THE TASTE OF DIGNITY

HONG KONG’S NEW SINGAPOREANSTYLE HAWKER CENTRE SERVES UP EMPOWERMENT WITH A SIDE OF HAINAN CHICKEN RICE. BY CARA KO

HENRY LI WATCHES his customer’s hands. They’re moving slowly in simple shapes; silently delivering an order. Henry smiles, nods his head, and sets about

creating two cups of sweet Nanyang-style coffee.

His customer raises their thumb and flexes it twice: ‘Thank you’. ‘No problem,’ Henry signs back: another satisfied customer.

Henry mans the barista station at Dignity Kitchen, a new Singaporean-style hawker centre in Hong Kong – with a twist. Like Henry, most of the employees who

staff the kitchens and service areas have some form of

physical or intellectual disability. For Henry, this means a

hearing impairment, which makes it more difficult for him to work in other coffee houses. But at Dignity Kitchen his talents are embraced, with extra measures put in place

to help him shine.

‘We have photos and videos to teach the customers

simple sign language,’ Henry explains. ‘This helps

me a lot by easing the communication barrier when making drinks. It also enables me to make friends with my customers.’

Dignity Kitchen spans the second floor of a restored

pre-war tenement building at 618 Shanghai Street, with a revitalised verandah overlooking the bustling streets of Mong Kok. Inside, the food stalls have been painted a dark green – an icon of Hong Kong’s 1950s and ’60s street food scene, with nostalgic red lampshades and mural paintings of old Hong Kong created by artist Apple Tong, who was born with a congenital hearing impairment. Each of the seven hawker stalls serves up classic Singaporean hawker food, such as Hainan

chicken rice, laksa, spicy rojak salad and pandan chiffon

cake, using ingredients and head chefs imported from Singapore to replicate authentic tastes.

However, feeding hungry lunchtime and dinner crowds is only part of the mission. The real purpose