The Puzzling Charm of The Cha Chaan Teng
There is almost nothing that symbolizes Hong Kong culture more than the beloved cha chaan teng (茶餐廳 caa4 caan1 teng1). Cha chaan teng means “tea restaurant” in Cantonese, and has actually been added to most major English dictionaries, so I guess it is an English word too! A lot of foreigners in Hong Kong call them CCTs for short, much to the bewilderment of locals. In turn, many foreigners are not exactly sure why so many souvenirs are based on CCTs. You want me to send a postcard of iced lemon tea or baked pork chop rice? Why? It takes some digging to really understand them. Maybe it will help if you know I like to call them Hong Kong diners. Diner is a pretty good word for it, although it still doesn’t completely capture the feeling of cha chaan teng. They are down-home restaurants. The traditional ones haven’t changed for half a century. Old furniture, cracked tile floors, fading posters curling at the edges. Decades-old teacups and bowls. In a city of constant motion and chang...