Sai Kung Pier

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Committing to memory – the following words are what we are going to learn.

breaking her neck ¶ near at hand, ¶ panted for ¶ no end ¶ tackle box ¶ at the outside ¶ right on the nose ¶ got it in the neck ¶ landing net ¶ nothing to it ¶ of old ¶ put out to sea ¶ put to sea ¶ self-possessed ¶ too self-conscious ¶ of no account ¶ would never do ¶ feathered her nest ¶ worth her salt ¶ a screw loose ¶ got it in the neck ¶ no two ways about it ¶ in the palm of my hand ¶ in the saddle ¶ Nothing doing ¶ off your nut ¶ have your number ¶ look after number one ¶ I’m on to you ¶ on edge ¶ had seen 20 years of service ¶ out of sorts ¶ none too big ¶ go off the deep end ¶ without number ¶ nuts about ¶ various odds and ends ¶ no occasion for ¶ the occasion to ¶ put in his oar ¶ scouted around ¶ seeing after ¶ see how the land lies first ¶ see after ¶ on the outs with ¶ have had an out ¶ out to ¶ over my head ¶ take great pains with ¶ made myself scarce ¶ self-seeking ¶ see the cooking through ¶ known what the score was ¶ sent him about his business ¶ overplayed their hand ¶ put on the screws ¶ on pain of losing their license ¶ paper the house ¶ grease the palm of the officials ¶ You don’t say ¶ sent up ¶ saving grace ¶ pack off ¶ saw stars ¶ take a hand in ¶ Take a load off your feet ¶ off the rocker ¶ took it all in good part ¶ safe and sound ¶ rest on my oars ¶ offshoot ¶ paddle my own canoe ¶ Salting away ¶ noising about ¶ salt of the earth ¶ the makings of ¶ marking time ¶ take a shine ¶ take a liking ¶

Learn them here ...

[Sai Kung Pier]

The customer was ashore, talking to the fresh seafood vendor. She worked from the boat, breaking her neck and working hard trying to make a living catching and selling fresh seafood.

Along came Peter, a hungry and ravenous customer. Fortunately for him, fish vendors were near at hand, or nearby, when he panted for and wanted badly some live sea creatures for his evening feast. The craving for eels was no end: it was endless.

“How much is the eel in the creel?”

“Fifty dollars for you," she said, packing her tackle box, the box which she used to keep part of her fishing gear.

“Peter, you said not more than fifty at the outside or at most - your estimate was right on the nose – very accurate.” The ravenous customer's friend said.

They made a deal. The eel got it in the neck and got killed. The end-product was put in a net hung on a long pole (called a landing net) and lifted ashore.

“You're skillful with the knife and the net.”

“There is nothing to it. It's easy. A skill of old and from old times. This is nothing compared to what I have to endure when I set sail, put out to sea, put to sea, and worked at the sea.” She was self-possessed and confident. Never too self-conscious or humble.

“Why don't you hire someone?”

“Your advice was of no account and useless. That would never do. I had someone. She feathered her nest and took her boss' money. Hilda was not worth her salt and she was unworthy. She had a screw loose and was emotionally unstable too.”

“What happened to Hilda?”

“She got it in the neck and got sacked. There were no two ways about it and there was no other way. I had her in the palm of my hand and I had her totally under control. I'm always in the saddle and in the position to give orders.”

Peter knew she was tough.

“How much is the lobster?”

“Nothing doing. No way. The lobster is too big. You are off your nut, or crazy, if you think you can afford it. I have your number and I know what you are thinking. You pretend you want to buy not a few – you want to buy many - and try to get the price down. But you don't buy that much. I know how to look after number one, look after myself. I have your number. I'm on to you.” She was easily on edge, feeling pressurized easily, hitting her fishing outfit which had seen 20 years of service, which she had been wearing for 20 years as she spoke.

“Don't get out of sorts and irritated. The lobster is none too big or not too big. Don't' go off the deep end or go extreme. I live in Sai Kung. People from Sai Kung without number like seafood. Lots and lots of them like seafood. We are nuts about and are really keen on anything from the sea!”

“Well, I've heard various odds and ends, and different pieces, of information. I guess I have no occasion for or no reason for suspicion.”

“You have the occasion to and reason to tell him how much the lobster is.” His friend put in his oar and interfered.

[Cut to a restaurant.]

“The prawns look great.”

“They taste great too. I scouted around and looked around for the best.” The middle-aged lady seeing after and looking after her two children was feeding her kid with a prawn. "I see how the land lies first and survey everything. I see after and take care of getting a good deal for the family.”

“Why do you come to this place?” The question came from a man of letters, or an author.

“I am on the outs with and have disputes with a nearby restaurant which charged exorbitantly. I should have had an out or an excuse to leave last time I was there when they gave me the bill. They were always out to cheat or plan on cheating. The tricks were over my head and not what I could understand. If they take great pains with or were so serious with the trickery, why don't they spend the time working hard?” The talkative lady responded.

“What happened?”

The lady kept talking, “they charged for the raw materials; they charged for the cooking; they charged for the oil; they charged for the electricity; etc. and etc. I should have made myself scarce and should have just disappeared when they tried to make me pay. The self-seeking and selfish restaurant owner didn't see the cooking through and didn't supervise the cooking properly. I should have known what the score was and been smarter. I should have sent him about his business and told him to go away.”

“The cheater overplayed their hand or oversold on how good they were. They then under-delivered. They put on the screws and put on the pressure when the patrons tried to reason. The tricksters had been warned, on pain of losing their license, not to cheat again. They lost customers and had to paper the house by inviting non-paying customers. The proprietor tried to grease the palm of the officials and bribe them. He got prosecuted.”

“You don't say! That's totally hard to believe!”

“He got sent up and got jailed for two years. Their saving grace and their only strength was that they used no electricity, since they had no business.”

“Oh! I have to go. I need to pack off my two kids – the time is up for meeting Peter my husband.” Having paid, she got up and ran too quickly. She saw stars and was a bit dizzy. Her friend tried to take a hand in making sure she did not fall, or tried to help her make sure that she did not fall.

"Take a load off your feet and sit down."

But she ran away anyway.

[Cut to the pier.]

Peter was awaiting the price for the enticing lobster.

“Since you're not off the rocker and not crazy, I will do it.” One hundred dollars was the asking price.

Peter took it all in good part and accepted it graciously. Not one or two, but three lobsters went up in the net and landed in his shopping bag.

Via the same net, the money arrived at her boat, safe and sound. “I'm done. I can rest on my oars; I can rest. This is the offshoot or by-product of being lucky. I paddle my own canoe and work on my own and I never go hungry doing that.” Salting away and saving her earnings, she would spend the next week noising about and publicizing how lucky she had been. In terms of fishing in Sai Kung, she was the salt of the earth: she was elite.

"I have the makings of, and the potential to become, the first Olympian from Sai Kung in fishing for eels and selling them … Instead of marking time and wasting time here …" It seemed like she began to take a shine to and like herself. She began to take a liking to herself, suffering from an inability to a dislike to her own self.

>P-A-L is your pal in learning.