So the government has a five-year plan now. It's the first one Hong Kong has had. John Lee talked about it at the National Day reception on Thursday.

His line was that the plan highlights Hong Kong's DNA as an international city. It also emphasises the market economy. RTHK's headline put it as a plan aimed at growth and the nation.

Let me explain what's going on here, because I had to read it twice at the counter.

Someone obviously asked whether a plan with the word "five-year" in it changes how Hong Kong runs. The answer is a short version of "no, don't worry, we're still a global city and the market is still the market." That's the job of the sentence. It's there to calm people down.

"DNA" is a handy word for that. Nobody can check your DNA. You can't argue with it or put a date on it. It's just there, apparently, whatever the plan says.

Here's my problem. Most people I know don't read five-year plans. They read the rent, the queue at the tea restaurant and the price of the lunch set. A plan that says "growth" sounds nice. The test is whether any of it shows up in those three places.

Five years is a long time. My mother has opinions about the noodles I made last Tuesday. She'll have plenty to say about this plan by the time it runs out.