Annette Koh

Green in Hong Kong…

Photo and article at CNN Go

“Green was the most common until the 1960s,” Go said. “It was everywhere. I remember when I was a kid, everyone had the same green color at home. The walls were painted green, the floor tiles were green and white. I asked my parents why and they said, ‘Everyone else has it, so why not us?’”

Go suggested, with a touch of romance, that green’s popularity stemmed in part from nostalgia for the mainland Chinese farms that many people left when they came to Hong Kong.

“My grandmother used to say, ‘When I dream of the motherland, I always dream of green,’” he said. “That’s when I first found out she lived on a farm.”

Green’s popularity began to fade in the 1970s, when Hong Kong became increasingly wealthy and more sophisticated paint colors emerged on the market.

But old habits die hard. When a portion of the Fa Yuen Street market burned down last winter, hawkers rebuilt their stalls and dutifully painted them green.

“It’s been green for as long as I can remember,” said one. “I don’t know why. It’s like how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. That’s just the way it is.”

…or…

Pink in Riyadh

Pinkness seems to be everywhere in the Magic Kingdom. Surprisingly enough it doesn’t look like Saudi men have any problems living in pink houses, wearing pink clothing, going to pink mosques, pumping gas at pink gas stations or even driving in pink cars. Coming from a culture like mine where men are too “macho” to even glance at pink stuff, this strikes me as odd to say the least.

…or…

really just any color in Korea