LUNCH THEN AND NOW

Yesterday I had sang-gwan yü-kau jook (生滾魚球粥) and a fried cruller for lunch, with a hot cup of milk-tea. Rice porridge with fish curls fresh-poaching in the heat of the bowl.

The waitress had the same problem with the milk-tea that all the other people who have brought it to me there have had: carefully carrying the cup and saucer is relatively easy, lowering it to the table is hard.
The result is a footbath. Always. They might want to serve it in a bigger cup and leave a little room around the edge as an allowance for wobbling. But I shall be the last person to mention wobbling to a young waitress.
With my lack of eloquence in Cantonese it might sound like a suggestion.

My Cantonese is not fluent.
I usually stick to tried and true formulations, rather than experimenting.
Besides, I don’t mind a small puddle of tea.
Drawing the foot of the cup across the rim of the saucer avoids drips.
Mow mantai.

And she blushed so prettily when the spillage happened! Heh!


When the fish is really fresh it absolutely requires a pinch of salt added to the jook to emphasize the sweetness. They use superlative ingredients there.
It was a gorgeous taste. The cruller was perfect too.
Light and airy, fried in clean fresh oil.
Lunch was a slice of heaven.

No, I shall not mention the name of the restaurant, nor where exactly it is in Chinatown.
They do not need any more Caucasian customers, that’s not what their menu is aimed at.
The non-Chinese who go there often ignore the good stuff and go for the small selection of familiar treats.
Most of their business consists of local people, who efficiently discuss food with the staff, establish what it is that they want, and then proceed to enjoy their meal with gusto.
Whereas white people really are a nuisance.


Lunch today, however, is nothing to write about, this being the Financial District.
A number of these places need all the white people they can get.
Some of these people must be very white indeed.


If you don't know rice porridge, you don't know jook.



Please note: only ONE white person was harmed in the writing of this post.
Shan't mention what lunch was today. 
I'm trying to forget.

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