Halloween 2009—my last weekend in New York before moving halfway around the world. Five days down the road, I'd be flying to London and then onto Hong Kong. And there I was, so busy that I hardly gave any thought to my costume or plans. Around 4pm on Halloween, I went with my roommate from Villanova, Ryan, to a costume shop in Midtown and had to settle on a creepy plastic mask. As fun as that night was, I was determined to make my first Halloween in Hong Kong as well-planned as possible.
It’s been about a month now that we’ve been getting in the Halloween spirit out here. At the beginning of October, spider webs and ghosts started making guest appearances in all the restaurants, bars and stores around town. The costume shops began opening as well, and people started to think about their disguises for the big night. Still, as much as Halloween is popular out here, there were several Halloween traditions I struggled to observe.
A staple of Halloween for many Americans is carving a jack o’lantern. But I just couldn’t seem to find a suitable pumpkin in Hong Kong. I searched the expat websites, but I was unsuccessful in locating a ‘pumpkin patch’ or a store that sold reasonably priced, attractive pumpkins. The only ones I could find were either stupidly expensive or looked more like orangey-brown tumors than pumpkins.
Luckily, I found a last minute solution in the form of the Thai restaurant downstairs from my apartment. Their 'red curry with seafood' entrée is served in an already-hollowed pumpkin, so I ordered the dish one night last week and asked the waitress if I could please take the pumpkin home. She proceeded to wrap it in a doggy-bag for me, and although I had to give it a thorough wash in the sink before carving, I was very pleased with my ingenuity!
It’s been about a month now that we’ve been getting in the Halloween spirit out here. At the beginning of October, spider webs and ghosts started making guest appearances in all the restaurants, bars and stores around town. The costume shops began opening as well, and people started to think about their disguises for the big night. Still, as much as Halloween is popular out here, there were several Halloween traditions I struggled to observe.
A staple of Halloween for many Americans is carving a jack o’lantern. But I just couldn’t seem to find a suitable pumpkin in Hong Kong. I searched the expat websites, but I was unsuccessful in locating a ‘pumpkin patch’ or a store that sold reasonably priced, attractive pumpkins. The only ones I could find were either stupidly expensive or looked more like orangey-brown tumors than pumpkins.
Luckily, I found a last minute solution in the form of the Thai restaurant downstairs from my apartment. Their 'red curry with seafood' entrée is served in an already-hollowed pumpkin, so I ordered the dish one night last week and asked the waitress if I could please take the pumpkin home. She proceeded to wrap it in a doggy-bag for me, and although I had to give it a thorough wash in the sink before carving, I was very pleased with my ingenuity!
My jack o'lantern, formerly a bowl of Thai curry.
Before Solène moved out of the apartment, we hosted a Halloween party as a sort-of “going away” celebration. Solène, being from France, had never properly experienced Halloween and was very much looking forward to it when she got her surprise job offer in Bangladesh. Now that she had to leave Hong Kong prior to Halloween, we decided a fitting solution would be to have an early Halloween party. We bought a spider web, some creepy candles and black balloons to create an appropriate atmosphere, and we also visited a local Halloween market to search for costumes.
Friends at Solène's Going Away/Halloween Party
Farewell, Solene!
A few months back I also bought tickets for a Halloween-themed concert on Saturday, October 30th, the de facto celebration night since Halloween itself fell on a Sunday this year. The traditional Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra played The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and three other Halloween-themed pieces that were commissioned for the concert and were receiving their world premieres. I went my roommate Valentine and two Dutch friends named Hayley and Jeroen, and we wore our costumes to the show before heading out for a night on the town.
After the Halloween concert in TST
Although I dressed as a pirate for our early Halloween party, I decided to be a bit more subtle with my official Halloween costume. I read an article in the New York Times in which the author mentioned that a friend once dressed as a ‘Venetian blind’ and wore dark glasses and an “I love Venice” t-shirt and carried a walking stick. I decided that would be my costume. I went to Mong Kok, an area chock full of markets, and found sun glasses and a cane easily enough. But the Venice t-shirt proved more elusive. Eventually I found a stall that had dozens of t-shirt logos to choose from and the option of adding additional letters for $5HK each. After a bit of haggling, I got the price down to an acceptable level and was all set for the night.
With Valentine on the 'Star' Ferry...
(Note that she recycled my pirate costume from the previous party)
After the concert, we spent a bit of time at my friend Jason's apartment, in the company of a police officer, an Indian, G.I. Joe and several other characters, before heading out to join the crowds. Lan Kwai Fong was unbelievably packed this Halloween, a veritable parade of showy costumes ranging from zombies to teletubbies to superheroes. As usual, the crowds spilled onto the streets creating a carnival-like atmosphere—an unforgettable sight.
And as if Halloween wasn’t exciting enough by itself, I got to add a new roommate to the mix! Alex moved to Shanghai on Saturday afternoon, and Pietro, an Italian from Milan, moved in, becoming my seventh roommate in the past year. (Sometimes I feel like I live in the European Union, as I’ve lived with a German, a Dutchman, two French, two Swiss and now an Italian!) It was great getting to know him in such a fun setting, and I hope both Valentine and Pietro stay on in the apartment for a good amount of time, because the three of us get along great.
And as if Halloween wasn’t exciting enough by itself, I got to add a new roommate to the mix! Alex moved to Shanghai on Saturday afternoon, and Pietro, an Italian from Milan, moved in, becoming my seventh roommate in the past year. (Sometimes I feel like I live in the European Union, as I’ve lived with a German, a Dutchman, two French, two Swiss and now an Italian!) It was great getting to know him in such a fun setting, and I hope both Valentine and Pietro stay on in the apartment for a good amount of time, because the three of us get along great.
With new roommate Pietro, from Italy, and some teletubbies near Lan Kwai Fong
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