VISITING IN KHU PHỐ TÀU

There was no transit to Rồng Thành today, the fires in the frontier zone north of Khu Vực Vịnh precluded travel. Fortunately they served sandwiches and hot drinks in the departure lounge, so when passing the counter I ordered lunch. "Siu chyu yiuk bau, tung kaa fei, m koi." A song by Cheung Kwok-wing was playing. Everyone remembered the lyrics, even after years.
Except, of course, for a tribal person looking for the bathroom.
All these tribals need to use the bathroom.
Many of them don't know how.
鬼佬們。

Charge him for a cup of coffee. It's two dollars.

The tribal could not believe that they would want money for his service.
He expressed frustration in his own language.


Rồng Thành: usually known as Má Lâm Thành Phố (麻林市). Huyện Má Lâm là một quận trong tiểu bang 'Giā' Châu (加州), Hoa Kỳ.
燒豬肉包，凍咖啡，唔該。
張國榮
鬼佬
廁所
所有鬼佬都想用廁所。
一杯咖啡，兩蚊。


老番民族

Lofaan tribals come here often, with their baggage, odd clothing, colourful beads, tattoos, and perfumed unguents. They peer and poke at the goods for sale. Some of them take fruits without asking, and it requires ten of them to decide whether or not to buy anything. Then every one of them needs to occupy the toilet. Do they do that back where they came from?
就係佢哋想要嘅一切，屙尿地！係噉。
Such tiny, tiny bladders!

膀胱噉小嘅啊！


And they smell skeevy.



After eating I wandered about for a while, past bins of dried goods, fresh snow pears, and fish. Red robe, yellow croaker, sturgeon head. 紅衣，黃魚，鱘龍頭。 The latter is only $2.98 a pound, the rest of the beast $7.98. In Singapore it might be the other way around; fish head curry is the national dish, next to chili crab, laksa, and roti John.

There's also one shop that sells wild boar.
新鮮山野豬肉。

Red robe (紅衣 'hung yi'; Odontanthias rhodopeplus) is the crimson-hued swallowtail, a fish from the Gulf of Tonkin and further south. They can be steamed or braised. Or rub it with with rice wine, salt, and grated fresh ginger, then let sit for half an hour, and fry it simply on both sides.
Serve drizzled with dark vinegar.



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