Affordable fare forms basis for everyday community life in HK
Monday Vibes
Most Hong Kong people live in high-rise apartment buildings. Neighbors seldom go beyond a nod when waiting for the elevator, or polite greeting by surname when bumping into a neighbor during errand runs.
That’s as far as warmth and closeness between neighbors usually can go in Hong Kong. In many cases, neighbors avoid eye contact, step into an elevator in silence, stare into space or check the cellphone, without even giving a smiley nod that would have performed the “Hi, neighbor!” social etiquette.
The diminished sense of neighborhood and community is balanced out when people stroll around wet markets and frequent cha chaan teng in their district.
Wet markets and cha chaan teng are places with the most vernacular feel in Hong Kong, where the city is stripped of its habitual cosmopolitan aura of style, luxury and glamor.
With down-to-earth decor and prohibitively long opening hours, wet markets and cha chaan teng in Hong Kong present the city’s more modest side but embody all the typical hallmarks of Hong Kong: pragmatic, industrious, unassuming and efficient.
They serve as hubs for community interaction. Wet-market store owners are good at recognizing repeat customers, remembering their preferences and initiating conversations. They know about shoppers’ family members and readily dispense suggestions about which veggies or fruits are seasonal and fresh, and which meats are limited in supply or affordable.
Shoppers often enjoy small favors, such as a handful of Chinese onion for free, without needing to ask for it, after having made some purchase at a vegetable store. Some stores offer discounts to loyal customers.
Cha chaan teng are also good at forging relationships with frequent diners. They remember what food and drink you usually order and give you a bit of leeway in choosing food that is not exactly offered on the menu. Chitchat with diners is common, as many live in the same block and have plenty of shared topics.
Some cha chaan teng alert diners when policemen are issuing illegal parking tickets. Like an emergency alarm, the staff will suddenly exclaim “Parking tickets! Parking tickets!” One or two diners may stand up, ask the staff to keep their seat and food, step out to deal with the emergency, and reappear in about 10 minutes. All people there have an impression that “we’d like to serve you in all ways we consider possible”.
Cha chaan teng are a meeting point for a variety of people, to have an inadvertent sneak peek into others’ lives. Diners share a small table with strangers, cast a quick look at what others had ordered, and then focus on one’s own plate or mobile phone screen for good manner’s sake.
Janitors at nearby apartment buildings, workers at construction and repair projects, students, white-collar workers and senior residents mingle together in crowded cha chaan teng, overhearing one another’s phone calls and chitchat, and observe the waiters and waitresses talking about their horseracing bets, and going about the place to clear all that can be removed from the tiny tables, to ensure fast turnover of the tables and give diners more space to enjoy their meals.
Likewise, wet markets also bring together a broad mixture of people from different backgrounds. There we see many foreign domestic helpers and senior residents, as cooking and grocery shopping for them is routine.
Busy wet markets and cha chaan teng can be found almost everywhere in Hong Kong. They offer low-budget foods and services, yet earn people’s loyalty and attachment.
People think of these familiar places when they identify themselves as members of their neighborhood. People interact and form connections with others and their community, in the wet markets and cha chaan teng they frequent.
Such feelings of connection and belonging to a community help us enjoy life in Hong Kong in its most original flavor, and stay grounded in appreciation of modesty, simplicity and hard work.