Just this past February, Hong Kong’s Leader, John Lee Ka Chiu, announced that Hong Kong Airlines will collectively give away 500,000 free airplane tickets to travelers all around the world. This comes as Hong Kong begins to lift COVID restrictions including the mandatory mask requirement. By organizing this massive giveaway, it shows how much Hong Kong relies on tourism for its economy. As COVID restrictions are lifted all around the world, many are eager to jump on a plane and explore another’s culture through landmarks, rituals, traditions, and food. Travelers who win a free ticket or are going to Hong Kong this upcoming summer will most likely be swept away by the delicious aroma of food leaking from restaurants and from hawker stands. Food is undoubtedly one important part of one’s culture, and in this month’s cultural post, I will share the most classic and unique foods in Cantonese culture specifically in Hong Kong. This will be a full itinerary from breakfast to lunch and then to dinner.
At the heart of a traditional Cantonese breakfast is dim sum 点心 or more colloquially “yum cha”, which directly translates to “drink tea”. The idea is that drinking tea is an activity that is done with many families and friends together, so “yum cha” is a traditional Cantonese breakfast that is eaten with families and friends. From all the dim sum places I went to, whether in the states or in China, there would be round tables rather than square or rectangular tables. This is to help facilitate conversations with members at the table. The table has a glass Lazy Susan so that dishes could be easily accessible to all members. At dim sum, there are dim sum carts filled with a variety of dishes that are pushed from table to table. The food isn't in large portions, rather they are served on small plates. Some examples of these dishes include the following: chicken feet, rice noodle rolls with shrimp or pork, crystal shrimp dumplings, xiao long bao, bbq pork buns, and fried taro dumplings. When you order the dish, you also hand the worker a long menu, and they will stamp whatever you order. Each dish is around $3 to $5 USD. Then，this menu is then taken to the checkout to calculate the total cost of the meal.
There isn’t really much of a difference between lunch and dinner meals. In America, when I think of lunch, I think of sandwiches whereas for dinner, I would think of pasta. In Hong Kong, foods that are normally eaten for lunch can also be eaten at dinner such as beef brisket noodles 牛腩面. This savory, umami dish is made up of noodles with toppings such as bok choy, daikon, and chunks of beef. The dish can be in soup form with beef broth or without the soup. This dish would be perfect for the winter with the steaming hot soup but can be enjoyed year around. Another iconic dish originated from Hong Kong is Clay Pot Rice 煲仔饭. Like its name, this dish is served in a small clay pot. The chefs use the clay pot to cook the dish and then serve it to their customers. Rice is usually cooked first, then various toppings are added such as Chinese sausages, chicken, beef, etc. The dish is done when there is a thin layer of rice that is slightly burnt on the bottom of the clay pot to give it a crunchy texture. Clay Pot can be eaten at lunch or at dinner.
Besides breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes, Hong Kong is quite known for its pastries and sweet delicacies. For tourists, when in Hong Kong, their egg tarts 蛋挞 are a must try. Egg tarts in Hong Kong are well known because of their crispy, flakey pastry skin with soft, sweet egg custard filling. Another delicacy that is unique to Hong Kong is their egg waffles 鸡蛋仔. The shape resembles bubble wrap while the taste is closer to a waffle. Egg waffles can be bought from street vendors, and oftentimes there are different fillings that customers can choose to put into each bubble. For example, one popular and delicious flavor is 紫菜肉松鸡蛋仔, which seaweed and pork floss filling. There are many classic flavors as well such as chocolate 朱古力。
This isn’t a comprehensive list of foods in Hong Kong, but instead highlighting some of the most popular dishes in Hong Kong from morning meals to desserts. One of my favorite items on this list is the egg waffles. I had them when I visited China in 2014, and the flavor and texture blew my mind. It was crunchy on the outside but warm and soft on the inside. I hope in the near future I will be able to eat some！
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_cuisine
https://expatliving.hk/classic-hong-kong-food-local-dishes-street-food-snacks/
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