Yum Cha – Unique culinary feature of Hong Kong's elderly

Whether young or old, Hong Kong people love to enjoy Yum Cha, because it is not just a meal, but also a unique cultural feature that helps connect family and friends.

Some basic dim sum dishes in Hong Kong. (Photo: Mac Luyen/VNA)

Yum Cha (means drinking tea) in Cantonese (China) and when it comes to Yum Cha, people often think of enjoying tea with dimsum (meaning "breakfast") dishes.

Whether young or old, Hong Kong people love to enjoy Yum Cha, because it is not just a meal, but also a unique cultural feature that helps connect families and friends. Yum Cha was introduced to Hong Kong from the Xiguan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province more than 200 years ago.

For many elderly people in Hong Kong, Yum Cha is not simply about enjoying tea and dim sum, but also a way to enjoy life and conduct social interactions.

They can relax in the morning with the classic “a pot of tea and two kinds of dim sum” while reading the daily newspaper at a leisurely pace until around 9-10am or enjoying lunch or dinner. There is a saying that “Three days without Yum Cha is not a Hong Konger”.

Mr. Say Chin Yeung - Director of Sun Kong Restaurant, said that the restaurant serves from 6am to 10pm and the customers are mainly elderly people. Some people come to eat three meals a day, some come alone and eat one or two dishes before going to work, sometimes with friends or the whole family come to eat to share or reminisce. Usually, families and friends will gather on weekends or holidays to chat and enjoy delicious food.

According to Mr. Say Chin Yeung, usually, when relatives and friends invite you to Yum Cha, they probably really want to discuss something with you or want you to help them with something. Elders who want to meet juniors or juniors who want to meet elders will make an appointment to go to Yum Cha. Many things cannot be discussed over the phone but can be handled after one or two Yum Cha sessions.

Ms. Vuong Nghenh De - Sales Manager of Sun Kong restaurant shared that Hong Kong's Yum Cha culture is really great. In the morning, noon, afternoon or evening, the elderly meet to drink tea, eat dim sum and chat about all kinds of things.

Apartments in Hong Kong are small, so people often meet at tea shops to chat. Sun Kong Restaurant is located near many tourist attractions, so it often welcomes many foreign tourists, especially Koreans, to Yum Cha, and they also admire this cultural aspect of Hong Kong people.

Mr. Lee Ming Han, a Hong Kong resident, shared that sometimes he and his wife also go to Yum Cha for convenience, sometimes they make appointments with a few friends to eat together to chat and chat. Mr. Han added that Hong Kong people's dining culture is clearly reflected in Yum Cha culture, everything from signing contracts, buying houses, sending children to study abroad, they meet at tea shops to chat and share with each other. Yum Cha is not just a meal, but also a special cultural experience for Hong Kong people.

Even more special, Yum Cha is also considered a "Hong Kong specialty" for the elderly. Some people say that the elderly in Hong Kong are "stylish" people who go to Yum Cha restaurants every day, or every week.

Yum Cha is both economical and frugal, diners can order a few dim sum dishes, a plate of stir-fried pho for a few people to eat together, or they can also order a chicken or a steamed fish to treat friends, add some beer or wine, the restaurant always satisfies diners. There is a rule that everyone needs to know: if you pay today, I will pay next time, that way everything will last long.

Hong Kong people often enjoy dim sum with some kind of tea such as chrysanthemum tea, green tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea and many other fragrant teas. From bamboo steamers to plump dumplings.., every dim sum meal is a great time to enjoy all the exotic treasures that Chinese cuisine has to offer./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/yum-cha-net-am-thuc-doc-dao-cua-nguoi-cao-tuoi-hong-kong-post1002422.vnp