Hong Kong’s disappearing dim sum: why old-school trolleys and pig liver siu mai are being replaced
- Hong Kong dim sum restaurants’ use of staff to push carts laden with bamboo steamers is dying out as diners seek dishes cooked to order
- Another change to ‘yum cha’ is the disappearance from menus of dim sum that are complicated to make – there’s a staff shortage – and uneconomical to serve
Hong Kong is a mecca for dim sum. You can find it in all shapes and sizes, as a street-side snack or showcased in fine-dining establishments, and it can cost anywhere from chump change to a pretty penny.
While we can trace how dim sum and yum cha (literally ‘drink tea’) culture came to be, there are still many aspects that exist only in oral history.
Ever wondered why egg tarts and ma lai go (steamed cakes) aren’t categorised as desserts? Why are dim sum carts disappearing? How did baked sago pudding come about? And, perhaps most importantly, why are some items dropping off dim sum menus?
Tam Kwok-king, general manager and director of North Point’s Fung Shing Restaurant, has been in the restaurant business since 1954, and has a wealth of information about Hong Kong’s yum cha history.
“Back in 1954, when Fung Shing opened in Causeway Bay, the restaurant had only about 14 tables,” says Tam.
“People who came to lunch would order dishes with rice, just like a typical Chinese meal. Dim sum were ordered like an appetiser.”