Hong Kong inhabitants have their very own food culture. These are people who eat out, on average, more than six times a week and who, rather than talk about politics, football or fashion, prefer to discuss their favourite restaurant, dish, or - even better - the latest foodie find only they know about.
And with around 11,000 restaurants at the last count - open day and night - there's always something new to discover. The history of Chinese cuisine is on view for all to see, in the backstreet workshops where rice noodles have been handmade for 60 years by the same artisan, and where three generations of soy sauce producers have aged their precious liquids in huge stone jars. It is there on the pavement fishmonger's shelves of wriggling fish and snapping crabs, or through a steamed-up restaurant window where father and daughter patiently fold and stuff delicious wontons.
Yet among these ancient traditions, discerning diners can also opt for a new generation of cuisine influenced by world-famous chefs such as Ferran Adrià and Joël Robuchon, some of whom are setting up shop in Hong Kong themselves, blending western style and Hong Kong flavours. So what is it to be? A sumptuous, several-course gourmet Chinese dinner or simply a stop-off at your favourite street stall for a bowl of fish ball noodles? Only in Hong Kong.
