Jenice Murray
Cultural Guide & Food Expert
The eye for what matters
The Eye for What Guidebooks Miss
Hong Kong is one of the world's most layered cities — and the difference between a tourist experience and a local one can be as small as knowing which floor of a building to get off on, or which teahouse starts dim sum service at 6am. That's the difference Jenice brings to every trip.
Where Scott researches the logistics, Jenice instinctively reads the room. She knows when a restaurant's clientele signals that the food is authentic versus tourist-oriented. She picks up on the cultural context — why the older gentleman at the next table is loudly slurping his soup (it's a compliment), why the teahouse doesn't have an English menu, and why that's actually a good sign.
Growing up with an appreciation for Asian food culture and family traditions, Jenice brings a perspective to Hong Kong travel that most Western travel writers simply don't have. The instinct for which dai pai dong to trust. The comfort with pointing at something on someone else's plate and asking for the same. The understanding that great food in Hong Kong rarely announces itself.
She has navigated Temple Street Night Market without getting overcharged, found the egg tart shops that don't have queues around the block, and spotted the roast goose shops where locals queue even when tourists don't know they exist.
Scott has the maps and the logistics. Jenice has the taste and the instinct. Together, that's what makes the recommendations on this site worth trusting.
Why You Can Trust Jenice's Perspective
- Cultural reading that picks out authentic local spots from tourist traps at a glance
- Dim sum expertise — knows the ordering system, the trolley etiquette, and what to ask for that isn't on the English menu
- Festival knowledge — experienced Mid-Autumn, Chinese New Year, and Hungry Ghost Festival in Hong Kong
- Food instinct — roast goose, wonton noodles, char siu, pineapple buns, egg tarts, and the street food that locals actually eat
- Eye for authenticity — if the locals are eating there, she'll notice. If it's tourist bait, she'll say so.
- Cultural etiquette — tipping norms, how to use chopsticks without embarrassing yourself, and when "M goi" versus "Do je" is correct
What Jenice Covers
The unwritten rules of ordering in a Hong Kong teahouse — what to ask for, how the trolley system works, what locals order versus what tourists get steered toward.
Wonton noodles, roast goose, char siu, egg tarts, pineapple buns, and the Cantonese culinary tradition that makes Hong Kong one of the world's great food cities.
When to go, what to expect, and how locals celebrate — from the Mid-Autumn Festival in Victoria Park to Chinese New Year fireworks over the harbour.
Key Cantonese phrases, when to use them, how to navigate dai pai dong culture, tipping norms, and the things that make Hong Kong locals smile versus cringe.