Well said.
I made my first visit to Hong Kong last year, and in contrast, I was so pleased with the experience overall. Some meals were in big groups, but several were solo or just 2 or 3.
I can’t say I was disappointed in the smaller meals any more than I am at home in New York when I have to pick and choose what to order because I can’t eat everything as a small party.
I had a long wishlist of both sub-cuisines and dishes – and didn’t get to most of it either. Also just the way it is. I didn’t want to go to Michelin places, though we ended up at a few, also fine.
Several of my favorite meals were very casual ones – Yat Lok goose, Tasty’s wantun mien, Kam’s char siu, liangpi and spicy salads at the same food court, shandong-style dumplings and more salads ditto, vegan snacks at a Buddhist monastery, various bakery treats, and even at the airport.
I did not have any communication issues, even on my own (and without google translate, which I had downloaded but never ended up using), and found people trying hard to help me make “good” choices lol – whether fellow patrons or staff.
In the end, I felt I had a wonderful experience, even though I didn’t think the food was as vastly superior as I expected relative to what I have been fortunate to eat in places with large diasporas, which I put down to this:
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So you’re right, expectations probably have the most to do with one’s sum total experience.
