what's cooler than being cool?

It's only the beginning of June, and the temperature in HK topped 93 degrees today. So naturally, a popular topic of conversation around here is air-conditioning.

A widely-held belief is that Hong Kong people just love their air-con. There was a study released this week claiming HK office temperatures are the coldest in the world. (Letterman studio guests might disagree.) Environmentalists recommend a summertime setting of 78 degrees, but found some offices here were as cool as 64 degrees. (The average was found to be 72 degrees.) Many non-environmentalists also complain about how high people crank their a/c. A majority of my classmates keep scarves or pashminas in their bags in case they have to visit certain chilly public places. Public buses are a notorious example. They are extremely cold year-round since, according to an old regulation, a bus offering a/c can charge higher fares than a bus not offering a/c.



But would I agree that Hong Kongers are mad about keeping chill? Not really. First, Hong Kong is more humid than many other cities. A 78 degree office is more than reasonable in many cities, but in a city as humid as this? Second, ordinary homes and businesses definitely don't keep their thermostat as low as centrally-cooled offices. They can't afford to do otherwise! I know my uncle keeps the public part of his store at 75 degrees, and the backrooms a bit warmer. My relatives, who all grew up before a/c became widespread here, are used to warm weather. They take a perverse pride in not using their a/c. Third, and most importantly, I myself do not have a/c in my room here. I'd like to think that, as my stay here in HK has grown longer, my tolerance to heat and humidity has grown stronger. But then how could I explain why, in hot weather, I seem to ride buses much more often?