It was a good group going out for a good hike – a mixed group of locals and expats from the North America and Europe. There should probably be some good conversation happening along the way. That actually happened. Yet, life is always full of surprises as which way conversations go is concerned.

I was weak that day – just came out from a prolonged cold and deep chest cough. Thanks to some of the group members, I managed to finish that hike at the end of the day. There was only one thing popped up that have left an interesting taste in the mouth. It was June, and butterflies were dancing around. I spotted some of them and directed the attention of the group member walking next to me to the wings. He was from a cheerful and chatty young man from Hungary. In addition, I told him that June was the best time to visit the Butterfly Valley in Shatin area, and when the visit to the wings was done, there was a nice resort type restaurant nearby. On hearing that, the group-mate casually asked me, “Do they have fried butterflies on the menu?”

I was dump-found for a few seconds before I could laugh out that response.  That might-be thoughtless line took me back to my days in Canada: I was helping a gallery then, and the French owner of the place, who asked me before he dashed off to fetch lunch for me, “Do you eat dog-meat?”

I did not laugh it off that time. I was more alert of these issues then being in a “racial” minority in a foreign place. Instead, I asked back where did he get the idea so that he could get the idea that it was not funny a line at all.

I would not call these two people or other similar people I have encountered representatives of where they were from, but I definitely wonder where did they get these racist ideas from and why would they care/dare to express them.