Eating Healthy is not Healthy for My Wallet.

Eating healthy isn't exaclty hard in Hong Kong. It's just really not that cheap.

Sure there are numerous "fast food" joints that serve wraps, salads etc., but it isn't nearly as cost effective as anywhere else. For an average sized wrap it will cost just as much or more than it will in Canada (before GST that is).

Grocery shopping is a whole other matter. Yesterday I went in to the store with a goal not to buy anything in a can, box, or plastic container. I almost succeeded, but it's virtually impossible. What's also impossible it seems is to find fresh fruit and vegetables without selling my kidneys first. The small oranges were mouldy, and the lettuce is always an orange green tint. Buying packaged salads is a smarter way to go, but they cost about 5 times as much.

Getting fresh meat is really easy here, but sometimes I don't really want to know where it comes from. You can get really nice looing steaks from Japan for about $1000 if you want. I don't mind Chinese Chicken, but I will NOT eat Chinese beef. Anything from Australia or the US or even Canada will run at least double the price. I don't mind paying extra because I know it's imported, but the local meat here just looks terrible. The things people eat here amaze me. Meat isn't exactly prepared the same way as it is back home that's for sure.

Other things that hurt my dollar - fresh bread, milk, juice, yogurt, cheese, strawberries (wholy crap are they expensive here) blueberries, grapes, fish from outside HK waters, decent pasta, Japanese rice, sushi.

So in my quest to eat relatively healthy, I ended up spending 3 times what I would have if I had bought locally 'grown' food.

It might have cost 3 times as much, but at least I won't wake up with a cancerous third eye.