When the Australian Michelle Garnaut first set foot in Hong Kong in 1984 she loathed the city. Garnaut, then in her mid-twenties, had just spent three months travelling around Thailand. She was young and hungry for adventure. But compared with the pristine beaches of her previous travels, Hong Kong felt overcrowded and chaotic. Most deplorable for the foodie was the lack of good independent dining. “It was a desert!” says Garnaut, referring to the nascent food scene.
當澳洲人蜜雪兒•加諾特(Michelle Garnaut)於1984年第一次踏足香港時,異常反感這座城市。當時她只有20來歲,剛剛花了三個月時間周遊泰國,年紀輕輕的她酷愛冒險。但與泰國原生態的海灘相比,香港顯得擁擠又嘈雜。讓這位美食家感覺最不爽的是香港沒有上檔次的獨立餐廳。「當時的香港簡直就是美食荒漠!」加諾特說,她所指的是香港不盡如人意的餐飲業。