Sevens and sustenance

Yesterday was one of those Sundays that felt very long, yet extremely unproductive. It started out with a delicious, fast-paced dim sum outing with the cousins on my mom's side. Our party was too big for the table, so we basically had to stand up and reach across the table each time anyone wanted some food. And despite having eaten straight through the past week, it was as if we'd never eaten before and the food would disappear instantaneously upon arrival.

After inhaling lunch, my siblings, their significant others and I headed up to see cousins on our dad's side up on The Peak. There, we spent several hours watching the Hong Kong Sevens on television and taking turns in the fancy massage chair.

Rugby is a pretty interesting sport to watch. I don't really know the rules, but each game lasted only about 15 minutes, which was great for my short attention span. Add some chips and other munchies, and it was a nice afternoon while it was cold and rainy outside.

I walked through some stores on the Kowloon side, then it was time for another meal. We went to Xi Yan, one of those "private dining" restaurants that's becoming pretty ubiquitous in Hong Kong - where you are treated to an innovative meal and don't have to deal with crazy crowds.

Our meal consisted of several courses, each prepared with great care and presented artfully. Some dishes seemed Japanese-inspired, others had flavors of from different parts of China and all were delicious. It wasn't your typical Chinese buffet and it was a special meal that I won't soon forget.