Kowloonshire VOL.2

“Hey I got some extra siu mei [various kinds of Cantonese barbecue] for tonight!” is a common thing to hear whenever you have dinner at a Hongkonger’s household. With that added to the table that is already filled to the brim with dishes, it marks the epitome of Hongkongers’ gatherings.

Table for Six, a movie to be released on 25thNovember in the UK, uses exactly the setting of dinner time for Hongkongers to center its own plot. It starts with three siblings and their partners living together and learning to inherit the family siu mei business. Scene after scene at the dinner table, it is the iconic spot for all relationship dynamics to play out. It is the memory of all Hongkongers to have had at least some sort of argument or resolving said argument at the dinner table with their loved ones.

For Hongkongers that are in the UK now, siu mei has become a rarity instead of something so easily found. Still, Hongkongers either try their hardest to make siu mei with pork belly from Tesco or discuss with friends where they can find the most traditional favour of siu mei in London.

Benny, who migrated to the UK last year, was inspired by this sentiment and decided to start up his own siu mei shop online, selling and delivering Peking Duck, roasted pork belly and all sorts of siu mei to any Hongkongers in the area.

Similar to Hung Chan ( 陳鴻 ) from Table for Six, Benny also has no past experience in the food industry, he has spent hours and hours learning about sourcing ingredients, getting the right tools and perfecting the recipe. He also learns from other Cantonese chefs that have long mastered the skills

of making siu mei. Hence, on the day of our visit to his factory in Reading, he smoothly pulled out a shiny and fragrant roasted duck from the oven, no wonder he has earned his reputation among Hongkongers for making the closest favour of siu mei in their memories.

Benny explained that most of his clients are Hong Kong families,

‘Whenever they invite a group of friends over, they would order a whole roasted duck to share.’

In time, siu mei has become almost like a party food here. From appearing at celebratory occasions at Chinese restaurants, to family and friends gatherings, siu mei sustains its crucial position in Hong Kong food culture, even if Hongkoners are miles away from home.

In Table for Six, Hung Chan has fought with Hei Chan

陳熹 ) over the the exact taste of siu mei that they wish to make. To Benny though, the best siu mei he has tasted is not from any proper Chinese restaurants,

is just a stall inside Yuen Long wet market, next to all the vegetable stalls, butcher’s shops and the like. Once you order, you can see the chef chopping it up and plating it right next to you. As you eat your own dish, you would still be smelling another new batch of siu mei coming out from the oven, reinforcing the taste of it in your mind."

For any Hongkongers, Benny’s description is more than enough to trigger their own memories with siu mei and reminisce about the communal and straightforwardness back in their local restaurant or market, it is more precious than any favour one can find in a proper restaurant.

Benny’s current goal is to open a Caancaanteng [Hong Kong style local restaurant] in the UK. He has been working hard to prepare for such an endeavour. Just like Hung Chan in Table for Six, Benny insists on passing on the flame of Hong Kong food culture, as well as to create a space for

Hongkongers to gather and connect with each other. “I still think we need to better understand British food culture, and to discover new fusion down the road.”

A mere plate of siu mei, bears the power to tie different people together.

Even though each Hongkonger may remember the favour differently, the sentiment and nostalgia are the same. Living in a time of uncertainty, where farewell becomes the norm, the least Hongkongers can do is to cherish the siu mei in front of them and the time they have with each other.

Cover Story

If you go to Sa's instagram account, you would see a water painting of the old Hong Kong. As a graphic designer, Sa has migrated to Canada for years, and similar to other Hong Kong migrants, she retains a blurry memory of how exactly Hong Kong looked like. However, as

she scrolled past another account @hongkongd_ about past Hong Kong, it inspired her to draw out her remaining memory about her home, hoping that with brush strokes and water colour, she may help other Hongkongers relive and remember those bits and pieces that were forgotten.

Since it is challenging to look for information, let alone graphics, about Hong Kong in the past few decades, she has joined up with Hong Kong D, hoping to uncover the uniqueness of past and recent Hong

Kong, with inspiration from photographs of the past Hong Kong. Her Instagram account has been running since March, and viewers have given it waves of positive comments and encouragement. Hence, Hong Kong D and her have released a series of postcards with their artworks, hoping to prolong the collective memory of Hong Kong.

2

01273 911871

BIRMINGHAM & COVENTRY

Restaurant ｜食肆 1

2 0161 228 2828

48A George St, Manchester M1 4HF

4 Pan.dora meal box 潘朵拉神秘飯盒

Fennel Street, Corn Exchange M4 3TR

36 haymarket st, bury Manchester BL9 0AY

facebook.com/profile.

100077554263605

Restaurant ｜食肆 6

Unit A,9-13 Washway Road,Sale M33 7AD facebook.com/clshairuk Beauty ｜美容 3 0161 400 7060

facebook.com/hoko. london

facebook.com/milkteauk

uncle-e.co.uk/