Life Style

Hong Kong is steeling itself for the muggy weather that typically envelops the city as summer approaches, with April and May usually the most humid months in the city.Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) holds that high humidity gives rise to “external dampness”, which can invade the body, putting strain on certain organs.This may cause ailments including diarrhoea, headaches and dizziness. It can also trigger sore muscles and bones, and joint pain.People with chronic diseases such as eczema and rheumatism should bear in mind that these conditions can worsen in humid weather.Fog over the water in To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong, on March 2, 2025. Photo: Sam TsangAccording to TCM, the spleen and stomach are responsible for processing and discharging “dampness” from the body. Accordingly, humid weather ...

If humans eventually colonise the moon, the early settlers might toast their success with a bottle of sake, realising the dream of Japanese brewer Asahi Shuzo.Yamaguchi-based Asahi Shuzo, known for its Dassai sake brand, took a leap forward in February, unveiling at an event in Tokyo a bottle of high-end sake that it will attempt to brew in space.The price for the 100ml (3.3oz) bottle of Dassai Moon is 110 million yen (US$738,000) – the going rate for an alcoholic drink produced in space given that it will be the first of its kind.Inspired by the US-led Artemis moon exploration programme and other efforts to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon, Asahi Shuzo is serious about wanting the eventual inhabitants to be able to enjoy a low-gravity tipple.“It’s not a case of trying it...

Easter is coming, so cue the egg puns!Ahead of the brunches, chocolate and roast dinners you’re sure to indulge in this weekend, we’re highlighting a slightly different Easter tradition. Once a forbidden food during the 40 days of Lent, eggs became a treat to tuck into on Easter Sunday, and were eventually crafted out of chocolate in celebration of the spring holiday.More than just a protein-packed breakfast staple, eggs are used creatively by many across Hong Kong’s F&B scene. So, besides whisky sours and egg-topped noodles or rice, here are our picks of the very best egg-based dishes that may not immediately come to mind.1. The Carbonara Egg at Trattoria FelinoTrattoria Felino’s Carbonara Egg. Photo: HandoutShip Street’s Southern Italian restaurant, Trattoria Felino, takes the eggs i...

Jay Bichard loves exploring the Top End, the northern part of Australia’s Northern Territory (NT), which contains Darwin and Kakadu National Park. She has made the region her home.She knows the area well, having spent three years working as a tour guide in Kakadu, Australia’s biggest national park, famous for its rugged cliffs, lush rainforest and rock art galleries up to 20,000 years old.These days Bichard, a native of Jersey, the largest of Britain’s Channel Islands, lives in Darwin, where she works for Tourism NT. Her duties include creating itineraries for tourists visiting the region.Jay Bichard spent three years as a tour guide in Kakadu National Park and now works for Tourism NT. Photo: Kylie KnottHere she shares some of her favourite places in the region to eat, drink and shop, and...

The stubborn boundary between “art” and “craft”, itself a puzzling and arbitrary division, is often reinforced in contemporary art settings. “Art” is deemed to be conceptually sophisticated and relevant, while “craft” is the unoriginal repetition of tradition.At the Centre for Heritage Arts and Textile (Chat) in Hong Kong, that hierarchy comes tumbling down.At the new exhibition titled “Lining Revealed – A Journey Through Folk Wisdom and Contemporary Vision”, the distinction between art and craft fades as soon as you walk among the exquisite pieces made from straw weaving, beadwork and patchwork, paper craft, embroidery, and other traditional techniques, as every single work has strong connections to our contemporary realities.“Folk craft and contemporary art are often considered two total...

Hamburger Hill, Hué, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh: some remember the Vietnam war battles from the headlines of the 1960s and ’70s, others from films and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who died fighting more than 50 years ago.Today, the battlefields of Vietnam are sites of pilgrimage for veterans from both sides who fought there, and tourists wanting to see first-hand where the war was waged.“It was a war zone when I was here before,” reflected US Army veteran Paul Hazelton as he walked with his wife through the grounds of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which was known as Saigon when he served there.Hazelton’s tour just shy of his 80th birthday took him back for the first time to places he served in as a youn...

Physicists have discovered a way to make a stronger coffee using less coffee grounds when brewing it by hand.This latter method is known as a manual pour-over, and it involves slowly pouring the hot water in a circular motion over the coffee grounds by hand. The method, invented in the early 1900s, has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.Researchers writing in the journal Physics of Fluids explain that the key to maximising flavour lies in the height and flow of the water stream.Filter coffee remains one of the most popular ways to enjoy coffee. Photo: ShutterstockUsing a swan-neck kettle, which allows for precise pouring, creates a strong, concentrated jet of water that stirs the coffee grounds.This motion, described as an “avalanche effect”, circulates the grounds and allows ...

This is the 60th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.It ranks among the most important nutrients you have likely never heard of: choline. Drop the ‘h’ to pronounce it. Having enough of it could help to lower your dementia risk by 23 per cent, according to a study published in January.An essential nutrient that is neither vitamin nor mineral, choline plays a critical role in cognition, and may help prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment.An earlier study concluded that a low level of choline in a diet was associated with increased risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – so there seems to be a clear link.Choline helps to maintain healthy cell membranes, producing a fatty molecule that help...

Lead cast: Roh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min, Jo Joon-youngLatest Nielsen rating: 0.9 per centRealism and K-dramas are not terms that typically get along with one another, but the new youth romance Crushology 101 takes artifice and superficiality to new levels.The series is based on the webtoon Bunny and Her Boys by Ni-eun, which serves as the local title of the series in South Korea.The concept is a simple one. Ban Hee-jin (Roh Jeong-eui, Hierarchy) – nickname Bunny – is a gifted sculpture major who appreciates beauty, especially if it can be found in a young man’s features. Fortunately for her, beautiful young men quickly queue up in front of her.

There is a lot to love about the ratatouille prepared by chef Emmanuel Soulière, the new culinary director at fine-dining restaurant CulinArt 1862, in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay neighbourhood.Soulière’s dish is a colourful mix of fresh vegetables, herbs and black olives.But it is the egg, sitting proud in the centre of the dish, that steals the show, and not just because it is free of bad things such as hormones, antibiotics and steroids.The egg is a Rén egg – and that means it is a good egg.Ratatouille at CulinArt 1862 is a colourful mix of fresh vegetables, herbs and black olives served with a Rén egg in the middle. Photo: Dickson LeeRén is a Hong Kong charity helping underprivileged and disadvantaged youths in the city find work in the hospitality industry.It was founded in 2023 by Hongko...