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<ul><li><keyword id="8758553" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-kellogg-company">The Kellogg Company</keyword> came to India 25 years ago and continues to hold on to its leadership position.</li><li>It has used sampling, along with coming up with products at competitive price points to create an edge for itself.</li><li><keyword id="868842" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sumit-Mathur">Sumit Mathur</keyword>, Director of Marketing, Kellogg South Asia, who talked to us about the brand’s marketing strategy, the audience’s reception to some of its recent innovations and why sampling will continue to be important for it in the future too.</li></ul> India is a tough market to crack when it comes to the breakfast cereals category. We are a country where breakfast has always meant warm home-cooked food, considering different parts of the country have an array of breakfast options to offer. How do <keyword id="2201606" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="breakfast-cereal">breakfast cereal</keyword> brands then make themselves more appealing to the tough Indian audience? Moreover, with faster lifestyles, more and more of the younger populace is choosing to skip breakfast, thereby making it tougher for these brands. The Kellogg Company has been present in India for the past 25 years now. While other brands including <keyword id="75190" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nestle">Nestle</keyword>, Marico and <keyword id="6505353" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="MTR-Foods">MTR Foods</keyword> have tried to enter this otherwise unorganized category, Kellogg’s has been able to retain its leadership position. Over the years, it has educated people about the importance of breakfast, through its campaigns and has also let people know about all it has to offer through solid sampling exercises across the country. We recently caught up with Sumit Mathur, Director of Marketing, Kellogg South Asia, who talked to us about the brand’s marketing strategy, the audience’s reception to some of its recent innovations and why sampling will continue to be important for it in the future too. Edited excerpts: Q) As a brand, sampling has been an intrinsic part of your marketing mix. Will it continue to be a critical strategy for the brand, going ahead? Our job is to get consumers to try our products. For a category like ours, you are required to create several touch points for consumers to experience it. Sampling, along with the right price architecture, helps in achieving that. In our range of innovations launched over the past two years, sampling amongst other promotional activities are a key focus for the company as it helps consumers to experience a product closely before they develop an affinity towards it . Q) Tell us a bit about your recently launched campaign ‘Breakfast Se Badhkar’ and the thought behind it. As an organisation, we live by the purpose of ‘Nourishing India’s Potential’. We have demonstrated it in several ways. We recently announced our ongoing programme of offering a bowl of Kellogg’s cereal with milk to children from underprivileged sections of society as their daily breakfast. We are also on our mission to driving a behaviour change in many urban Indian consumers who skip or skimp breakfast due to lack of time. The new masterbrand campaign is our attempt to bring alive our purpose and drive this behavioural change. The film explains how breakfast is the morning hero to help children achieve their best that day and every day. This insight is supplemented with an endearing and relatable touch where a mother’s concern for her kid is captured in the phrase ‘Ek chammach aur’. Q) You have been speaking about how youngsters are choosing to skip breakfast, owing to their lifestyles. How are you making yourself more appealing to this young TG? We have seen two megatrends gaining relevance among our consumers - the rise of snacking and of health-conscious consumers. It’s even truer with today's generation whose lives are only getting busier, they understand what’s good for them and are ready to look for it and consume it. A lot of our recent innovations are based on these trends. Whether it is <keyword id="774503" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kelloggs">Kellogg's</keyword> Chocos Fills for the teenagers to consume as a snack between lectures and their on-the-go life or Granola and Muesli for the young multi-tasking generation. Q) Last year you had launched a few very localised flavors. How has the uptake been so far? Are you looking at launching more Indian flavors anytime soon? Consumers in India and the world over are going back to their roots. They want traditional goods infused with convenience. This gave birth to the ‘Real Range of Kellogg's Corn Flakes – Thandai Badam, Kesar Pista Badam and Rose Badam last year. Created in consultation with celebrity Chef Ranveer Brar, these variants are inspired by flavours that Indians have a strong cultural connect to. These flavours have received tremendous response from the consumers and its success is not a surprise to us since our earlier range of Kellogg's Corn Flakes with Badam and Honey flavours have work equally well in the past. Q) India is a tough market for a category like cereals, owing to the presence of Indian ghar ka khaana. How are you helping bring about a behavioural change in consumers? In a country like India with such diverse food habits, any food player including a breakfast company like ours, there are people who have the time to prepare and eat home-cooked hot meals in the morning and then there is an audience which is nutrition-seeking but time-starved. Our mission is to understand that segment of audience and partner them in providing them with a convenient and nutritious solution. And breakfast is not just important for one set of people, it’s important for any one to start their day right and achieve what they set out for that day. This brings to the point on our mission for the brand to driving a behaviour change in many urban Indian consumers who skip or skimp breakfast due to lack of time. It is reflected in the breakfast education that we do in schools, our feeding programme of Bright Start which currently has 5000+ children enrolled in daily morning meal of Kellogg’s cereals and milk. And that’s what our latest Masterbrand communication is aimed at. Q) How are you approaching smaller cities? Is there a significant demand for cereals there? Has there been any growth in demand in the past few years? Currently, Kellogg’s is available in more than 2,700 towns and over 550,000 outlets. The demand for cereals is only increasing. Q) K was a great innovation. How has the uptake been over the years? Are you planning some innovations in the product? All innovations from the house of Kellogg's are meant to solve a unique problem for a consumer. We have had multiple launches of products in different format and price points in the past couple of years. The recent launch of Kellogg’s Chocos fills, a crunchy cereal snack made with a delicious chocolaty filling and with the goodness of three nourishing grains – rice, oats and wheat has received a very good response. In fact, Kellogg’s Chocos fills was recognised as one of the breakthrough innovations in the FMCG space in 2019 by Nielsen. The ‘Real Range’ of Kellogg's Corn Flakes with three traditional flavours - Thandai Badam, Kesar Pista Badam and Rose Badam is another example of how consumer insights were used by us to carry out innovation. We added granola with almonds and cranberries to our portfolio in 2018. While consumers continue to seek more and more nutrition in the food choices they make, taste remains the primary driver of that food preference. Kellogg’s Granola is that tasty, oven-baked creation carefully crafted to cater to both, taste and nutrition. Q) Going ahead, what will be your broad marketing strategy and key focus areas to grow your market share? Kellogg’s marketing strategy stems from the fact that we are category leaders and we can further grow this category through our product portfolio and proposition. Hence, it is critical to remain salient in the breakfast occasion and simultaneously extend into ancillary occasions. Because a Kellogg’s cereal is nourishing with milk in the morning as breakfast and is equally nourishing when consumed straight off the pack as an evening snack. The key enablers to building brand salience revolve around building a robust, sharp and relevant portfolio; that ranges from the premium and goes straight to the affordable consumption packs to attract more consumption. Another enabler to this is to get consumers to try our food more and more. Hence, our key dollar of investment is in-store, both from the visibility and sampling point of view.

Why sampling continues to be a key marketing strategy for Kellogg’s

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Tata-Group-under-scrutiny-Apex-body-of-Chartered-Accountants-looking-at-alleged-accounting-irregularities-at-Tata-companies/articleshow/57150133.cms">Tata Group</a> is exploring its entry into ready-to-eat food industry. The industry is presently dominated by companies like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/ITC-is-selling-its-stake-in-King-Maker-Marketing-for-24-million/articleshow/54780461.cms">ITC</a>, MTR and Patanjali. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Tata-Industries-removes-Cyrus-Mistry-as-Director/articleshow/55936242.cms">Tata Industries</a>, its holding company for new-age businesses, will be looking at manufacturing and marketing vegetarian, non- vegetarian, non-alcoholic, carbonated and non-carbonated food products. Even though the company has confirmed the development, the project is still in experimental stages and may or may not evolve into a business later on. "Market opportunities we see are at the intersection of consumer preferences, especially millennials, for recipes in a convenient and quick format. The conventional domestic ready-to-eat market is too small currently to be seen as a standalone market opportunity," a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Ratan-Tata-just-applauded-the-judiciary-system-in-India-Heres-why/articleshow/58324986.cms">Tata</a> Industries spokesperson told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/cons-products/food/tata-group-explores-ready-to-eat-food-market/articleshow/58617541.cms">ET</a>. The Indian ready-to-eat market has over a dozen existing players, with several more queued up for later, because of the large base of young consumers, a majority of country’s workforce. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Its-official-Cyrus-Mistry-resigns-from-all-Tata-group-companies/articleshow/56067501.cms">Tata Group</a> already exists in foods and beverages industry via its companies like Tata Chemicals and Tata Global Beverages.

Tata Group to enter ready-to-eat food industry

After the Maggie row, the food safety debate has become intense both in India and abroad. More than 2,100 import batches of ‘made in India’ products across food, personal care and health supplement categories were rejected by the US food and drug regulator in the past one year. Most of the products were by leading companies such as <keyword id="6365619" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hindustan-UniLever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword>, Britannia, <keyword id="6356830" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nestle-India">Nestle India</keyword>, Haldiram, Heinz India and MTR Foods. 
 
 The reasons for rejection vary from minor labelling issues to products manufactured in unhygienic conditions to pesticides being above permissible limits, according to data put out by the <keyword id="6356255" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="US-Food-and-Drug-Administration">US Food and Drug Administration</keyword> (USFDA) on its website. 
 
Several companies argued that the bulk of products were shipped without their knowledge by unauthorised third-party traders. 
 
 "Instances of product rejections could be either due to improper storage and distribution done by unauthorised exporters. In case our official export products are rejected, we always re-test them at FDA-approved labs," said AK Tyagi, director at <keyword id="2897684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Haldiram-Manufacturing-Ltd-">Haldiram Manufacturing Ltd.</keyword> Tyagi added that the US FDA regularly inspected its facilities in India and its products conform to global safety norms. 
 
RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, the maker of Amul dairy products, said while quality standards of Indian packaged food products were based on global norms, rejection of batches was an important issue which needed to be addressed. 
 
Britannia said it exports to the US only out of USFDA-registered factories in India and meets all product and labelling standards. The products that were rejected by the USFDA were not shipped directly by the company. 
 
Similarly, both Hindustan Unilever and Nestle India said the products that were banned were not exported by them. 
 "We wish to clarify that in 2015, HUL has not received any refusal from USFDA for any of the products that it exports to the US market through its authorised distributor which is registered with the USFDA. We wish to further clarify that the <keyword id="6354298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="stocks">stocks</keyword> refused import into the US by USFDA in 2015 have not been exported by HUL,” said a company spokesman. 
 
A Nestle spokesman said the company had checked the FDA site and some of the batches are described as coming from factories that do not produce products for export to the US. 
 
 "This means that the batches were so called 'grey market' exports - exports which were not organised or controlled by the company but by other individuals or entities. This explains why the batches were rejected," he said At times, companies are not even aware that their products have been rejected. "As a responsible company, we will always cooperate with any query should it come in," said a <keyword id="2200852" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mondelez-India">Mondelez India</keyword> spokesperson. 
 
 
After the Maggie row, The USFDA, too, has begun testing of samples of Maggi noodles manufactured in India and sourced by retailers in America from third-party importers 
 
Instances of rejection have marred India’s food industry’s image previously too. Just last month, the USFDA rejected 53 Haldiram-made consignments due to presence of pesticide in fried snacks, potato snacks and sweets, claiming they were either not adequately processed or manufactured, or packaged in insanitary conditions. 
 
 
In April this year, Mondelez India's batch containing chocolate candy bar with nuts and fruits was rejected since "the article appears to have been manufactured, processed, or packed under insanitary conditions", said a statement on the FDA website. 
 
Also, one might remember that in January, it had rejected instant noodles manufactured in Nestle's Moga factory since the packaging label didn't outline all ingredients. 
 
(image credits: demanjo.com)

Haldirams, Britannia and HUL cannot sell its food
products in the US. Know why

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some social media posts claim that sunburns are caused by our diets — particularly seed oils.</li><li>A growing number of influencers are saying that eating the right foods will protect you from sunburns more than SPF. </li></ul>Perhaps the <a href="https://www.insider.com/skincare-trends-we-loved-2000s-new-improved-techniques-2023-2">worst skincare trend of the </a>early aughts was using tanning beds, each celebrity racing to be more copper-toned than the last. Since then, increased awareness of <a href="https://www.insider.com/woman-diagnosed-melanoma-skin-cancer-birthmark-mole-tanning-2023-5">skin cancer risks</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-repair-sun-damaged-skin-according-to-dermatologist-2023-4">premature aging</a> has made sun protection more of a cultural norm, but some people have recently <a href="https://airmail.news/look/issues/2023-5-5/sun-burned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reverted back to hating sunscreen</a>.Videos on TikTok stating that you don't need sunscreen, and your diet alone can protect your skin, have gotten thousands of views over the past year. "When people get sunburned, it's not because they're not wearing enough sunscreen, it's not because they've been in the sun too long," said <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thesamknight/video/7141920965834902826" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creator Sam Knight</a>, who has more than 84,000 followers, "a lot of times it's because of their diet." Knight made that claim in September 2022, but with summer just around the corner, the idea is gaining steam again. "Here's the number one reason why you're getting sunburned every summer," said <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@twweauclaire/video/7220921395818138922?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Grubish from The Wellness Way</a>, in April, "it's because there's a good chance you might be eating too many seed oils."Seed oils in particular are being accused of causing sunburns — <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CsFEck_O5N0/?igshid=MTIyMzRjYmRlZg%3D%3D">one Instagram post</a> with more than 45,000 likes titled "How to tan without sunscreen," said that you can't get skin cancer if you're not eating seed oils, according to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6718436/">a 2019 study (for the record that's absolutely not what the study, which was only performed on cells in a lab, found)</a>.Many of these posts state that the right foods will prevent sunburn and give you a healthier tan instead. (Reader, <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/does-sunscreen-prevent-tanning">there is no such thing</a> as a safe tan!) But actual dermatologists have a more straightforward answer. "Online claims that suggest you can avoid sunscreen use if you eat the right foods are false," <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/people/alexander-witkowski-md-phd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Alexander Witkowski</a>, an assistant professor of dermatology at the OHSU School of Medicine, told Insider. While some foods can influence your skin health, he said, it is still essential for people to use sunscreen and limit sun exposure.<h2>Seed oils are a common ingredient, and they won't make you burn</h2>The idea that <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/scientists-debunk-seed-oil-health-risks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seed oils are "toxic</a>" and consuming them is a major source of our nutritional woes was popularized by <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/a-unified-theory-of-the-trad-health-food-influencer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advocates for "ancestral health."</a> The anti-seed oil movement argues that more inflammation can worsen skin damage, undermine the protection of substances in your body such as collagen, and contribute to sunburn. However, there's no evidence to support these claims, <a href="https://www.insider.com/seed-oils-arent-worse-than-cigarettes-despite-keto-claim-2020-7">registered dietitians previously told Insider</a>. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29610056/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> suggests that seed oils don't increase markers of cellular damage such as inflammation — and in some cases even appear to reduce them.And there's no legitimate research directly showing that consuming more seed oils increases your chances of burning in the sun, or that cutting them out can prevent it. <h2>Some studies show a vitamin-rich diet can improve general skin health</h2>While eating specific foods can't protect you from the sun like sunscreen can, some foods are better than others for overall skin health, and may make your skin more resilient against UV light. According to Witkowski, foods "rich in pigments and antioxidants" fall in this category, including <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/carotenoids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carotenoid-rich foods</a> (carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes) and foods with <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/polyphenols" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sun-protective polyphenols</a> (strawberries, grapes). Additionally, he said vitamins C and E, omega-3s, and polyphenols <a href="https://www.insider.com/drinking-green-tea-can-improve-blood-sugar-gut-health-study-2022-7">found in green tea</a> all have skin benefits like reducing inflammation or the degree of skin damage. If you're following <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/mediterranean-diet#foods-to-eat">a healthy diet</a>, you should already be eating many of these foods. So chances are, the amount of broccoli you consume hasn't saved your skin from a brutal sunburn.<h2>When you're in the sun, food is no substitute for SPF</h2>While Witkowski said that changing your diet can benefit your skin, he strongly emphasized "the judicious use of SPF 30 sunscreen, hats, and UV-protective clothing" is still the best way to protect yourself from a sunburn — and from skin cancer. He said "the most studied, clinically safe, and effective" are <a href="https://www.insider.com/elta-md-sunscreen-review-glass-skin-no-white-cast-2023-3">mineral sunscreens</a> with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which work as physical barriers against both UVA and UVB rays. Time to slather it on.

Don't be fooled by the popular TikToks telling you sunscreen is toxic and oil-free diets will protect your skin

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I <a href="https://www.insider.com/signs-you-should-move-2018-3">moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Hong Kong</a> in 2014 and stayed for five years.</li><li>Living in such an international city introduced me to different cultures and new perspectives.</li></ul>I moved from <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-to-do-in-san-francisco-2018-4">San Francisco</a> to <keyword id="11896021" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hong-kong" source="Orion">Hong Kong</keyword> in 2014 to attend college.During the five years I spent overseas, I discovered an astonishing array of differences between my life in the sprawling Asian city and my life in <keyword id="11892887" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="northern-california" source="Orion">Northern California</keyword>. Now that I've settled back in the US, I decided to reflect on some of the most surprising things about my experience living abroad in Hong Kong.<h2>Hong Kong was much more geographically diverse than I expected</h2><div type="image" title="Hong Kong skyline" height="3648" width="5472" msid="92184805" hostid="261"></div>Before I moved, Hong Kong's world-famous skyline gave me the impression that the city would be <a href="https://www.insider.com/tallest-skyscraper-by-year-2018-8">all skyscrapers</a>.There are certainly plenty of colossal buildings, but there are also beaches, waterfalls, <a href="https://www.insider.com/hikes-around-the-world-2019-3">hiking trails,</a> and islands to explore.Raw nature and sky-high buildings don't typically go hand-in-hand, but Hong Kong has the best of both worlds. It's one of the most geographically diverse cities I've ever been to.<h2>The public transportation system was impressively efficient</h2>The city's robust public transportation system could get me to most places without a car, so I didn't need one. Plus, parking <a href="https://www.spacer.com.au/blog/the-most-expensive-parking-spaces-in-the-world#:~:text=Yet%2C%20when%20looking%20at%20parking,monthly%20parking%20are%20around%20%24352.">is expensive</a> in Hong Kong,Land transportation includes the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), buses, and trams that can take you across the island for less than $1. Though the MTR is extremely clean and manageable for English speakers, I think the buses are more difficult to navigate if you aren't familiar with the route. <h2>Brick-and-mortar shopping was very popular</h2><div type="image" title="Kaitlyn Cheung and friend smiling at night market in mongkok" height="886" width="886" msid="92184807" hostid="261"></div>Hong Kong holds the world record for<a href="https://www.cefc.com.hk/article/stefan-al-ed-mall-city-hong-kongs-dreamworlds-of-consumption/"> the highest commercial density</a>. No matter where you live in the city, you can easily find a corner-street convenience store stocked with groceries, household goods, and personal-care products. Shopping for clothes is easy too. Since there's <a href="https://www.cefc.com.hk/article/stefan-al-ed-mall-city-hong-kongs-dreamworlds-of-consumption/">one mall per square mile</a>, you're usually just a couple of subway stops away from the nearest one.Online shopping has <a href="https://www.business.hsbc.com/navigator/made-for-china/five-reasons-why-china-is-dominating-e-commerce">taken off in Mainland China</a> due to the rise of e-commerce giants like Taobao, Alibaba, and JD.com But I found that Hong Kong has not experienced the same cashless revolution, and brick-and-mortar shopping <a href="https://retailasia.com/retail/exclusive-news/should-hong-kongs-brick-and-mortar-retailers-ride-e-commerce-wave">seems much more popular.</a> Many items, like Chinese New Year decorations and jade trinkets, can only be found at specific mom-and-pop shops. Going for goods in-person lends itself well to the city's vibrant night-market scene, especially in places like Mongkok, a shopping district where you can find anything from clothes and electronics to snacks and souvenirs. After years of living in Hong Kong, I got used to doing most of my shopping in person. Now, I prefer it to <a href="https://www.insider.com/online-shopping-hacks-save-money-2017-12">buying things online</a>.<div type="image" title="Shops in Hong Kong." height="2687" width="4000" msid="92184808" hostid="261"></div><h2>Hong Kong is very international, but it was difficult to find authentic Mexican food</h2>I grew up in the <keyword id="11893136" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="san-francisco" source="Orion">San Francisco</keyword> Bay Area, which has a ton of restaurants that serve high-quality Cali-Mex, California's spin on traditional Mexican cuisine. Burritos, quesadillas, and enchiladas were all staples of my diet before I moved. That changed as soon as I went overseas.The flavorful dishes I regularly devoured in the US were more difficult to come by in Hong Kong than I expected. Though the city is extremely international and has a <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/01/31/hong-kong-expats-leaving-exodus-covid-quarantine/">flourishing expatriate community</a>, its Mexican population is relatively <a href="https://www.asiainsurancereview.com/Magazine/ReadMagazineArticle?aid=35137">small in comparison to other groups</a>, which could be one of the reasons I had such a hard time finding the <a href="https://www.insider.com/things-americans-get-wrong-about-mexican-food-2018-4">Mexican food I craved</a>. Don't get me wrong, I love japonica rice and jasmine rice, but I <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-and-worst-things-to-eat-at-mexican-restaurants-2020-2">don't want them in my burrito</a>. After five years of searching for a spot with Mexican dishes reminiscent of the ones in California, the closest I got was <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/tequila-on-davis-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF">Tequila On Davis</a>, an expatriate bar and restaurant. And much to my relief, they used long-grain rice.<h2>Most convenience stores didn't carry American groceries</h2><div type="image" title="grocery store aisle in elements hong kong" height="2800" width="3733" msid="92184810" hostid="261"></div>ParknShop, a supermarket chain in Hong Kong, and Circle K, a convenience store, didn't sell popular American foods like cheese, yogurt, granola, and cereals. If I wanted to find them, I had to go to City Super, the international grocery store. And when I could get my hands on the items, they were much more expensive than my other groceries.On American holidays, <a href="https://www.insider.com/all-the-places-that-celebrate-thanksgiving-2018-11">like Thanksgiving</a>, I could easily break the bank shopping for the ingredients I needed to make my recipes. A pint of yogurt cost me between $5 and $10. That might not seem very pricey in certain grocery stores in the US, but it felt relatively expensive in Hong Kong, where I could get a local meal for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/02/world/asia/hong-kong-inexpensive-dining.html">significantly less money</a>.The grocery stores I visited in Hong Kong also didn't carry some of the produce that I regularly bought in the US, like fresh berries and Brussels sprouts.I got used to swapping them out for <a href="https://www.insider.com/vegetables-around-the-world-2018-9">other fruits and vegetables</a>. And over time, I started eating more dragon fruit, locally grown taro root, bitter melon, and daikon.<h2>I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Hong Kong's soy-sauce Western cuisine</h2>Soy-sauce Western really knocked my socks off. Similar to the way Chinese immigrants <a href="https://time.com/4211871/chinese-food-history/">created Chinese-American cuisine</a> after moving to the US, European immigrants made <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/hk-magazine/article/2035494/soy-sauce-western-hong-kongs-self-made-cuisine">soy-sauce Western</a> cuisine by fusing traditional dishes with Hong Kong's local flavors. I wasn't familiar with these foods ahead of my move, but I was blown away by their impeccable sweet-and-savory blend. Popular plates include wok-fried spaghetti with meat sauce, Swiss-sauce chicken wings, and Hong Kong-style borscht, a Ukrainian soup that's sweeter than the traditional version.My favorite soy-sauce Western dish is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Ffood52.com%2Frecipes%2F32514-hong-kong-style-spam-egg-macaroni-soup">Hong Kong-style macaroni soup</a>, which typically consists of pasta, meat, and vegetables in chicken broth. I loved eating it for breakfast with a side of Spam and eggs. Both locals and expats file into cha chaan teng, Hong Kong-style cafés that serve this cuisine. When I was living in the city, some of my favorite spots for soy-sauce Western were Australia Dairy Company and Café de Coral. <h2>Rugby and horse racing are the most popular spectator sports</h2><div type="image" title="Kaitlyn Cheung and friends attend the rugby 7s match, smiling in fish eye lens" height="577" width="768" msid="92184813" hostid="261"></div>I was used to the Americans' adoration for sports like football and basketball, but I quickly learned that Hong Kong's expats were far more dialed into rugby and horse racing. Before my move, I knew nothing about these two sports.In the same way that sports bring Americans together year after year, rugby and horse racing have united Hong Kong's international community.Every week, people bet on horse races in the Shatin and Happy Valley neighborhoods.Hong Kong Stadium in the Causeway Bay neighborhood also hosts the annual Hong Kong Sevens, a world-famous rugby tournament. If you can get your hands on tickets, watching the matches in person feels like a huge party. Dressing up is a tradition, so many spectators don their best group costumes.<h2>Many of the people I met weren't from Hong Kong either</h2><div type="image" title="Kaitlyn Cheung and her friends taking a junk boat across Victoria Harbor" height="768" width="1024" msid="92184814" hostid="261"></div>When I met people in Central, Hong Kong's financial district, many of them had come to the city from elsewhere.Hong Kong has <a href="https://www.asiainsurancereview.com/Magazine/ReadMagazineArticle?aid=35137">one of the world's biggest expat populations</a>, making it a popular option for people who are looking to work abroad for the first time. The city is a cultural melting pot, with a sizable number of <a href="https://www.insider.com/things-i-dont-miss-about-the-us-according-to-someone-who-left">expats</a> from Indonesia, the Philippines, China, France, South Korea, India, the UK, Canada, Japan, Pakistan, and many other countries. In the US, I was used to asking people which state they were from. But in Hong Kong, I routinely made friends from all over the world, which allowed me to broaden my horizons and learn about different cultures. Sometimes I would meet people from places that I knew almost nothing about, so the experience challenged me to become a better listener and ask more thoughtful questions.

I moved from California to Hong Kong. Here are 8 things that surprised me most.

Think Mumbai and we think of the ‘maximum’ city; the city that never sleeps; the city on the Indian coastline that never ceases to amaze with its spirit and perseverance; the city that never loses the spring in its step. 
 
Till now, the city lived and thrived upon its local train network. Most of the population must have spent most of their time in those trains, only visiting their respective homes to catch up on food and sleep. That may sound like an overstatement to many who don’t live there. But the truth is this train network, stretching up to 465 km and built by the British way back in 1853, forms the very core of the city’s soul. 
 Only recently, the city that is always on the move, got wind beneath its wings. It was a historic occasion for Mumbaikars when the <keyword id="117023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-metro">Mumbai Metro</keyword> started rolling on elevated tracks, connecting 11.40 km and helping 700 million passengers reach their destinations. Needless to say, the metro has added immense pace to their already busy life. 
 
Just like the human facelift, it adds to the character of the city when it gets a metro. The city then ceases to live in time warp and joins the cadre of the ‘selected few’ cities in the world which are green, futuristic and efficient in every way. 
 
Other ‘metro’ cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Gurgaon and Bangalore are already contributing in reducing traffic density while the upcoming metro rail projects in cities like Jaipur, Kochi, Hyderabad and Chennai will ensure similar advantages. Plans to expand train operations are also afoot in the ‘metro’ cities. 
 
Cities such as Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Bhopal are also making a beeline to get the ‘metro’ projects approved although they do not qualify for the same due to limited population. But this may spell good news for international players who see an opportunity to participate in building the country’s infrastructure. 
 As India has been one of the favourite destinations for international investments, countries like South Korea are showing interest in building the transport infrastructure of the country. In fact, Korean company Hyndai Rotem recently placed a huge order with Voith for the extension of <keyword id="6366797" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Delhi-Metro">Delhi Metro</keyword>. 
 
It is no wonder then that the infrastructure of Mumbai is undergoing a ‘Gen Z’ category of facelift. You need to keep in mind that the cities clocking growth are the ones which are driving the new economy and the facilities created for these cities with tremendous ‘growth potential’ are presumed to be world class, too. 
 
To understand this better, we need to compare the Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore Metro with those in Singapore, Hong Kong or New York. It will be a fair comparison because all the metro systems of the world today serve the same purpose – that of catering to different pockets of urban population. 
 
Interestingly, a metro city is defined as one that has found solutions to meet its ever-growing transportation needs. A ‘global city’ is the one that has more than 60-80% of its population travelling by public transportation. And a metro rail plays a significant role in this marker of progress. It also efficiently addresses a city’s growing energy needs while bringing down the carbon footprint. 
 
The world’s oldest metro system is the London Underground or the Tube that celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2013. This one has stood the test of time, compared to most other metros in the world, and has kept London comparatively free from traffic congestion. 
 
Compared to the world metro networks, India has miles to tread and catch up with the speed. The Indian metro lines don’t come close to the technology advancements featured by the trains across the globe. But then, India has a unique problem – the high density of population. 
 
However, Hong Kong, which decidedly grapples with the same challenge, does its act rather efficiently. The Hong Kong MTR (Metro) has earned praises for its presentation and schedule. It has also kept up with modern technology and offers free Wi-Fi services to passengers. 
 Seoul’s <keyword id="6366667" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Subway">Subway</keyword> is managed by three companies and has a hassle-free run day after day, on nine dedicated lines. Technology planners from the world over come here to get their lessons in connectivity. 
 
While the Singapore Metro has been given partial thumbs-down by users for keeping the ticket queues long and inefficient, the London Tube is constantly undergoing upgrades in order to cope with modern-day requirements. The Paris Metro hasn’t done too badly either, considering the fact that it is one of the five busiest cities in the world. However, technology upgradation seems to be the need of the hour. 
 
Now that India is embracing speedy and efficient transport systems, we must learn the nitty-gritty from the global counterparts wherever possible. But one thing stands very clear. The country has arrived late, but has arrived for sure. And India is here to stay in the global race when it comes to growth and progress.

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