The English Corner of the College of Management organized its second exchange activity of the semester on March 8th — Exploring Hong Kong Culture Through Movies - Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng”. This session was led by a Sociology Department student, Mr. Xu, originating from Hong Kong, who shared the culture surrounding Hong Kong's cha chaan teng in English. Cha chaan teng are the most common type of restaurants in Hong Kong, serving as the main dining locations for locals form breakfast to dinner. But what are the differences between cha chaan teng through the eyes of Hongkongers, compared to the Taiwanese imagination?

Mr. Xu began by showing two clips from Hong Kong movies, focusing on the daily operations of cha chaan teng, providing a glimpse into the local dining habits. He then shared some interesting history: cha chaan teng emerged in the 1950s, a fusion of the Hong Kong style cafe and Western restaurants, forming a unique Hong Kong dining culture. Many of the dishes and drinks at cha chaan teng were heavily influenced by British colonial cuisine, such as the commonly eaten breakfast items like omelets and scrambled eggs, which come from the full English breakfast. So, what distinguishes the "cha chaan teng" and "Hong Kong style cafe"? The distinction lies in the licensing and the food items they are allowed to sell. Historically, most "Hong Kong style cafe" held a "snack license," permitting them to sell only ice desserts, tea, coffee, bread, cakes, porridge, and chinese sweet soup. Over time, with changes in licensing regulations, most "Hong Kong style cafe" have transitioned to a "general restaurant license," allowing the sale of any type of food.

The conversation also touched upon the milk tea traditions of Taiwan and Hong Kong, what sets their versions of milk tea apart? Hong Kong-style milk tea primarily uses Ceylon black tea leaves, brewed with a mix of tea leaves of varying sizes, then finished with evaporated milk. Initially, milk tea would contain tea leaves residue, leading to the invention of using a tea bag to filter out the leaves. As the tea bag resembled a stocking after prolonged use, the beverage was nicknamed "silk stocking milk tea." Throughout the presentation, Mr. Xu also explained various English terms, such as scrambled eggs for "炒蛋", evaporated milk for "淡奶", and colony for "殖民地".

This event helped students gain a genuine understanding of the appearance and culture of cha chaan teng in Hong Kong, learning that only dim sum is served in traditional Chinese restaurants there, and picked up some specialized terminology used in cha chaan teng. Given the close geographical and cultural similarities between Taiwan and Hong Kong, whether traveling to the region in the future or dining at Hong Kong-style restaurants in Taiwan, students are now better acquainted with Hong Kong culture.

(Written by. Alex Tsui, The Department of Sociology / Proofread by the Media of the College of Management)