When I read that workers from the sex industry and concern groups marched to the police headquarters, demanding the police to end discrimination against sex workers last week, I was aghast. Not that I work in the industry myself, but I can empathy with the wrath of the our fellow sex workers. 100 per cent.
I mean -- let us not argue the matter -- whose slate is clean anyway? If you look at the homepage of Zi Teng, a local consciousness raising group for the sex trade, you'll see why a sex job is just about as respectable as any other job in this world -- it might even seen philanthropic of high distinction to some -- reasons include, among others: family burden, loneliness, or even upkeep of stray animals (shame on you PETA people who knows nothing but mooching around naked)! That's why I find it absolutely terrifying there is people who still look down on hookers and think them deserve lesser. As years rolled away, prostitutes are slighted and the imbalances they suffered received scant attention in our society.
A fact you simply can't deny is, like the banner says -- no matter how cheap and filthy you find it to be -- sex work is work; just like there's no denying that cheap food is food!
That's why I'm sharing with you the Sun Den Restaurant from Mongkok, yesh, the slum that reigns all the cheapnesses of Hong Kong. At a time when any fancy-pancy hangout in town can cost you a phallic spasm with a stratospheric bill, Sun Den is only asking a tiny fraction of that (around HK$100 per head) to give you the same level of gustatory satisfaction; just like what anyone of the hostesses from the 'one-woman' brothels around are doing when call girls from Russia checking in some 5-star hotels try Blue Bar of Four Seasons after 10 are asking upwards of HK$4,000 for comparable services.
So next time when you're in Shanghai Street of Mongkok, look out for the "divine beacon" (what Sun Den literally means in Chinese) of yummy Cantonese nosh from afar. Truth be told, deep down in the wild bushes of fluorescent signs is where a towering palace of cheap food erected. Signature dishes include sauteed fish belly with eggs, chicken feet soup, baked fish guts with deep-fried dough sticks, stir-fried beef marrow and stir-fried frog's stomaches (takes more than 40 frogs to make one plate); night in and night out, good, enrapturing food are serving here at dirt cheap prices with dedication, showing how there's nothing bad about spending low once you realize sometimes good thing in life never needs a price tag to prove it...
The only snag is, with so much captivating signs of brothels and massage parlors nearby, you'll really need to mind your step. Por una cabeza, you don't want your thirst for good food be mistakenly driven to the scent of a woman...for that'll really drive you crazy, right? [News picture to the left courtesy of SCMP]
Michelin Hong Kong on the cheap rating: **



