PUT THIS IN YOUR MOUTH

The most often visited posts on my blog tell me that my accidental readers are, on the whole, curious about food, tobacco, and zesty oral fun.


Second in popularity to the piece about the innocent schoolgirl and the bale of tobacco is an essay I wrote about a tasty bird.

1.
HONG KONG ROAST GOOSE IN SHAM TSENG
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
The district where this delicious item can be found is in the New Territories (新界), beyond Sham Sui Po (深水埗).

Many of the people whose internet-searches led to this article are based in Singapore or Malaysia, and it is very likely that they were researching fun things to eat in Hong Kong before their journey.
Selamat makan, y'all.


A recent piece about tobacco lured in a whole passel of new readers.

2.
THE TOBACCO THAT HELLO KITTY WOULD SMOKE
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A description of Honeydew Flake, from McClelland's Baker Street 221b series of blends.

This blogger finds candy-flavoured liqueurs and tobaccos rather appalling. Though privately I will admit that I occasionally indulge.
Still, fondness for such things rather indicates moral laxity.
And suggests a streak of sexual uniqueness.


Some readers are curious about a zappy locution that they may have heard, perhaps because someone snapped it at them.

3.
HAM SAP LO - THE CANTONESE PERVERT
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
This explanatory post is not a how-to. Rather, it describes the derivation of the term, and helpfully illustrates what it is.
Again, not a how-to. But it could be.


Another all-time favourite mentions tobacco in a familial context.

4.
INSTRUCTIONS ON RAISING CHILDREN
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Excellent advice, which shows that I would be a splendid father, as well as a remarkably good influence that your children would benefit from.
Expose me to them; I won't bite.


The last one is strictly for local people, and it's actually rather sad that they are looking for it on the internet.

5.
CHINATOWN BAKERIES: DOW SA BING & OTHER BING THINGS
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
An article listing various snacky places in Chinatown.

The sad aspect of their search is the criterium that pulls them in. They're trying to find out what happened to the Little Paris Coffee Shop (小巴黎咖啡室), which was located at 939 Stockton Street. Possibly they remember it fondly from when they still lived in the neighborhood, or they went past recently and wondered "didn't it used to be on this block?"

Yes, it is no longer there. The Little Paris and three other eateries closed down because that is where the Chinatown Station for the underground will be built. The other three businesses have successfully transitioned to locations nearby, the Little Paris Coffee Shop is still in the process of doing so.

They will be re-opening soon, between Pacific and Jackson, on the same side of Stockton as they had been, two blocks further north.
Their new space is near Canton Plaza (廣東市場), opposite 聯興超級市場 and 中平園.

I'm looking forward to that too.
I want bánh mì đặc biệt.
And 咖啡奶冰.


Chinatown is changing. The Ping Yuen Coffeeshop (平園咖啡店) on Jackson Street closed down in the nineties, Sun Wah Kue (新華僑餐廳) went out of business about a decade ago, and Yong Kee (容記糕粉) shut their doors a few months back. Uncle's Café (鶯咕餐廳) on Clay and Waverly was sold at least twice in the past few years, and the Chinese name is different now.

Ping Yuen had great set dinners every day of the week and superior cream pies, plus a long comfortable counter at which to sit if you were by yourself. You could get whacked out of your mind on the constant coffee refills. Sun Wah Kue was an old-fashioned place that had been around for generations - probably the best apple pie in Chinatown, as well as an orange pie that many people fondly remember. Plus fried chicken, and ox-tail stew. And Yong Kee? Ah, well, take-out dimsum items and baked goods. If you grew up in the neighborhood before the late nineties you surely remember their food, you probably had it at family events and celebrations, and you knew what you could bring for a "pot-luck" with your white coworkers. Very good!
Uncle's, long ago when they were a bakery and diner and had pastries and a counter to sit at, was fun to go to sometimes just to relax and read the newspaper. And they had good pie.

Ping Yuen, Sun Wah Kue, Yong Kee, Uncle's. What used to be.

But at least the Little Paris is coming back.

Maybe we can get them to serve pie.



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