Hong Kong Food Culture in Jamie‛s Universe

Discover the Real Hong Kong with Jamie

I hate Pineapple Buns but love Egg Tarts and I am quite partial to Mango Pudding as well as my family will testify!

I am branded a food heretic by foodies!

This post is not just about pineapple buns and egg tarts it is about food in Hong Kong in general as seen through my eyes and as usual any opinions are my own.

There are roughly 8 billion people on the planet and every single person has their own personal preferences when it comes to food, I am a blunt Yorkshireman and have spent 52 years in Hong Kong and I reserve the right to have an opinion good or bad when it comes to food.

Just a few words about food articles in online lifestyle magazines or generic blog posts in Hong Kong - I do not know why people bother reading them, they are pure vanilla or what I call a puff piece with nothing but glowing and over the top phrases, I often wonder if the writers have actually tried the particular food | dishes they are trying and reviewing, no one offers original thoughts or hint at even anything controversial and the shorter the article the better, it seems that young people these days have the attention span of a gnat.

I am not one of those people who will willingly shovel food into their mouths so as not to cause offence, I like what I like and dislike what I dislike, most of my family in Hong Kong are Asian (Chinese and Filipino), my kids are half Asian and they are well aware of my attitude towards food and my loathing of certain food products stretches to many dishes from many cultures, there are plenty of food items, English in origin which I simply cannot stand for example brussels sprouts and any vegetable that is green and pease pudding for starters but English people speak their mind and do not suffer in silence.

I am of an age where I have tried most foods from many cultures but my list of food items I will not eat is long and varied and so what? I am entitled to my opinion. In many Asian cultures slurping noodles 3 times a day is normal, not for me, once in a while is fine and as my wife will tell you the thought of being at a family gathering with 20 people slurping noodles will drive me crazy, I do not like fatty foods, I hate pig and cow intestines, I do not like any sort of meat attached to bones (and that includes steaks) and I absolutely detest Pigs Lung soup but that is another story for another day.

I hope you get my drift, it is a pity that people still think that to show “respect” you will willingly eat food that you cannot stand. people should be allowed to accept or decline food without that hanging over your head, I would much rather trust the judgement of someone who gives an honest opinion about food rather than someone who lies to “protect the culture” so to speak.

I maybe a bit odd (a bit you say?) but I am also influenced by how a dish looks, for example, in Hong Kong restaurants I simply do not like looking at a Chicken or Pork dish when quite often the head of the deceased creature stares right back at you from the plate and all that skin, bone, fat and other assorted ingredients that make up an animal just does not appeal to me but I must stress, that is simply my opinion.

I have a particular dislike for fish Chinese style, when I was a kid aged 8 in England I had a fish bone lodge in my throat which I still remember vividly and I will simply not eat fish where bones are clearly visible which is very typical in Hong Kong but again, that it just me.

The other major point to make is the proliferation of influencers on social media (mainly Instagram) who to me are destroying the very fabric of food culture in Hong Kong, more of that later.

Before we get started on my comments about Pineapple buns, a word or two about Food Tours.

Quite simply one of the very best decisions you can make when you come to Hong Kong is to book a food tour or two with my friends.

I never did food tours quite simply because I am English, I do not speak Cantonese so it is impossible for me to interact with staff, chefs and management of a lot of great Chinese Restaurants, yes, with a bit of effort (to back up the fact I have eaten at over 1,250 Chinese Restaurants in Hong Kong in 52 years here) I could become a Hong Kong food expert but I am NOT Chinese and then there is that language issue along with the fact I am very fussy about what I eat so I simply chose not to offer food tours and referred | refer my guests to my friends.

…. and it has got nothing to do with being “local” more than anything it as a) about language, in my case I do not speak Cantonese and b) as mentioned in my opening statement it is my unwillingness to eat food I cannot stand that is also a major barrier.

I am still trying to work out why food tours are so popular, to me it is a great mystery but I think when it comes to Hong Kong, we have such a unique culture and Hong Kong Chinese have such a passion for food that people feel compelled to “get into” the food to see how it compares to Chinese food they get at home in their local restaurants and I have been told countless times that Hong Kong Chinese food tastes totally different which I am sure it does, perhaps the Chinese food at home is made for the Western palette? (and why is that a problem?)

I love the fact that my friends can make a food tour work brilliantly in Hong Kong, the concept is so interesting, basically tastings at 5 or 6 different restaurants each with a reputation for preparing a “famous dish”, you can meet the chefs, interact with staff and get the history of the food and the restaurant. what’s not to love!

… but by the same token guides should also understand and be prepared for the fact that your average tourist may baulk at eating a certain dish for any number of reasons, it is NOT an insult on Chinese Culture in Hong Kong.

I have a friend who does Free Food Tours and he made a reputation for himself by livening up the food scene for his mainly very young guests and he would stop at a place and give them food samples without telling the guest what they where eating and yes, one his favourite dishes was and I kid you not, FROG VAGINA SOUP personally I thought that approach was just wrong on every level but his guests had a memory to last a lifetime, good or bad.!

ps I am sure it had no taste at all but I can guarantee you that it had legendary “medicinal properties”!

Medicinal Properties is a term used frequently when talking about food, I will keep this short and sweet, anything that has medicinal properties tastes like crap! bear this in mind please.

So click on the button above and book a food tour with my friends and no doubt they will have a much more positive opinion on pineapple buns and whilst stuffing you face ask yourself why they do not have the same food worship for mango pudding? I have no idea!

Being English and from Yorkshire and of a certain age I have what is called a very well developed food criteria when it comes to likes and dislikes and I am also past caring for the most part when I have an opinion on food that differs from others and I get harshly criticised by a lot people including members of my own family?

I simply do not get it, all us have our likes and dislikes and as I am routinely abused for my dislike of pineapple buns (most of the time in a friendly way) so I am going to let you have my unvarnished opinion.

Social Media in the past 2 years for me has completely destroyed the food culture in Hong Kong (as I live here I am only writing about the Hong Kong Food Culture) it seems like millions of people (anyone with a smart phone and an Instagram account) have become food critics and so called influencers and yes, because they are giving you a personal opinion, in today’s climate a restaurant can succeed or fail literally overnight because of the whims and opinions of a 25 year old social media food influencer with 30,000 followers. that really sucks and worse I imagine their opinions and judgement are clouded on the basis of whether the restaurant gave them a free meal or made them pay.

… oh and frankly, who cares about the opinion of a so called influencer, just because they say a dish is awesome does not meant that it is., every single on of us has a different opinion unfortunately not everyone is willing to share a truthful opinion, if a dish is just ok then why not say it was just ok why would you call it awesome?

To me all the joy at finding new restaurants and trying new dishes in Hong Kong has gone because everyone has been there, done that and wore the t shirt and a million video clips and food images with opinions clog your Instagram account, people seem to forget (their judgement goes out of the window) that so called influencers are paid to give an opinion and at the very least get a free meal so for me anyway their opinions are tainted, haven’t you wondered why are all their comments are along the lines of “brilliant, awesome, amazing” and such even if the food and | or the experience was terrible.

When it comes to food bloggers and influencers, well I would rather trust the opinion of some one who is over 50, when it comes to life, they have been there, done that and eaten most things.

Living in Hong Kong for 52 years I have done my best to embrace the Chinese Food Culture but there are just certain foods I will not eat like Offal and I hate the way Chicken and Pork is served here but that is a whole other story for another time.

A lot of people ask what is my favourite dessert? well it is a tough choice, I love traditional English Trifle made with layers of sponge, jelly, custard and cream but I am manically obsessive about having a large tin of cold custard or cold rice pudding with a spoonful or two of jam.

In Jamie’s universe I could eat both or either 3 times a day and not feel guilty.

… and I would stress that a lot of Chinese people I know find my choice of desserts to be verging on disgusting!

Well, up until the past decade or so Hong Kong simply sucked at desserts and that is that.

Pineapple Bun

Honestly the way people in Hong Kong rave about the iconic pineapple bun you would think it is the greatest single food item in the galaxy and …. I just do not get it, I have written about this before and everyone now and then my Mother in Law brings me a bag of them even though she knows I hate them!

Amazingly over the past decade or so Hong Kong has undergone a revolution when it comes to desserts with cake shops and dessert cafes proliferating all of which agrees with my definition of a dessert.

I am in English terms, a fat git and a fat git that has spent a lifetime eating desserts first, main course after (my stupidly, irrational way of thinking is that trifle covers all the major food groups!) so in a nutshell I am a connoisseur of desserts, candy, pudding, cake, sweet stuff, afters yada, yada.

I am incredulous that the pineapple bun has been dubbed by the Hong Kong Government no less as one of its 480 intangible cultural heritage items on a list in 2014, quite the accolade for a simple bakery item that creates an awful mess and is terribly bland.

So I have laid down the marker.

First up, the pineapple bun has zero pineapple in it, zero, the term is simply because apparently (I simply do not see it) the crust looks like a pineapple, my way of thinking is that if it actually had some bloody pineapple in it, it might actually taste a lot better!, the thing here if you have the time to sit in a local cafe and split open the bun and shove a big slab of butter into the bun and then heat the bun to make it warm and soft…. and melt the butter… yuk but that is simply my personal opinion.

…and clearly I live on a different planet as the “crust” does not resemble a pineapple in any shape or form

That crust is another issue, as soon as you pick up the darn thing the crust crumbles into a million pieces, it is extraordinarily messy, the crumbs stick to your fingers, your clothes and end up in places you can’t talk about in polite company…. and if you wonder why in restaurants cockroaches are fat and 4 inches long and the Ratzilla’s eat large dogs here it is because they gorge on pineapple bun crumbs… it also helps explain why a lot of people eat them out of plastic bags whilst scoffing them in the streets, at least the awful mess of crumbs stays in the bag and is not allowed to solidify on the streets.

This is an origin story of the Pineapple Bun in the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong July 2024

• The origins of the pineapple bun, a Hong Kong icon, are murkier. Some believe it was inspired by the Japanese melon pan, which has a very similar appearance and texture and has been baked in Japan since the 1930s. It is not hard to imagine the recipe coming to Hong Kong during the wartime occupation. Others point to the concha, a seashell-shaped sweet roll from Mexico which has a sweet and salty dough and a cracked topping. However, Ho has a different explanation based on conversations with older members of her association. “The pineapple bun came from Hong Kong-style cafes after World War II,” she says. “Some bakers borrowed the concept of Chinese walnut cookies and applied it to a bun. “The idea was to create a topping like the walnut cookie on the bun. The surface would crack, making it look like a pineapple. As you know, there’s no pineapple in the bun, so that’s how it got its name.”

Here are a few recent quotes from online lifestyle magazine which are more than a little flowery

• “While we love cookies, doughnuts and other insta-favourite sweet treats as much as the next person, there are times when only a good old classic will do the trick. Although the name can be deceiving, we love the humble pineapple bun for what it is: a soft, fluffy bun with a sweet, crunchy top that’s both substantial and will do what food’s supposed to do -fill you up! With so many on offer in Hong Kong, this list is to help you steer clear of the not-so-great and discover the ones worthy of true pineapple bun status as part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage.”

• “Sweet, crunchy, and sometimes even savoury, the classic pineapple buns are better than your usual breakfast rolls. Pineapple buns are typically topped with cookie-like crusts and scored to resemble the fruit that inspires its name.  Here’s where to try the best pineapple buns in Hong Kong. You probably heard this the first time you picked up a pineapple bun—there’s not a single ounce of pineapple in that dome-shaped loaf. Far from it, actually. In fact, there’s no fruit in it at all. Instead, it’s just your regular old bun prepared with eggs, flour and yeast. Plus, it has a golden-yellow, crispy, caramelised top, which happens to crack open like the cratered surface of an actual pineapple. Nonetheless, it has garnered status as an enduring favourite across the city. It can be an early-morning breakfast staple, or an afternoon treat. You can find it nearly everywhere, from bakeries to cha chaan tengs like Kam Wah Cafe. You’ll see various iterations in different eateries, but only the best hit the mark of the two most important qualities: a crunchy crust and a fluffy bounce-back in the bread. We say no to anything with too much air—as opposed to bread—or when sugar crust slides off the top.”

• The pineapple bun (bolo bao; 菠蘿包) is a soft baked bun with a characteristic cracked yellow or golden topping. This mixed-texture bun does not contain any pineapple or pineapple flavouring, however, and the name comes from the topping’s visual resemblance to the tropical fruit. The sweet crust is traditionally made with lard (but now usually with butter), sugar, egg yolk and flour and is rolled and draped on top of the bun prior to baking, resulting in a crumbly, golden crust that contrasts with the light, airy bao underneath.

Bland, yes this is word that best describes them from my point of view, they are only slightly sweeter than a standard bread roll, there are plenty of other bakery products in Hong Kong that are much better, not least of which is the egg tart which I love by the way, egg tart vs pineapple bun, no contest and yes, the egg tarts also crumble as only a tart can but they are so delicious by comparison.

My opinion in no shape or form influences anyone, I do not post food images on social media (my Instagram account is all about cars) and no one reads my blog posts!

…. and my friend Amy sent me this article on the Japanese Melon Pan which is the Japanese equivalent of the pineapple bun.. listen………………. that’s the sound of me shaking my head in wonderment.

The Tai Cheong Bakery - famous for it’s long queue’s and it sells me my favourite egg tarts

In normal times there is always a long queue 7 days a week outside the Tai Cheong Bakery in Wyndham Street in Central on Hong Kong Island, this is what Covid did to the retail trade in Hong Kong, not a customer in sight, I am happy to report that things are back to normal.

Next time you want to eat a pineapple bun, go instead to the food hall at Marks & Spencers or one of the hundreds of cake shops that have popped up, they have some awesome takeaway desserts or buy 6 egg tarts from the Tai Cheong Bakery and pork out and feel terribly guilty afterwards.

Finally, my all time favourite local dessert is mango pudding which MUST be served with a cherry on top and carnation milk, simply awesome, I could actually live on mango pudding, basically the traditional one is a solid yellow colour mango jelly (in my terms) and for some obscure reason it comes in a tiny bowl, I have been known to eat 3 or 4 of them in one sitting and I get really mad when they forget the Carnation Milk and Cherry.

ps. now you know why I don’t do food tours

ps 2. I am also aware that 99.999% of the population in Hong Kong will disagree with my opinion and they would probably point out that chicken feet are iconic as well and do not get me started on those!

Food that is more my thing

So there you have it - I am not a foodie but I have very specific likes and dislikes which I think upsets people, you are apparently only allowed to say how much you love a particular food item in today’s social media world, what a load of tosh!

J3 Group Hong Kong

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Jamie, your friend in Hong Kong

52 years living in Hong Kong, our family arrived on January 2nd 1972

I have lived here for 25 years under British Rule, 27 years under Chinese Rule

I have 45 years of Business Consultancy experience in Hong Kong

My wife is a local & has lived her entire life in Hong Kong, her first language is Cantonese

We have 3 Adult sons all born and educated in Hong Kong, 2 still live in Hong Kong

I pioneered the Private Tour Industry in Hong Kong in 2010

2,324 completed award winning Private Tours of Hong Kong from 2011 - 2020

……and yes, I am a bit of an expert on the Hong Kong car culture!

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