving them a leg up to find a better job. The Hong Kong government will be on the hook for this latest report, as the city is so filthy rich and yet it doesn't have enough compassion for mostly underprivileged people.

But also the onus is on these people to find better solutions, such as a network of friends to talk to or to find some space that is welcoming -- hanging out in a McDonald's all day is hardly fun; it must be tiring too.

Everyone needs to be more open to reaching out and giving a helping hand to someone, or saying hello or even smiling to them.

These are small ways we can make Hong Kong more friendly to everyone.

Picture of the Day: Cheap Treat

For many in Hong Kong, Ovaltine conjures childhood memories

The other day I saw my friend's Facebook post saying that Ovaltine soft serve ice cream was back at McDonald's -- but only for a limited time.

I hadn't tried it before, so the other day I checked it out, only HK$5.50!

It does have that Ovaltine taste, the malt flavour with a bit of cocoa mixed in that isn't too sweet. For many people in Hong Kong, Ovaltine is a nostalgic food, bringing back memories of their childhood.

Another friend on Facebook posted a picture of waffles with the Ovaltine ice cream on top with chocolate sauce drizzled over them. He said it was available at the McDonald's at Admiralty, Quarry Bay and Cityplaza in Taikoo Shing.

The waffles definitely looked decadent, but I was OK with my cone. It seemed like just the right portion for a quick (and cheap) treat!

Scaring Hong Kong on Cost of Universal Pension

A number of elderly make extra cash by collecting cardboard and recyclables

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying election platform back in 2012 included setting up a fund for the elderly, but the government seems to be scaring the public into thinking implementing such a scheme would be too expensive.

We have been hearing lots of stories of elderly residents who are too poor to look after themselves despite having worked very hard all their lives. Some are too proud to ask for welfare, others are borderline cases that aren't eligible for social assistance.

There was talk of giving more money to those who needed it, but then they would have to undergo some kind of means test to confirm they qualified for the extra funds. Then there was the issue of assets -- someone may own a flat, but not have enough cash monthly to buy food to sustain themselves -- did they qualify?

Chow proposes a universal pension paid by the government

The government got University of Hong Kong Professor Nelson Chow Wing-sun to conduct a study and in August he proposed those over 70 years of age should get a pension of HK$3,230 per month and paid for by the government at a cost of HK$7 billion per year.

He said the government should pay for it because people would be reluctant to pay into the scheme, mostly because of disillusionment with how the Mandatory Provident Fund, a mandatory savings plan, had failed miserably -- people's funds are losing value instead of gaining.

Then about a week ago the government presented two different pension plans for public consultation. One was a non-universal plan where one person living alone could not have assets more than HK$80,000, while the other was Chow's idea. The government claimed that to pay for the scheme, taxes would have to be raised.

At the same time Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor seemed to want to distance the Leung administration from Chow, saying what he was proposing was only a report, and turning it into policy was another matter.

This angered Chow, who has consulted the government on retirement issues since the 1980s. He held his own press conference for the first time in 30 years asking: "If the government's stance is that it does not want to implement a universal retirement scheme, why does it want to consult the public?"

Carrie Lam claims the scheme would mean increasing taxes

Lam fired back saying the academic "does not fully understand the concept and management of public finances".

If Chow is unqualified to understand funding of public services, then why has he been advising the government for over 30 years?

The Hong Kong government coffers are at over HK$730 billion. Why can't Hong Kong afford to pay for a universal pension scheme of HK$7 billion a year?

Do we want more stories of elderly people sleeping in McDonald's because they can't afford a place to live? Isn't the government ashamed it isn't doing enough to help these people?

Apparently not. If Beijing is meddling more in Hong Kong affairs, surely China would encourage the city to have a universal pension scheme... at least that would be one good thing about being "mainlandized"...

Hong Kong's "McSleepers"

An elderly woman sleeps at a branch of McDonald's

Last month, a woman in her 50s or 60s was found dead in a McDonald's in Ping Shek Estate, in Kowloon Bay, 24 hours after she entered the fast-food restaurant.

The shock of the discovery has sparked renewed calls to help these so-called "McRefugees", or "McSleepers", because they have no place to go, and the 24-hours McDonald's restaurants are a good option because they are warm and clean.

Social workers have been trying to bring attention of these homeless people to the Hong Kong government, but it still refuses to acknowledge these people need help because they consider them to have roofs over their heads -- albeit temporary ones.

As a result the government says it only has some 800 homeless people in the city, whereas social workers believe it's at least double that.

A woman was found dead in a McDonald's in Kowloon Bay

These homeless people have little or no income, and are forced between choosing to pay for expensive rents but starve, or live on the streets and have some food, and many pick the latter option.

"A subdivided flat of just 30 sq ft in Sham Shui Po would cost you HK$2,000 ($258) a month to rent these days," says Lee Tai-shing, chief community organizer for the Concerning Comprehensive Social Security Assistance and Low Income Alliance.

The Social Welfare Department offers short-term hostel placement, employment guidance, and emergency funds to cover short-term rent payments and other living expenses.

While it's nice to know the department will help out financially in a pinch, temporary housing is not the answer for these homeless people.

And so social workers are calling on the government to impose rent controls so landlords cannot sharply raise the rent every year.

When interviewed, one "McSleeper" said he used to live in a sub-divided flat in Sham Shui Po for HK$1,000, but then it became too expensive and dirty, whereas coming to McDonald's was at least "clean and nice".

The 48-year-old is a cleaner who also gets partial Comprehensive Social Security Assistance for low-income adults, and so he can have a monthly income of HK$6,000 to HK$10,000 depending on how many hours of work he can get.

Subdivided flats are expensive and cramped, dirty too

He has slept in a Sham Shui Po McDonald's for four years now and finds the location convenient, as his job is unstable and where he gets assigned to work changes frequently.

Although he has been offered public rental housing three times, he has refused each time, as the location is in an inaccessible area that transportation costs would be high.

While Sham Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui have been areas with cheap housing, the government has been gentrifying these areas, making housing more expensive for people who are scraping a living.

A bed space costs HK$1,800 to over HK$2,000, while a sub-divided room can cost HK$3,000.

Social workers have lobbied the government to set aside social housing and communal areas for these low-income people, but people have the "not in my backyard" mentality.

However, when people are given a place to sleep and keep their possessions, earn a living and be able to maintain a sense of dignity, it gives these people hope, and helps them not only to socialize with others, but also makes them feel a part of the community.

Isolation, says social workers, is the real root of the homelessness problem.

"It's okay in the first year or two of rough sleeping, but stepping into the fourth and fifth year, it's hard not to have some sort of mental issues as well as other illnesses," says Wong Hung, associate professor in social work at Chinese University.

We go back to what Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah said earlier, that HK12,000 was too much to pay for a dishwasher.

Has he and his colleagues visited these "McSleepers" and asked them how much they need to live a dignified life? The minimum would probably be HK$12,000 if not more.

And why is he sitting on trillions of dollars in reserves when we have at least 1,500 homeless people who need shelter, and over a million others who cannot afford to buy enough food to eat each day?

We pay taxes for a good reason -- to help those in need.

We are a rich city, and yet the buck stops with Tsang, for no good reason.

We ask again -- why is he our Financial Secretary?

Trying to Move Forward

The Umbrella Revolution's new mascot, "Umbrella Man" in Admiralty

Hong Kong tried to get back to work and school today with residents warned to leave home earlier to make it on time.

When I read this at 7am I leaped out of bed and was out the door by 8.20 and caught the bus. Since it was completely full by the next stop, the bus driver got us to Sheung Wan by 8.45am. I had plenty of time to make a pit stop in the MTR station. From there I arrived in North Point by 9.16am, 14 minutes to spare before the company shuttle bus took us to Taipo, though it was slow going after the Eastern Tunnel...

A friend who lives in North Point and depends on a green minibus to take to Cyberport, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, photographed the long line of people in front of her, and said she was very late for work.

Last night students were hunkering down

On the evening news, there was a report about students being late for school because of buses being slow, though others decided to walk and actually got there faster. One slightly chubby elementary school student was asked what he thought of his new route and admitted it would be a good way for him to lose weight! Too cute.

The government did not clear out the streets as they had warned they would on Sunday. If the authorities continue to threaten, protesters will think they are dealing with someone/something that keeps crying wolf. Again -- is that how to build trust with your own people?

Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mongkok were sparsely occupied throughout the day, though more people came back after school and work. In Central people are still getting used to the idea they can walk along the streets and still use the crosswalk areas.

Mongkok still had a few odd confrontations, but on the whole it was peaceful. The diehards believe it's important to stay where they are and not give an inch until the talks have resolved the matter.

Speaking of which the student leaders have had to negotiate conditions for speaking with Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor through undersecretary for constitutional affairs Lau Kong-wah.

Checking out the thousands of messages posted at Tamar

He has spoken to the students twice in as many days and it seems like Lam is dragging her feet on the issue. Again -- does the government want to resolve this issue or not? It doesn't seem to be making much of an effort. Does it have some kind of condescending attitude towards the students? These are the next generation's leaders and they already know what they're doing so don't mess with them.

There have been some winners and some losers during the Umbrella Revolution. There are some shopkeepers doing a roaring trade selling bottled water and snacks, and McDonald's has practically been fueling the protest food-wise.

Then there are others who claim business is down 90 percent, perhaps because their shop is located within the area where roads are shut down. Some cater more to mainland tourists and there are fewer of them here at the moment.

Big winners for sure is Hong Kong Electric with everyone constantly charging their mobile phones, and the telecom companies because everyone's been using up their data fast posting pictures and messages online.

Oh yes and the MTR! The entire city would be paralyzed if it wasn't working and kudos to its staff for keeping it running as smoothly as possible despite the large number of commuters.

But as talks are supposed to happen this week, the Occupy sites won't be vacated anytime soon. Perhaps by this weekend.

We are heartened to hear more than 50 mainland lawyers, scholars and citizens have signed a letter supporting Hong Kong people's fight for democracy, and said Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was responsible for misleading the National People's Congress Standing Committee on how Hong Kong people feel about the issue of electoral reform.

Last night, long after YTSL and I left Admiralty, a statue featuring a person holding a yellow umbrella stands tall in Admiralty and is nicknamed Umbrella Man. It was made by a guy named Milk who created the sculpture out of cardboard. A new mascot that represents the people!

In the meantime despite the minor inconveniences, we're loving the fresh air in Admiralty and Central! How refreshing!

Another Food Scandal

The fast-food restaurant had been serving bad meat processed in Shanghai

McDonald's has been in crisis mode since Sunday when Shanghai broadcaster Dragon TV reported that meat supplier Husi reprocessed and repackaged old beef and chicken and put new expiration dates on them.

Not only were they sold to the fast-food restaurant with the golden arches, but also KFC and Pizza Hut.

Owned by Illinois-based OSI Group, Husi has a plant in Shanghai that is at the centre of the scandal.

Not only are McDonald's outlets in China affected, but also in Hong Kong.

What made it worse was that McDonald's Hong Kong first denied it imported any food products from the Shanghai plant, but then yesterday apologized for the "confusion" and said the food served from now on in the city was not from Shanghai Husi.

The Hong Kong government had earlier announced an immediate ban of the import and sales of products from Husi Food Company.

Assistant director of food and environmental hygiene Dr Lee Siu-yuen stated that any Husi food already in Hong Kong would be sealed and stored in warehouses.

The fast-food restaurant had been importing cooked chicken leg meat from Husi's Shanghai plant since May, and from July to December last year it had imported 10 batches of frozen pork from Shanghai Husi.

There are concerns the meat also made its way to Japan, where McDonald's there said 20 percent of its meat for chicken nuggets was supplied by Husi.

Meanwhile OSI Group chief executive officer Sheldon Lavin apologized to "all of our customers in China". He said the incident "was terribly wrong" and "I am appalled that it ever happened in the company that I own".

So far five Husi executives have been questioned by Shanghai police. Surely charges will follow.

This incident clearly demonstrates that six years on, the Chinese government still has not set up an effective accountability system to ensure food products produced on the mainland are safe to eat.

There was such a huge uproar in July 2008 following the melamine milk scandal in which at least six infants died and hundreds of thousands more became ill from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine to make the milk seem like it had higher protein content, but in fact was just watered-down milk.

This resulted in over 300,000 children with malnutrition and kidney damage.

Beijing promised to set up 800 testing centres around the country, 80 of which are dedicated to food.

But because there are so many small producers, the government doesn't have enough inspectors to go around. And even then some may be easily corrupted by bribes.

As a result China's already precarious food quality reputation is at risk again and one wonders when the country will get its act together. As others have said before -- you can sell us cheap clothing and shoes, but contaminated food is where we draw the line.

Perhaps the upside is that people won't be eating at McDonald's for a while, but also it has forced the public to question where their food comes from and do restaurants really check on their suppliers.

Not only is the Chinese government to blame, but so is OSI Group and Lavin for not knowing what was going on in the Shanghai plant. Since when is it OK to reprocess rotten meat? Not only is it a health issue, but also morally wrong.

And then for McDonald's Hong Kong to flip flop on such a serious issue demonstrates its unwillingness to deal with the problem, or it too is unsure of where all its food products come from.

Fast-food restaurants seem to have a disconnect when it comes to food quality -- it's not just about the bottom line anymore.

The public cannot afford to eat bad food.

Homeless Numbers Underestimated

A homeless person in Hong Kong photographed by Lei Jih-sheng

There seems to be a major discrepancy in numbers with regards to the homeless in Hong Kong. A City University study has found the estimate could be double what the government thinks it is.

The government's tally over 15 years ago was at 674, while the university together with three community organizations put the number at 1,414.

The Homeless Outreach Population Estimation project lasted for eight months and counted people at 180 locations, including temporary shelters and 24-hour restaurant chains, where many find refuge.

In addition the university surveyed 323 homeless people and found 40 percent had low-paying jobs with an average salary of HK$5,688. About half of the respondents had attended high school.

Constance Ching Wing-lok, project supervisor of the City-Youth Empowerment Project, which organized the study, said rising rents and low incomes force many people into the streets.

"Many of these homeless people don't earn enough even for a subdivided flat, which costs at least HK$3,800 these days."

Ching said previous government numbers didn't give an accurate picture of the situation because they did not include those who lived in temporary shelters or other temporary accommodation.

"The [government's] total number of homeless people is believed to be an underestimation, given the highly mobile nature of the homeless," she said.

The last citywide count was conducted by the Social Welfare Department in 1999. It now gets its numbers from the Street Sleepers Registry, counting street sleepers but not those living in shelters. There were 555 street sleepers recorded in 2012.

As expected, Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po had the highest number of homeless people, with two-thirds over the age of 50, the youngest at 21, the oldest 89.

Another interesting statistic is that 93 percent of those surveyed were male, with them being homeless an average of four years. One said he'd been without a home for 36 years.

Ng Wai-tung of the Society for Community Organization said the government should provide more shelters for single homeless people and extend the length of time they could stay there so that they could apply for public housing.

It is disappointing to see the government not have as accurate numbers as possible on the homeless, particularly under Chief Executive Leung Chung-ying's watch.

He has made combating poverty one of his biggest concerns at the moment, but to not have a good picture of what's going on with the homeless shows the government really doesn't understand them.

If the government did, it would try to understand that homeless people are very mobile and will go wherever they need to go to find shelter. They also go, as mentioned earlier, to places like 24-hour McDonald's just to get some temporary reprieve, a warm place to sit down for a couple of hours. And assuming that those living in shelters are not homeless is ridiculous -- that is the way to sweep the problem under the carpet. All these people need to be taken into account.

And what about learning about their plight and how they fell on bad times? Finding out how they came to this situation can help the government have adequate services in place for them such as skills training or some kind of counselling to help them on their feet.

No one chooses to be homeless and in some cases they might have made some bad choices or mistakes along the way. They most desperately want some sense of dignity, but the government seems to like to clear the streets of them, pushing them further into the fringes of society.

Hong Kong is a wealthy city and is hardly a welfare state compared to places like the UK and Canada.

If Leung's administration is determined to combat poverty, it should take these latest numbers seriously and consider 1,414 a conservative estimate of how many homeless really are in the city.

Picture of the Day: Localization

Ronald McDonald greeting visitors outside his restaurant!

Ah McDonald's... the bastion of American fast food. It was interesting to see so many western fast-food restaurants in Patong, Phuket, but then again should we be surprised? It's where most of the tourists go in Phuket, and they are mainly from Australia, Russia, Germany and the United States; not everyone has adventurous palates.

But the delicious fresh seafood cooked with lime, chilli and lemongrass creating subtle but complex flavours... how can anyone pass that up?!

By the same token young Thais want a piece of American pie -- but in the case of McDonald's in Thailand it's chicken ham pie for a savoury taste and corn or pineapple pie for dessert.

Or how about dipping your chicken McNuggets into a berry-flavoured mayonnaise...?!

Nevertheless we like how Ronald McDonald puts his hands together like all Thais when they greet visitors -- "Sawasdee" or "Welcome!"