Tea Restaurants in Hong Kong
When talking about the most popular culture in Hong Kong, the first things that come up to my mind are the tea restaurants. Unlike those Cantonese teahouses, which can also be found in Guangdong, tea restaurants are pretty unique in Hong Kong. In the election of ‘things that best represent Hong Kong’ held on the Internet by RTHK in 2004, ‘Tea restaurant’ got the champion with 1930 votes. Meanwhile, ‘Pineapple bun with butter’ and ‘Coffee with tea’, typical food and drink provided in tea restaurants, were also on the top10 list.1 Tea restaurant culture is obviously beloved.
In daily life, I’ve noticed two facts that reveal the popularity of tea restaurants in Hong Kong. Firstly, known as ‘Cha Chaan Teng’, they can be easily found wherever along the streets or inside shopping centers. Some of them are prestigious restaurants with long histories, and their interiors have remained the same for decades. Other tea restaurants may be in new style, decorated with modern elements and operated by young people. The diversity of customers is the second fact. The visitors of tea restaurants varies from office managers to construction workers, from teenage students to the old, from locals to tourists… There are always some people sitting there in groups or alone, managing to enjoy themselves.
Why are these tea restaurants so popular? I think the major reason is the various delicious foods at reasonable prices, which can be seen as a unique result of history. After the Second World War, Western food became increasingly popular in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, it remained beyond the financial reach of many people. Local diners started offering dishes with Western influences and, more important, reasonable prices and the trend took off.2
Since the real western restaurants were often expensive, tea restaurants became good options for common people. In my opinion, not only the British colonization, but also the internationalization has made a great impact on Hong Kong people’s
In daily life, I’ve noticed two facts that reveal the popularity of tea restaurants in Hong Kong. Firstly, known as ‘Cha Chaan Teng’, they can be easily found wherever along the streets or inside shopping centers. Some of them are prestigious restaurants with long histories, and their interiors have remained the same for decades. Other tea restaurants may be in new style, decorated with modern elements and operated by young people. The diversity of customers is the second fact. The visitors of tea restaurants varies from office managers to construction workers, from teenage students to the old, from locals to tourists… There are always some people sitting there in groups or alone, managing to enjoy themselves.
Why are these tea restaurants so popular? I think the major reason is the various delicious foods at reasonable prices, which can be seen as a unique result of history. After the Second World War, Western food became increasingly popular in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, it remained beyond the financial reach of many people. Local diners started offering dishes with Western influences and, more important, reasonable prices and the trend took off.2
Since the real western restaurants were often expensive, tea restaurants became good options for common people. In my opinion, not only the British colonization, but also the internationalization has made a great impact on Hong Kong people’s