Brick-Sized Art

A beautiful hot day looking at Central and Admiralty

Today I started out on a mid-morning walk with the aim of hitting 15k. That meant walking from Kennedy Town to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and a detour to the Upper House Hotel for a break for a gourmet cookie and lemonade before heading back home.

Someone writing mini calligraphy!

It was really hot out -- 30 degrees at least, but it was a good time to be out with hardly anyone walking along the waterfront. With the 123 new coronavirus cases reported today -- a new record -- it was even more important to be social distancing as much as possible.

When I was approaching the convention centre, on the ground I could see something in between the bricks. Upon closer inspection, I saw dioramas of everyday life in the size of a brick!

There were three that I could find. One featured an outdoor patio or rooftop setting with house plants sitting on some tiles and a table with tiny pieces of paper with calligraphy written on them. Someone was practicing calligraphy, writing Chinese idioms. An ink stone was there along with a brush.

Someone's room with magazines and suitcase

Another one looked like a room of a young person, with a skipping rope on a stool, some magazines, unfinished homework and a suitcase. Unfortunately moisture got into this particular diorama, and with the noon day sun it was hard to take a photo without my shadow in it!

The last scene seemed like dinner on the table for three people with three pairs of chopsticks on the table. There's scrambled eggs with chives, a plate of stir-fried kale with garlic, steamed minced pork patty, steamed fish and a tureen of soup that had been simmering for hours. Oh yes and three bowls of rice.

There are also some old pictures on the table, passport photos and a class photo. Off to the side is a small table for a child making a toy airplane.

Dinner for three is ready on the table

These brick-sized scenes must be fairly new -- they have changed the "art" selection around the convention centre recently. But if I didn't look too closely I would never have noticed these dioramas on the ground! I didn't look too closely around the area to see if there was any information about the artist. But now I have another excuse to walk over there again...

What is HK's New "Normal"?

How much longer will social distancing continue in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong reported a third consecutive day of no new coronavirus cases, its total number continues to be 1,037. The government is looking at the majority of civil servants coming back to work next week, while libraries and museums will reopen, along with outdoor venues like sports grounds.

While restaurant and shop owners must be breathing a sigh of relief in the hopes that business will return back to "normal", will Hongkongers really go out in droves to shop and dine out?

Will diners expect distances to be kept in restaurants?

Some say they are itching to go out, while others couldn't care less, partly because of their own perilous financial situation, or have been so spooked by the pandemic that they have lost all interest in stepping out.

It will be interesting to see how Hongkongers react next week, particularly after May 7, when government restrictions on social distancing measures are supposedly lifted. But will restaurant patrons prefer to have tables maintain their 1.5 metres apart to give them more confidence? That could impact restaurateurs' bottom line, but this practice might have to continue to have customers return.

Or perhaps diners would rather continue to eat at home, but order more takeout from their favourite restaurants, or meal kits to assemble themselves, or cook from scratch as it's more healthier. It will be interesting to see which of these options will become more popular with time.

After May 7, will people return to shopping malls to shop?

One thing's for sure -- people are still willing to queue for something they really want. A gourmet cookie enterprise called Cookie Dpt has done very savvy marketing. It doesn't have a physical store, but a kiosk on the third floor of the Landmark shopping mall in Central.

If you follow them on Instagram, they release certain flavours on certain days. Of course the pictures of gooey cookies makes everyone's mouth water.

I was in Central today for a work assignment and in the late afternoon I headed over there to see if I could get my hands on today's special flavours -- Nutella hazelnut chocolate chip, and salted caramel.

But at 4.50pm everything was sold out. "Wait! We have more cookies coming at 5pm!" said a guy manning the booth.

I came back five minutes later to see a group of women hovering around the kiosk. I told them the guy would be back and he was, though he said it would be another 15 minutes, and could we stand in a line?

A selection of Cookie Dpt's cookies that are indulgent treats

It was only later did I find out both of those special flavours would not be in this new shipment coming from their kitchen in Wong Chuk Hang, but since I was third in line, I didn't want to give up my spot. Every few minutes I would look behind me and see more people joining the queue. Quite impressive.

Finally at around 5.30pm he got the call to come down and pick up the cookies. Ten minutes later he came back with three big boxes, but as one person collecting cash and filling orders, he asked everyone to be patient and no one heckled him.

I've tried the cookies before, and they are calorific, but delicious. They are a bit expensive at HK$40 a cookie, but it's a sinful treat you can't find anywhere else. It's like the "lipstick effect" -- even in an economic downturn, people are looking for a relatively cheap indulgence. 

While I only bought three cookies, if each person buys a box of six, it's possible they ran out quite quickly and there were over a dozen people behind me in line...

Baking Smiles for Protesters

These mooncakes say "Hongkongers" at Wah Yee Tang Bakery

A bakery in Sai Ying Pun has shown its support for the anti-extradition bill protesters by producing funny mooncakes and cookies with protest slogans on them.

Wah Yee Tang Bakery began making mooncakes on Monday with phrases like "no withdrawal, no dispersal", "be water", "Hongkongers" and one with Cantonese swear words that the police shouted at reporters during clashes.

The bakery has been open since 1984

"I started making cheeky mooncakes last year, but I usually do quirky designs on my products throughout the year. This year there were some funny phrases [from the extradition protests], so I had the templates made," said the owner, who goes by the name of Naomi.

She is the third generation of her family to run Wah Yee Tang Bakery, that was founded by her grandfather in 1984. She now runs the shop with her mother.

Originally she had not thought of making the mooncakes with expletives against reporters, but Naomi was convinced into doing it after a customer -- who happens to be a journalist -- requested them as gifts to give to friends.

The cookie has the swear words police shouted at reporters

Naomi reports being very touched that so many customers come from far away to purchase her cookies and mooncakes. "It's like they are offering their support by saying, 'I'm by your side'," she says.

Although those who support the police are calling for people to boycott the bakery, saying its products are leading youngsters "astray", Naomi is undeterred.

"I'm not afraid. I'm sticking to my bottom line. Everyone must take their own stand. I have no control over how others see me. I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing. I haven't done anything which I feel has betrayed my conscience."

The small bakery is struggling to keep up with demand

She adds while everyone is very angry, once they buy the mooncakes and cookies they have a laugh. "I'm trying to turn negative emotions into positive ones. I hope everyone can get this message."

Wah Yee Tang Bakery
120-126 Second Street
Sai Ying Pun
2915 2263