Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 489
A Whole New World
St. Paul's Convent School, Cheung, Jessie - 13
A brand new ‘sort-of’ country anywhere in the world would be shining, shimmering and splendid and
a new fantastic point of view. But for our home to be apart of this said ‘sort-of’ country, it would become a
dazzling place we never knew and full of indescribable feelings.
And in the midst of it all, food writer Serena Kiang was on a thrilling chase in pursue for delicacies in
this brand new ‘sort-of’ country — the Greater Bay Area.
So here she stood, in a two-hour long for a taste of one of Macau’s top places for its signature
Portuguese egg tarts. She had only two more people in front of her and it would be her turn — and she would
finally taste, for the first time ever, one of the most iconic foods of the historic place. She had her mind set on
one thing and one thing only — the classic Portuguese tart, no fancy flavours and no custom additions.
She had her mind set. That is, until she heard the young couple just two spots before her in line receive
egg tarts that looked slightly different than the classical one she would be trying. Watching the content sighs and
satisfied grins on said customers, Serena was just ever-so-slightly convinced to try it out.
“Excuse me,” Serena asked the couple, “What is that? It looks different.”
With a mouth full of their special egg tart, the young man looked over to Serena. “Fresh cream for
filling, instead of the usual flour and water.”
“Is it any good?”
The young girl nodded so enthusiastically that Serena thought the girl’s head was about to fall off. “So
good. Way better than the classic, not that it’s any bad.”
Serena thanked the couple and watched as they head to their next destination for photos. Some would
say that she was shameless, but that was just the kind of woman Serena Kiang was — she didn’t care for social
expectations or etiquette, for filling her stomach with good food was the most important thing for her.
So Serena set her mind on something else: one of each.
The couple was right. The cream-filled tart was better than the classic, but the classic was not bad
either. In her notebook, she scribbled down just how delectable the local treats were for later organisation.
Her next destination in her search for Greater Bay delicacies would be Hong Kong — where she looked
forward most to curry fishballs and egg puffs, shark fin soup and Kong-style milk tea.
Her journey throughout Hong Kong was entertaining, to say the least. She, like she did in Macau with
the tarts, took other’s orders into consideration before only adding more to her order. When she tried the curry
fishballs, she couldn’t help but order a bowl of a variety of beef parts with turnip; when she tried the egg puffs,
she couldn’t resist not ordering a rare and exotic flavour; when she had shark fin soup, she couldn’t not have the
chef’s recommendation of stinky tofu; and when she had her milk tea, there was no way she could call her trip
complete without a Kong-styled club sandwich.
She ended up spending more than her planned budget for Hong Kong dining, but she had no regrets.
Her expeditions in Guangzhou was even better. She, for the first time in her life, had the famed Long
Hu Dou — a famous Cantonese dish made of snake and wild cat. Never in her life had she ever thought of
eating snake or wild cat, nor has she ever seen her fellow food writers write on the topic. Turns out, Guangzhou
restaurants are known to make the best Long Hu Dou on the planet.
She also gave Shuang Pi Nai a try, and it was love at first taste. She loved the creamy custard so much
that she had five bowls at different food streets and restaurants. Much to her surprise, not all stores pair the
custard with the same garnish. Some stores top the custard with lotus seeds, some with raisins and some even
with jequirity.
She even had Kao Ru Zhu — an entire roast suckling pig. She absolutely adored the way the crisp skin
melted in her mouth at contact, how the pork meat was fragrant with oil but not at all greasy, how she couldn’t
stop eating the pork. She heard from a neighbouring table that Kao Ru Zhu was an important part of Cantonese
cuisine and culture, given how it is often used as a prized offering to the dead in traditional families.
As a food writer who has tasted countless delicacies in countless countries, the Greater Bay Area is a
dream come true for her. There are a hundred thousand things to see and it was a whole new world much
different from Macau, Hong Kong and Guangzhou as individual regions. Divided, they are good; together, they
are exquisite.