Jessica Bellas' new book "Maotai, mooncakes & monks: Misadventures in Hong Kong & China" is not one of those how-to guides. It is a collection of light-spirited essays that vividly reflect an American expatriate's first impressions of and culture shocks mostly in Hong Kong.

The title of the book is quite telling itself. Maotai is a famous brand of high-end Chinese rice liquor often served at business banquets on the mainland. Bellas' demonstrated ability to drink large quantities of Maotai won her a job offer from a government official from Zhejiang province, because toasting Maotai is a fundamental practice that builds bonds and lubricates business and government relations.

The mooncake, on the other hand, is a traditional Chinese pastry for lunar worship and moon watching during the Mid-Autumn Festival. There are many varieties of mooncakes in different regions, and innovative new flavors keep coming out, such as the ice cream mooncake by Häagen-Dazs. Bellas didn't particularly enjoy the Cantonese mooncakes offered by her Hong Kong colleague.

"This must be what it would be like to bite into a hunk of lard," she described the taste of the "bean-flavored, pastry-enclosed lump of jello."

I don't blame her. My own colleagues, the adventurous ones, at Plastics News also found it hard to like the mooncakes I brought to the office. The mooncake is indeed on the top of my own list of "famous Chinese food that Westerns hate." What else is on the list? There is Zongzi, a chunk of glutinous rice stuffed with fillings and wrapped in reed or giant bamboo leaves. People eat Zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, commemorating the death of ancient patriot poet Qu Yuan.

What's the story behind monks? Bellas encountered a wild monkey irritated by her photo flash during her tour of Hong Kong's Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, which I visited a number of years ago. I'm just glad the angry monkey didn't attack Bellas or anyone else.

The book's subtitle "Misadventures in Hong Kong and China" seems to be hinting that the book is intended for Westerners only. I make this speculation because it's not politically correct to juxtapose "Hong Kong" and "China", at least not from the Mainland perspective, just like how the Americans won't appreciate the saying of "Texas and the U.S."

Adsale the Hong Kong organizer of the Chinaplas trade show, for example, consistently uses the official name of "Hong Kong Special Administration Region." In the English version of its Web site, it refers to Taiwan as "Taiwan", while the Chinese version phrases it "Taiwan province of China." Right or wrong, the matter of fact is, nobody can succeed in China without handling political correctness properly.

Regardless, this book is a refreshing and fun read filled with passion, humor and wit. More information can be found on www.tamcopublishing.com.