Eldon-Online

It Really Is Just a Numbers Game

I used to think it was only older people who developed a fixation with numbers - in particular focusing on age, with this thinking now being developed to even further degrees as the latest "miracle" drug or cure shows promise. The "fix" becomes even more pronounced as we are encouraged, at any age, to read the numbers on the packet of anything you have picked up off the supermarket shelf to see if it has too much sugar or salt or not enough meat.

But this age thing, in particular, is a worry on a number of counts. I have been surprised recently at the number of people who have become seriously worried, depressed even, at the prospect of turning 40. I am not knocking it - you can get depressed by whatever number you like, but 40 is still young. You still have - given a fair wind, decent health, reasonable genes, no world war or a road accident - over half your life to go. I have to say, turning 40 certainly didn't phase me - neither did 50 nor 60 although I confess to getting somewhat skittish at 70. But I wasn't about to bury my head in my hands and give up, say it was the end, and please bring my armchair and some slippers while I waited for the grim reaper. Particularly in my case where my hobbies (non-existent in the conventional sense) have revolved solely around being a part of the world at large, as my active interest in sport slowly succumbed to muscle tears and strains, and ultimately gave way to disinterest because I wasn't involved anymore. But that said I do have some ideas about what to do with my future time :-)

I read last week about the amount of discomfort being expressed in some quarters because the pensionable age is rising in Britain to 66-67. The protesters were saying that they had worked hard all their lives and it wasn't fair that they now had to wait longer until they retired and were able to take a break. So let's try and put that into perspective. When pensions were first introduced by Bismarck towards the end of the 19th Century, when the majority of our forbears worked until they were carried out feet first in a box if they hadn't been caught up in a war, and life expectancy was in the low 50s, it was decided that people who made it to 60 and were still working should actually be entitled to be looked after by others and allowed to stop working. I understand that if we applied that principle to today, where longevity in the developed world is well into the 70s - and with the developments in medical science probably making it a good deal higher, then we should probably only allow people a pension when they reach 105!!

But look, it is what it is. The media are fully of advertisements extolling the latest means of living longer and longer. This involves it seems exercise in various degrees of vigour, with which I do agree, but depending on the particular week you are in, it extols the virtue of a particular product that has been described as a miracle towards living longer, but which is found two weeks later to be the complete opposite. And on that subject I was only reading today about a miracle cure for cancer that nearly killed the user!!

Really, we are blessed by being given an opportunity to live - and yes, I agree some are more blessed than others by virtue of where they are born and to whom. And if we can stop Messrs, Trump, Kim, ISIS and Al Qaeda from waging war on the world at large we stand a reasonable chance of living longer. And does the body become more frail? Yup. Do our brains become less active? - Well ... maybe. In some cases yes, but in the case of our bodies and our brains there are things we can do to assist. Miracle foods? Supplements you take daily? The latest exercise craze? For me - moderation is a word that comes to mind. In just about everything. You look at what gets served in restaurants these days in the developed world - portions that are too large. We are eating because it is there - not because we need it. Everything we do, should be done in moderation although I do confess to having trouble finding a suitable definition from time to time.

But stressed about age? Is there a great deal of point in doing so? Every day when you wake up you should expect to get through it and to make the most of it, at whatever age you are. Even if you have been dealt a rough set of cards - make the most of them. Be brave and look forward. Add the two numbers of your age together. If you are 65, think of yourself as being 11. Wasn't that a good time? Re-live it, and live for the day.

New on the Menu - Rat of Lamb!

Oh dear! There I was, just about to settle down to write a really exciting Blog either on why University candidates are opting out of going to Uni, or a small note on "Big Data" - the consultant's latest buzz word that is sweeping through a Boardroom somewhere near you when, hard on the heels of my last Blog about food - and China's aspirations to ensure its future food supplies from other parts of the world - along comes a tale (tail perhaps?) of skullduggery in the mainland's kitchens. 

In case you missed it, recent news reports from China have highlighted the seizure of a gang that has been selling rat, fox and mink meat in the Eastern part of China - passing it off as lamb and mutton. Now I have never knowingly eaten a "joint of rat", but I don't care how much gunk and preservative you put on it surely a rodent would have a different taste and texture from what you were expecting? I would have imagined rat to be sort of stringy, even if it was thinly sliced - and surely the purchasers or users of the raw item must have ... well, smelt a rat when they saw the meat? 

China, of course, has had a run of scandals in the last few years over food items that have been tainted. The most notorious being tainted milk. This has led to such concern in China that demand for powdered milk from places like Hong Kong and, I am told, even London has led to a restriction on the amount of powdered milk that can be bought by mainlanders in those cities to take back to China. And then there were the thousands of dead pigs floating downstream into Shanghai a month or two ago, having been dumped in the river. And there are other examples ... all of which make the United Kingdom's "horsemeat for beef" scandal look rather tame by comparison.

For the genuine storekeeper, restaurateur or whatever, don't you think they would know that a rat is a small rodent that feeds from old food and smelly bins, and carries fleas (amongst other things!)? Sheep, or more specifically lambs on the other hand, are soft and cuddly fluffy animals that mostly eat grass! If you can easily get the two mixed up then I would guess you are in the wrong business.

That said there was always the rumour being circulated amongst Westerners that Chinese people would eat anything that had its back to the sun. This neatly prohibited cannibalism because most of us walk upright. But judging by some of the things I have eaten over the years, that would not be considered totally normal to Western tastes, I think that the saying may be pretty accurate!

All of which leads me to attach a drawing courtesy of a good friend wth a gift for cartoons, and with apologies for "amending" what has become a well known saying emanating from China,

But the serious message is clearly this. In a country where the vast majority of people eat to live rather than live to eat, playing around with people's food is not clever, given the potential consequences. And when it happens too often, with different food items, and the public begins to question what the Government is doing about it to provide safeguards, and the social networks start buzzing, there is a serious risk of unrest. Weibo, the micro blogging service in China has something like 500 million registered users of which around 10% are active on a daily basis. If 50 million people start complaining, you get some idea of the impact a site like this can have, for good and bad! Really the ball is now very firmly in the Leaderhip's court, and I hope that demonstrable progress can be made to improve this situation.

I have for a long time said that I am much more concerned at the impact of social unrest in China than I am about things like the economy. And if people are afraid to eat what is put in front of them for fear it is tainted, they will get angry. And guess what comes next .....

So, maybe some ratatouille with the rat of lamb?

 

Hey - What About Us Humans?

I obviously have far too much time on my hands!

After I completed my annual medical in May this year, I decided - once again - that it was time I started thinking about my weight. I set myself a goal, which was to reach a weight I had not seen in 10 years, and was around a level a kindly doctor had set for me some 25 years earlier. But I gave myself a generous amount of time in which to do it. Losing weight quickly, I had always been led to believe, was merely a recipe for putting it back on just as quickly. Thus 40lbs (18.1kgs) in 10 months, I thought would be a sensible approach. The diet was working reasonably well, but it would have benefited more from an increase in exercise levels, I admit that. Then I got a virus!!

Now, I would not recommend hunting out a virus in replacement for diet and exercise, but it worked for me! Weight loss accomplished - 4 months early, but I am now getting paranoid about putting it all back too soon. Of course increasing exercise would be a good start. (Yes, I will!).

And then I read about the Japanese and their obese pets! 

I have to say, the Japanese seem to be great inventors - particularly of things slightly odd. Little umbrellas for your shoes in the rain, or a real boon for Hong Kong users of the Mass Transit Railway - Subway Sleepers -

I presume the message gives the lady's destination, so someone can wake her up. (yeh; right!)

But back to the pets!

The Japanese, in recent years, have started to value having pets around and dogs in particular, but they are letting the dogs get too fat. So what's the answer? A Wandant or canine obesity monitor. (According to "The Times", Wan means "woof" in Japanese).

 

The concept is simple. A pedometer hangs from the dog’s collar and as the dog moves around and does what dogs do all day, the data is gathered and stored on a cloud service. The dog owner can then access the health info via their laptop or smartphone while on the go.

The dog obesity monitor records temperature changes, weight, number of steps taken, the amount of food the dog has eaten and even its "stool condition".

Well, it sounds great for dog owners - but what about us humans (maybe ignoring the stool condition)? The development of something helpful for the growing band of obese people who would actually rather like some "assistance" in reducing weight - and it being done graphically. And obesity is now not just a "westerners" phenomenon. It is becoming apparent in Asia too - thanks (or no thanks, actually!) to the introduction of western-style diets, and serving portions.

What about it inventors?

Olympic Gold Hangover

What is it about the Brits and Booze?

I enjoy a drink (of alcohol) as many others do who are so permitted. And seeing as we are into confessions, I have never taken drugs - unless prescribed, nor have I smoked - anything! Which I suppose in today's world makes me a bit of a wimp, but hey, it is my preference and I am happy with it. And I don't have to contend with "peer pressure".

But here we are in the middle of the Olympic games (I am NOT in the UK - yet), and already the headlines are about the masterful, seriously he is, cyclist Mr Wiggins - The British winner of the Tour de France winner and now with his Olympic Gold Medal, and a young man, Peter Wilson, who had a surprising but hard earned Gold medal in trap shooting, both talking about going off and getting drunk. Surely, if they felt the need to say something, why couldn't they just say they were going for a drink to celebrate rather than glorifying what is already a recognised major problem in Britain with young people particularly, and binge drinking?

To follow up on the "misdeeds" of Wiggo, we were then subsequently regaled with a blow by blow commentary in the newspapers of tweets from the man himself as he sank slowly into drunken oblivion! Call me a spoilsport if you like, but look, if people want to get drunk that's their private business not mine, nor frankly should it be anyone else's, but I think the example it sets to others is appalling. It says something about the culture of a country when this behaviour becomes not only front page news, but almost a "badge of honour". 

Just had to get that off my chest!

One For The Road

"Responsible Drinking? Now that's an Oxymoron" (Aaron Howard).

A conclusion, it would seem, arrived at recently by that wonderful college of serial nutcases, the Royal College of Psychiatrists who have determined that people who have successfully navigated life to the age of 65 are now miraculously incapable of deciding whether or not to have an alcoholic drink and need to be closely monitored.

Frankly, I have met only a few psychiatrists (well, qualified ones) in my life and as a result I have generally formed a rather "distrustful" opinion of them. One was absolutely an alcoholic and I did worry about his patients, and another was barking mad - at least away from his professional life, which was perhaps a release! Now, however, the Royal College has said Britain suffers from a generation of "Invisible Addicts" - (booze and drugs, it seems), and that once people hit 65 years of age they should be subject to routine alcohol and drug tests. 

Their recommendations suggest that men (and sorry ladies, you get less) should consume no more than one and half units of alcohol a day. Given that a standard large glass of wine is two units of alcohol, that means if enforced in Hong Kong the revenue of certain exclusive Clubs with a slightly older members profile would go downhill very rapidly!! I suspect too, that so would some of the members!

And I accused Hong Kong of being a "nanny state" when they assumed that people here were incapable of reading ingredients on food labels, and introduced a whole series of rules that has removed certain well known foods - sold freely in developed countries whose inhabitants can presumably read better than we can - from our shelves. But I digress.

But why am I so exercised about the UK pronouncement? I am not, after all, a large consumer of alcohol at the best of times and can equally happily take it or leave it. No - it is the "age" thing. As a man of a certain age, I have a particular interest in pronouncements that suggest I, (and others of my vintage), am incapable of making up my own mind. Of course, there are people less fortunate than us who probably do need looking after at an earlier age, but do we need to make "testing" a catch all?

I would be less vigorous in my defence of certain age-related issues if, for example, there was a suggestion that people at the age of 75 or over were required (as I believe they are in certain countries - even earlier), to pass a basic driving test on a regular basis - rather than merely certifying that they can still see objects 10 metres ahead (is that with, or without, one and a half units of alcohol?). But that sort of issue, to me, is more common sense.

But don't get me wrong. Of course there are reasons that lead people to drink more when they are bored and if retirement, for some, means sitting in a chair day in and day out in front of a television they might indeed resort to drink. And they might require to be watched - but then I assume the results of the regular testing would be advisory only and would not lead to a judge's "banning order" so that Mr Smith is "hereby sentenced to a court order banning him from the consumption of alcohol". What's the point?

That aside, it seems to me that there are some opportunities here. First of all, keep people active for longer as some countries are trying to do, by raising the retirement age. Encourage healthy exercise for the older generation. Yes, there are some communities that do that - but not all of them make it attractive. Can't it be done?

And perhaps there is a market for the development of drinks that are non-alcoholic and taste good to adults. Don't you think that advertisers glamourise alcohol? Nice bottles, good labeling, advertising, whereas soft drinks are often ordinary, with a boring lack of variety, either very sweet or diet (nothing much in between), aimed at a non-alcohol drinking age group, rather than a discerning older group? Have you tasted raw carrot juice? It doesn't even look nice. (Innocent Drinks excepted perhaps - if you like that sort of thing).

Investment proposals in a sealed brown envelope please!

Message for the Royal College of Psychiatrists? Not all 65 year old people are incapable (yet!) of making up their own mind, and as I head off for lunch with my non-drinking elderly Mother who actually gave up alcohol - one gin and tonic a day - of her own volition at the age of 88, I will enjoy a glass of wine (a large one - two units) - just out of spite!

Read The Label, Stupid!

"When I finished "Puckoon" I vowed I would never write another book. Here it is". Thus wrote the Goon and comedian Spike Milligan in the front of his 1971 book "Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall".

In an altogether more humble manner, I vowed when I started this blog to never write about the same subject twice. Economics and business generally, of course, are dynamic and therefore changing all the time. Fair game, therefore, for further comment, but no, I am about to break my self-imposed rule and return to a topic I have addressed recently.

The rationale? I am not in favour of being told what I can and cannot eat by anyone other, perhaps, than a doctor who says, "By the way Mr. Eldon, if you eat lots of fatty fried food you will eventually kill yourself!". (It's not what I eat, actually, and I am not in favour of killing myself, but I know what he means).

Why is it that our Government seems to believe that we have no idea whether we can make our own informed decision about what is in a container of food? Mind you, they seem to have the same notion about giving us the vote too, but that is another story.

I am back on the subject of food labeling - I wrote about it in March 2008 in a piece entitled Food For Thought - (But Not For Long). If you are unfamiliar with the topic, or need to refresh your memory, may I suggest you click on the link?

Now I do not expect the words of one blogger to make a difference, but the note was picked up by the media and others. The subject was also being discussed at the same time, and much more widely, in many households in Hong Kong. But there seems to be a perception somewhere out there that this is just an "expatriate" gripe. And perhaps given the low number of expatriates in "Asia's World City" this does not warrant a great deal of attention but, Hong Kong Government, I really don't think this is just an expatriate issue. It goes much more broadly than that.

The complaints are becoming more vocal, more widespread and are rational.

Perhaps Government have gone too far down the road now to turn back without looking silly. Maybe they are so entrenched in their view that, for example, a petition campaign from all sectors of the community will not sway them. Maybe they think, as I suggested before, that the numbers are likely to be so small it will eventually all blow over. Maybe they don't heed their own advice; a recent announcement recognised the growing prevalence of obesity and a concurrent increase in diabetes amongst all its social classes. The same piece also said "...it is important to make sure Hong Kong's ...food market is open and competitive which will help broaden the food supply and widen consumers choice...". Well, not if this legislation goes through.

In the area of diabetes at least, we can perhaps rejoice that "full fat" products remain on sale. "What's that? Oh, people can choose whether to buy them?" Errm - sorry, what's a double standard?

Look, is it of so much importance and do you really think that people are unable to make up their own minds? And do you seriously have so little faith in your own existing "truth in advertising" laws which covers the area of labels? Well, if yes, then seek a compromise. Allow those people who want to take the risk of buying "fat free", "cholesterol free" and "sugar free" products only do so if they have an identity card evidencing that they are not minors! Make them produce an identity card in the supermarket to buy "dangerous goods" that actually are pretty good for your health - and a lot, lot better than the air that we chew!!

Food For Thought - (But Not For Long?)

I have been spending a little time recently, in one of Hong Kong's "rival" cities, to where a number of people I know have de-camped from Asia's "World City". Why the move? They cite the usual reasons like pollution in Hong Kong, lifestyle, better for the children where they are moving to - while Hong Kong Government statisticians continue to tell us that the inflow into Hong Kong of new companies has never been higher. Amazing what you can do with numbers and statistics - just another type of labeling I guess, but we will get onto that in a minute.

The city I talk of is, of course, Singapore. The original "nanny state" of Asia where citizens (and occasionally visitors) have been instructed in how long their hair should be, how to be polite, what type of person they should marry, what they should not drink or chew as children, and so on. But guess what; it doesn't seem to have done Singapore any harm, and they have achieved certain standards of behaviour, politeness and cleanliness, making it a really pleasant city. And much less talk of "nannying" these days it seems, as that mantle passes to Hong Kong. As if by confirmation, a note in a recently researched web-site states "...Attempts to introduce new taxes, labor regulations (like a minimum wage), the emergence of bodies with arbitrary power of prosecution, corporate welfare and nanny-state legislation are on the rise."

I tend to agree; but the "nannying" goes much further than just in relation to business!

As we try to remain healthy in the face of breathing the foul air in Hong Kong, by at least eating the right sort of foods, up pops the Government with its latest craze. Food labeling.

Don't get me wrong, I am completely in favour of food labeling. We have a right to know what we are eating - and some of the proposed legislation in Hong Kong is helpful, even if it does try to second guess the quality of labeling of the producing country.

If the new rules currently under discussion are passed into legislation, as seems likely at present, all imported packaged foods must bear Hong Kong-specific nutrition labels. That's okay, and easy for the high volume imports, as they can adapt their labeling to suit. But lower volume imports, such as your specialist foods, health foods, the sort of things you like to see daily on your breakfast table, for example are at risk.

Now, while the authorities have accepted the argument that many packaged foods entering Hong Kong are low volume, (defined as less than 30,000 pieces annually), they have exempted these products from the specific labeling - BUT, and here's the rub - woe betide any importer who, wishing to make use of the exemption, finds that in addition to the nutritional values given on the packaging, also finds the packaging contains nutritional claims. You know the sort of thing; "Fat Free", "Sugar Free", "Gluten Free" "Omega 3s". Oh no! Nutritional claims are NOT allowed and therefore the products are NOT exempt.

Well, of course, we do want to be sure that these nutritional claims are genuine - and well, why should we just take the word of another jurisdiction that permits such labeling 'cos "nanny" assumes they must have got it wrong.

Oh, but did I mention that Hong Kong already has a labeling law in place today, which mandates no less, that any representation made on food packaging must be true? Hmm; so actually we are covered already from false claims?

I love Hong Kong. I enjoy living here as does my family, but we are about to lose many of the things that we enjoy having on our shelves. Those foods that elsewhere in the world are deemed to be healthy but which "nanny" says I now can't have.

Time was, in Hong Kong, when people were able to make choices for themselves.

No longer it seems, so perhaps we are really heading to the point so neatly portrayed on our friend Alfred E Neuman's "Mad: magazine for this month where in bold letters, at the bottom right hand corner, are imprinted the words "Viva La Stupidity".

Take the Right Ingredients

Friends visiting Hong Kong for the first time, or even the fifty first, are all aware of the City's reputation for the many varieties of good quality food. If they are only staying a short time, they inevitably ask for recommendations on where to eat - or which is my favourite restaurant in Hong Kong?
Now, I am not known as a gourmet (perhaps gourmand would describe me a little more accurately), and often my mood will direct my stomach. To say that I lack sophistication in matters of food and drink, suggests that I am neither fussy nor pretentious (I hope). That said, I do have favourites, so chosen for a variety of reasons but principally for consistency in quality of fare and friendliness. One of them, a Club, is only available to members so not much point in recommending that - and in any case it has a somewhat archaic dress code - but it does serve excellent food.
No, my long term favourite, recently relocated next to Pacific Place 3 is called Ingredients, and is located at 23-29 Wing Fung Street, phone number 2544-5133, email [email protected]. It is run by the ever present John Ang and his wife Meiji. John is a former banker, as is Meiji, but it's something we never talk about. John, though, is equally comfortable in the kitchen. The menu is easy to deal with, the atmosphere relaxed, and I haven't had any bad reports from anyone I have sent there.
My only regret is that I don't get to spend enough time there...maybe when I retire!!