Hong Kong's Food Culture

Preface

The following content is copyright and is republished with the permission of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and courtesy of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.

Hong Kong's cuisine is not only an exotic fusion of Eastern and Western flavours, but is also a great variety of creative culinary delights with local characteristics, making the place a world renowned Gourmet Paradise.

Changing from simple stomach-filling food and drinks to gourmet enjoyment, from humble eateries to superb restaurants and from local Chinese tastes to exotic delicacies, Hong Kong's food culture has actually reflected the economic, social and livelihood changes that Hong Kong has undergone over the past hundred and more years. The success or otherwise of restaurants, the popularity of cuisines and the change of tastes have not only marked the different expectations of food and drinks at different times, but have also become a collective memory of Hong Kong people.

The Change of Food Supply

With the rapid development in Hong Kong over the past few decades, paddy fields are nowhere to be seen today and 90% of the fish catch is no longer from local waters. Oyster farming has dwindled and fish ponds have been replaced by high-rises. Rice, vegetables, livestock and fish now come mostly from imports. To have a taste of agricultural and fishery products genuinely "Made in Hong Kong" is like finding a needle in a haystack.

In the past, people used to go to the wet markets for goods such as vegetables, meat and fresh fish. Grocers on the other hand provided dry goods such as canned food, oil, rice and seasonings. Stores sold snacks, cigarettes, liquors and soft drinks. Nowadays, supermarkets provide the public with a one-stop purchase service that is efficient and convenient. With the redevelopment of old districts and housing estates, grocers and stalls are gradually disappearing.

Food Industries

The food industries prospered in the early 20th century. Products included sauce, preserved fruits, assorted cakes and soda water. After almost a century, some of those traditional food industries have declined due to changes in the market and in the taste of customers. However, some other long-established producers are able to launch new products and meet modern needs. Their management has been modernized and production processes mechanized. They engage professional design companies to improve their corporate images and adopt new ideas in packaging and shop decoration.

Eateries Undergoing Transformation

Eating on the Streets

The standard of living was low in the early 20th century and roadside food stalls were very common. Wooden trunks, stalls, and tents lined up to form one "Food Street" after another.

From the post-war years, roadside food stalls mushroomed. In order to regulate such stalls, the government issued licences which allowed them to sell cooked food as "Dai Pai Dong". Many of such "Dai Pai Dong" were found in Central, Sheung Wan, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei and Sham Shui Po districts.

With a cluster of roadside food stalls, "Dai Tat Dei" Bazaars were formed. The most well-known one was found near Possession Point in Sheung Wan, which was later relocated to the vicinity of the pier in Sheung Wan. In Kowloon, one such Bazaar was in Temple Street.

In 1956, the government stopped issuing new "Dai Pai Dong" licences and prohibited and licence transfer. In the 1970s, the government began to build food centres and itinerant cooked food hawkers were banned from the streets in order to keep the city clean and tidy. "Dai Tat Dei" Bazaar in Sheung Wan was also closed to make way for land development. "Dai Pai Dong" and roadside food stalls began to disappear gradually.

Tea and Banquet

Tea houses were the place for tea and dim sum while Chinese restaurants were for banquets where guests were treated. Famous tea houses of the early 20th century included Ko Sing, Luk Yu, Lin Heung and Dor Nam, while Tai Sam Yuen, Kam Ling and Heung Kong were well-known Chinese restaurants.

After the war, Chinese restaurants extended their business to include serving lunch, which was further extended to serve morning tea as well from the 1960s onwards. The distinction between tea houses and Chinese restaurants has become blurred.

Owing to urban development, traditional tea houses and Chinese restaurants have been demolished one after another. In the 1990s, the closure of Dor Nam and Sheung Hei Lau marked the end of an era for traditional tea houses.

The Story of Western Meals

Western meals emerged in 1842 when Hong Kong became a British colony. Most Western-style restaurants were found in high-class hotels and their patrons were mainly foreigners.

By the end of the 20th century, there were already quite a number of Western-style restaurants in Hong Kong catering to upper-class Chinese residents. There were Wah Lok Yuen, Wellington Café and M. Y. San & Co. Inc. Restaurant. At the same time, many sorbet cafés began operating in Central and Sheung Wan. On Lok Yuen, which sold highly popular soft drinks, ice-cream, bread and pastries, was the most famous.

In the late 1930s, the famous Tai Ping Koon Restaurant moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. After the war, Western-style restaurants sprang up in various districts. Russian cuisine also came to get a slice of the cake, with Queen's Café, Cherikoff Restaurant among the most successful.

Tea cafés (Hong Kong style) were derived from Western-style restaurants. In 1949, there was a tea café called the Grand Restaurant in Central. After the war, more and more tea cafés and sorbet cafés were to be found all over the territory.

Today, Western-style restaurants in Hong Kong are no longer confined to English restaurants. Eateries serving different cuisines like French, Italian and Spanish are common, while tea cafés can be found anywhere in the city.

Festival Food

Celebrating traditional festivals with special food has remained popular with Hong Kong people. For example, all members of a family would gather for dinner on New Year's Eve. Glutinous rice dumplings wrapped up in reed leaves are prepared for the Dragon Boat Festival, while moon cakes are eaten to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the New Territories, relatively more such traditional practices are still being followed. The festive snacks they make are full of characteristics. On Lunar New Year's Eve, fried rice cakes are made at home. On the first month of the Lunar calendar, villagers celebrate the birth of baby boys. Some villages even prepare "lantern congee" and "lantern wine" and people from the same village are invited to join the celebrations.

In the New Territories, people get together and have "basin meals" on festive occasions, or when activities in connection with village affairs or ancestral worship are held. A great variety of food is placed in a large container. Villagers would gather inside the ancestral hall or on the hillside, where they sit on the ground, and eat together to their hearts' content.

Food Extravaganza

There used to be caterers that specialized in delivering meals to office and factory workers. With subsequent economic development and the faster pace of life, take-out and fast food business began to take root. Since the 1970s, American and local fast food restaurants have made flourishing development along with an accelerated rhythm of life. For many Hong Kong people, taking fast food just to fill the stomach has become a part of their life.

Other fast food items such as instant noodle and pizza are also widely popular. Many traditional food items have begun to be made like instant food. Dim sum, dumplings (wonton), desserts, congee and rice are prepared in factories and transported to supermarkets and convenience stores for sale.

Beyond fast food, there are of course other specialties for which Hong Kong is internationally famous. There are the renowned bar area "Lan Kwai Fong and the Soho" (South of Hollywood Road) area of international cuisines in Central. In addition, the sea-front area along Stanley Main Street is famous for its alfresco cafés and bars, while Aberdeen, Lamma Island, Cheung Chau and Lei Yue Mun are celebrated for their seafood. Kowloon City, home to many restaurants specializing in serving Thai and Chaozhou cuisines, is also a gourmet area.

In Hong Kong, the trend in food and drinks changes rapidly, with 'jumping on the bandwagon' being its most distinct feature. Japanese ramen noodles or Taiwanese drinks could be very popular at one time, and a short while later it could be Portuguese egg tarts or Macanese pork cutlet buns that are selling like hot cakes.

In recent years, a special kind of eatery known as "see fong choy" (private home cuisines) has mushroomed in Hong Kong. They are commonly operated in private flats upstairs in a building and customers have to book in advance. The food served in such "restaurants" is uncommon and the uniqueness of the chefs is their selling point.