Different people, depending on their cultural background, can interpret culture of a society from different angles. This post is based my intercultural experience as a Singaporean in HK café.
I stepped into a typical HK cafe during lunch hour in Hong Kong. It was packed with people and the queue was pretty long to get a seat. Surprisingly, I did not have to wait long to get seats. Inside the café, I saw working-class HK people in suits were either engrossed with eating their food or busy talking on the phone or doing something. Though I did not expect a feast, the food on the menu were mostly fast-cooked food like Maggie mee with luncheon and egg, western set meals, sandwiches. From the kitchen, about ten plates of food were churned out every few minutes. Food was served and plates were cleared really fast. It is definitely not a place for chitchat or relaxation at lunch hour.
I felt that struggling to finish my food faster to keep up with the pace in the café. I wonder how HK people can take such mad-rush lunch everyday. In a competitive HK society, people feel that time is precious and cannot afford to lose any minute. The café and its food reflect the pace of life in HK city- fast and efficient. The menu has an interesting mix of the east and west, which also reflect HK as cosmopolitan. Though Singapore and HK is similar, most Singaporeans, at least for me, would not be keen on such stressful lunch.
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Hi Huixin,
ReplyDeleteIt must have been really pressurizing to gobble down all those food! When I was shopping in Hong Kong a couple of years ago, I was actually taken by surprise by the number of Hongkonger's still shopping at 11pm on a Sunday night! The next day definitely was not a public holiday but it sure felt like one. Many foreigners complain that the pace of life in Singapore is too fast for them, obviously they have not visited HK or Tokyo yet! I guess the one thing that HK-ers take their time in is "Yum Char" or tea drinking. These sessions would be followed by a round of Mahjong right in the restaurant's premises! These cultural differences are what makes travelling so enjoyable in my opinion. I wouldn't want to sit on a plane for hours just to land in another Singapore!
Cheers,
Hanrong
Dear Huixin,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that the hustle and bustle of a typical Hong Kong-er's life can rub off us very easily when one is travelling in Hong Kong! :) I was travelling in Hong Kong many years back and remembered that there was someone who scolded me for walking too slowly on the streets when I was window shopping.
However, I enjoy the cultural differences when traveling because I find it amazing that even though we are all human beings, the way we live is determined by the cultures we learn since birth and that of the environment us.
I think that you missed typing a 's' from Singaporen in your last sentence. I think that it should be 'Though Singapore and HK is similar, most Singaporeans, at least for me, would not be keen on such a stressful lunch.'
All the best for the upcoming week and see you in class tomorrow!
Cheers,
Min Huey
Hey guys,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments! I will take note of my grammatical mistake in the next post!
Cheers,
Huixin