What a shame, that yet another dai pai dong has had to call it quits. The famous Man Yuen noodle shop in Central shut for the last time yesterday at 8pm after mounting pressure from the government since the license holder passed away back in May. Only spouses may inherit the license; this licencee was single.
Food critic Lau Kin Wai said of the closure (from the SCMP):
“When the government is spending billions of dollars building a culture district in West Kowloon, they are ignoring the local culture,” he said. “The right way to treat the hygiene problem of dai pai dongs is reinforcing management, not killing them.”
I could not agree more. The government automatically assumes that outside=dirty and conversely believes that indoors=clean. This oversimplistic assessment of hygiene is typical of the HKSAR. I am in no doubt that there are many lingering filthy restaurants, and there is no reson to think that outdoor premises cannot be kept clean either. What is important is management and standards : good standards can be maintained under both circumstances, and it would be far more productive to tackle the problem from that angle rather than shutting down dai pai dongs under the banner of hygiene.
As usual, this government seems more concerned about ‘image’ and has little interest in preservation of culture. It is more interested in creating artificial “cultural events”, or spawning new developments in the belief that new projects are the only things that attract visitors and locals. When I travel it is the tradition and culture I am interested in – any country can build a disneyland or a cable car if they wanted to… but history and culture evolves and spans hundreds (if not thousands) of years. As does the food – and for many, food is an important part of our lives.
When will the government learn that our heritage and history are as important as development for the future?
China |
Posted by Terence
Jul
27
2005
I did actually end up buying this – and can confirm that there is indeed no trace whatsoever of watermelon inside the icicle. For that matter, there’s probably no trace of orange in it either – but that’s another issue entirely!
It is good to see Chinglish still very much prevalent in this part of the world. Afterall, it helps keep us 老外 (gweilo) amused whilst here. In Walmart, I notice most of the English is well translated – apart from a few slips, evidently done by a different person. At the checkout counters is a huge poster titled ‘agressive service’… i’m not sure I want to find out what this means!
But I do often wonder, actually, why the Chinese cannot find people to carry out proper translations for them? With the number of foreigners (foreign students included), there are plenty of people around, particularly in Beijing, who could do a better job : and for a very small fee too. Heck if a restaurant appreciated it I would even re-do their menu for free whilst I happen to be eating there. But those are small businesses ; what’s even more impressive is that bad English is found even in government buildings and establishments such as airports. Surely the municipality can find someone who writes properly? Afterall, they’re already spending billions on the construction itself.
It befuddles me. But then again, if it helps brighten up our days, then what the heck!
Since my last post I had returned to Hong Kong and now, as of yesterday, I am back in Beijing again. Took a leisurely 24 hour train journey up direct from Hong Kong – this time opting for moderate luxury (a soft sleeper) rather than the cattle class previously experienced. The ride was fine – though I would say the bitter melon in the dining car was a bit too bitter!
Things will be hectic here for another week at least – we’re currently living in the office, not having yet found a flat, and our office furniture consists of one table and three foldable chairs. Don’t get too jealous folks! Oh, and it also has an inflatable mattress. The to-do list for the next few days is very long, and we don’t even have proper Internet: what we have is leaking out of a nearby building… with a very weak signal. Already, i’m missing my daily dose of BBC News – it’s almost always banned here in all forms (website, BBC World, Worldservice). I find this very odd since CNN is not officially blocked, though it should be – on account of being complete and utter crud.
One wonders how much longer the Chinese authorities will be able to keep a grip on the flow of information in this country. Already, more and more Chinese are traveling abroad – or even to Hong Kong, where the press is supposedly free (although self-censorship is noticeable on occasions). The Internet is growing at a phenomenal rate – number of users in China already surpasses that in the US… yet that still amounts to less than 10% of the population! Although the ‘great China firewall’ is the most advanced in the world – there are still ways to bypass it, and in most cases it’s possible to smuggle banned books into the Mainland without being caught at the border. Sooner or later, the population would expect more – and the government will have to give.
I do give the Mainland authorities much credit though for their policies regarding ‘development’ – unlike countless examples to the contrary, mass migration and unrest has been avoided through careful planning and gradual implementation of reforms. Although the pace of social reforms is questionable (economic reforms on the other hand have proved extremely fruitful for many), I am in no doubt that ‘freedom’ is an ultimate goal. The only question is when – and how. One thing is certain though : I would probably still not dare protest against the 1989 pro-democracy ‘incident’ in Tiannanmen Square at the moment.
But then again, these days, who cares? Everyone is too busy making money!
I should apologise for my rather sporadic postings of late, although nobody reads this blog anyways so I ought not bother. I’m currently in Beijing (北京) scouting for an office premises – and this has been quite time consuming! Office space is not particularly cheap here, but we now believe we’ve found something suitable. It’s conveniently located, reasonably priced, and new. If all goes well it would be ready to occupy in two weeks.
Beijing is definitely an interesting place – i’ve been several times before, but still I find myself discovering more and more about the city with each passing day : in particular, quirky scenes you certainly don’t see in Hong Kong. On Thursday we were treated by an old (drunk?) guy whizzing around in his army coloured tricycle – playing loud disco music and grinning profusely at bypassers. It’s a shame I had no camera – but the guy did brighten up my evening!
Sadly, smog is still a problem in Beijing despite the government’s plea to reduce smog by the 2008 Olympics. Taking a deep breath on a “bad day”, one can almost feel the wonderful exhaust concoctions slowly dissolving your lungs. I don’t see why the Chinese still bother smoking. Thankfully, i’m told that the air is gradually improving. If i’m to be here for a year, I can only hope that this is true.
I return to Hong Kong Sunday.
