TRADITIONAL TOFU SHOP: WING HING IN KWUN TONG

Never having been a breakfast person, I cannot get my head around what Chinese people eat first thing in the day. Fortunately, much of that is also available for several hours after. Dim sum is of course the primary example everyone thinks of. But it's not limited to that. There are places in Hong Kong where you can also get a good steak at the crack of dawn. As well as all the bakeries and coffee shops or cha chanteng that open early.

Many Chinese also start the day with jook (粥), and some like nothing more than a warm fresh bowl of tofu milk.


Suppose, for instance, that you had a mid-morning appointment with the plastics factory that makes all the cheap doodads that your company sells to crazy Americans during the Christmas Holiday.
You know that the locals have been up for hours -- one of the people in our Tsimshatsui office read all of her e-mails before it was even daylight, nota bene -- but you are still a wee bit groggy from that long flight that landed just before nine last night. The hotel breakfast did NOT appeal to you, even though they tried (kudos for the stalwart attempt). The very idea of three fried eggs, bacon, hash browns, and very British limp room temperature toast, accompanied by a very American cup of coffee, nauseated you at that early hour.

[Very American coffee: Undrinkable bilge-water. Yes, good coffee is available in Hong Kong, but they know most Americans cannot tolerate it. Alas, they have overlooked the fact that some people are from San Francisco and having been getting morning beverages from Peet's or the Caffe Trieste for decades.]


You've grabbed a cab, and headed over to the other side of Kowloon Bay, facing where Kai Tak Airport (啟德機場) used to be.
Hunghom. Tokwa Wan. Finally, 'Overlooking the Pools'.

Your bloodsugar level is zilch.
Rock buggery bottom.


觀塘之裕民坊
KWUN TONG'S YUE MAN SQUARE

You have to down something before going in to see mister Wong. Especially if that fearsome secretary (his elderly auntie) is guarding the inner sanctum. She took a scunner to you the last time because you smoked inside the building, you certainly do NOT want to make involuntary stomach gurgles in her direction.

[Trust me. It doesn't matter that she's pushing seventy years old, she can still wallop you. And if she were a bright young twenty-four year old it would be no different. You are still better off not making borborigmic disturbances at her.
I know about stomach noises. The other day, being lazy, I made myself some dried oyster fried rice. I used chopped ginger as the vegetable, because I like ginger. Stomach noises for several hours. Maybe not the smartest snack I ever made.]

Yue Man Square is the centre of town. It's where all the banks are, as well as many shops and restaurants. Charsiu, siu yiuk, bubble tea. Thai food. Satay. Hot pot. McDonalds, Seven Eleven. Chicken buns also.

There's a tofu milk shop nearby. Go there. Get nourished.
It will help you face the fearsome miss Wong.


永興豆漿王
觀塘裕民坊40A號地下

WING HING SOY MILK SHOP
Kwuntong, Yueman Square No. 40, Ground Floor.

[永興豆漿王: 'wing hing dau jeung wong'; "forever flourishing bean milk king".]


It's a small narrow interior place that does a booming business.

Either get yourself a nice bowl of fresh velvety tofu in clear syrup (一碗凍豆花 'yat wun tong dau faa) with brown sugar (黄糖 'wong tong') on top, or warm soy milk (熱豆漿 'yit dau jeung') and an extra long oil stick (油條 'yau tiu').

The first named choice truly is 香香滑滑 ('heung heung gwat gwat'; sweetly fragrant and smoothy-slick), the second is infinitely comforting, and might even be the breakfast of champions.

Both fresh tofu (豆腐花 'dau fu faa') and soy milk (豆漿 'dau jeung') are inexpensive.

Adjectives: creamy, comforting, beany.


香濃熱荳漿


Thus fortified, you can face any number of ferocious old ladies. Even if they remained single by choice, distrusting all men, and considering randomly transitory kwailo even more suspicious than most.

Mister Wong might have to hire another Cerberus.




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