"Mong Kok" in a quiet corner in North Carolina

"Mong Kok" is a "happening" place in Hong Kong with lots of shopping, food...and people. When I visited Winston Salem and Lewisville in North Carolina in December, I was surprised to find a small Chinese restaurant named Mong Kok in a small, quiet strip mall. I knew immediately that the owner must be from Hong Kong.

I walked into the restaurant and was greeted by friendly smiles. The owner looked like Chinese to me, but it was still hard for me to tell if she was from Hong Kong. I was looking at the menu and started to speak to her in Cantonese (mother tongue of Hong Kong people). The owner looked at me and said "whoa, you speak Cantonese? Where are you from?" It is always good to see a familiar face in a foreign land. We started chatting and found out that she was indeed from Hong Kong and had lived in the U.S. for many years.

When I brought up the name of the restaurant, the owner said, "we are in a quiet location and that's why we call this place Mong Kok in the Chinese name." In Chinese, Mong Kok means a busy corner. So they chose the name for "feng shui" reason, hoping that it will bring them lots of business. The English name of this restaurant is called China Wok Chinese restaurant.

To be honest, with the quality of their food and service, I see no reason they will not do well. They even do free delivery for orders over $10. It is indeed a small restaurant...actually it is more like a take-out place, but I think it is what they offer that matters.

If you are in the area and are interested in trying it out, the address is 189 Lowes Foods Drive, Lewisville, NC 27023. Phone number: (336) 945-6228.

Excuse me...

Today I went to Mong Kok in Hong Kong. I noticed that Mong Kok was as crowded as Causeway Bay, but there were a lot more people trying to slow you down in the street. I was stopped by five people asking me to fill out a survey; three people shoving their flyers into my hands; a guy from Green Peace selling his organization and trying to ask me for monthly donation; and some salespersons standing at the front of the stores persuading me to go into their stores. It's not easy weeding through all these people to go to my destination. I learned to be firm and just say "excuse me" or "sorry, I don't live here..."

If you are a Caucasian, you'll probably get different kinds of obstacles on the road. My husband used to have Indians trying to sell him watches or tailor-made suits in Tsim Sha Tsui.