The World Cup is usually a big deal pretty much anywhere outside of North America, where most friends are currently preoccupied with the NBA Finals.

In Hong Kong, an hour before World Cup games are to start, you’ll find locals hauling beer cases and bags of potato chips home from the local supermarkets.

For me, when you’re spending lots of time with Dutch and Swedish friends, the World Cup is all the more important.

Last week I watched the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, at a big event with about 80 Hong Kong football fans. Last night, I was in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong’s party-pub district, for the Holland-Denmark game. We were, of course, cheering for Orange. (The Dutchies won 2-0).

And apparently, we were also disregarding the Hong Kong government’s warnings for a healthy World Cup championship.

The government recently released this special World Cup announcement:

A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said today (June 10) that even though crispy snacks (such as potato chips and fried food) and alcoholic beverages could add to the World Cup festivity, it is important to maintain healthy eating, get sufficient sleep, avoid tobacco or excessive alcohol, and stay within the law in terms of the smoking ban.

It continues on to list bullet point tips on how to stay healthy during the World Cup. This was the best one:

Consume snacks only when you are hungry. Do not snack for the sake of snacking.

And more:

* Stretch and move around while watching the matches.

* Sit properly while watching the soccer match to avoid muscle aches afterwards.

* Strike a balance between watching matches and fulfilling your social commitments.

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