Food Hawkers Legal by Next Chinese New Year?

This year's #fishballrevolution may be a one-off if hawkers legalized next year

Nine months after riots broke out in Mongkok on the first day of Chinese New Year, the Hong Kong government has proposed licensing street food hawkers during the holiday period.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department submitted a proposal to the Yau Tsim Mong district council to set up a food bazaar from January 28-30 for 40 hawkers in a "suitable" location.

However, Secretary for Health Dr Ko Wing-man denies the proposal is related to the Mongkok riot on February 8. He said the government had formed a task force with the previous Legislative Council to discuss street food policies.

Dr Ko denies the proposal is linked to the Mongkok riots

It is the first time the government has proposed legalizing these hawkers, who traditionally offered food alternatives during Chinese New Year, as many shops and restaurants were closed during the holiday period.

While many places are open these days because of the economic climate, that hasn't stopped food vendors from trying to make an extra buck for a few days and offer some nostalgic snacks for sale.

However this past February, a riot started in Mongkok apparently because officials were cracking down on illegal operations, and the violence escalated to the point where a police officer fired shots into the air when they were surrounded by angry protesters.

"We did not consider [the proposal] because of any specific incident," Ko said during a public event on Sunday.

"We have however, considered that citizens, during Chinese New Year, may be interested in enjoying traditional Hong Kong snacks and cooked food on the street. Some business operators may also feel there are larger flows of people during this period and they can do better business.

If the licensing is approved, local food culture will thrive again

"Given that there is such demand, we have the responsibility to consider whether there is a way or location to make such operations safer without affected public order."

The preliminary proposal suggests 40 street food stalls would operate between noon and 2am during the three-day holiday period, and set up at locations like Macpherson Playground. For safety reasons, only electricity would be used to cook the food.

Interesting to see the government make a concession about street food during Chinese New Year following all the political tensions we have gone through in the past few years.

However, from a food perspective, customers might not be too thrilled with dishes cooked with electricity, as those cooked with gas would have more "wok hay" or flavour from the wok due to the high heat.

Nevertheless, it's a good will gesture from Ko and we'll take it for now.

John Tsang's "Localist" Budget

Financial Secretary John Tsang had some breaks for people this year

Today Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah got some rare praise today for his ninth budget that seemed to be more sympathetic with Hong Kong people who have been and will be struggling because of the sluggish economy.

In his speech that took an hour and 25 minutes to read out, Tsang began with giving his take on recent events in the city, describing the Mongkok riots as having turned Hong Kong into a "strange and alien place".

Will Cantonese films like Ten Years get more funding?

"I believe many people share my feelings towards the incident. Distressed and angry, I was perplexed as to why violence had flared in Hong Kong," he said.

"I was shocked that our city could have turned overnight into such a strange and alien place that I hardly recognized. I was troubled why the core values that we long cherished had been devoured by violence and hatred."

He added: "Acute social conflicts will add uncertainties to the already adverse economic environment."

Then he went onto the task at hand, saying Hong Kong's economy grew 2.4 percent last year, but only expects it to expand 1-2 percent this year. Some of his main budget relief measures include reducing salaries taxes by 75 percent to up to HK$20,000, while government rates will be waived up to HK$1,000 per quarter, so homeowners can save up to HK$4,000 a year.

There will be extra allowances for those with social security, old age allowance, or disability allowance, but no rent reductions for those in public housing -- an area that even pro-Beijing lawmakers were not pleased about.

The government will spend more for more beds in hospitals

Spending on health care has almost doubled compared to 10 years ago to HK$57 billion, making up 16.5 percent of the government's expenditure. Most of the money goes to more hospital beds, more operating theatres and specialist outpatient services.

Either the government is not catching up with what public hospitals need, or way more people are getting ill -- which one is it?

Why not spend on trying to encourage people to live healthier so that healthcare spending can go down? In the long run it's better for everyone. The government is trying to get people to eat less, but it doesn't seem to be working when a good amount of space in supermarkets and convenient stores sell junk food...

Tsang is encouraging more companies to invest in research and development, and noted there are 1,600 startups in the city. That doesn't mean all 1,600 of them will succeed, I hope he understands, and many of them want to get to Silicon Valley and not necessarily stay here...

Interestingly, following the runaway success of local indie film Ten Years, Tsang has earmarked HK$20 million into the Film Development Fund to subsidize expenses incurred by locally-produced Cantonese films in distribution and publicity work on the mainland. Funding per film will double to HK$500,000.

Does this mean he will fund more films like Ten Years? Or just sappy Canto romantic comedies or martial arts flicks?

Commerce Secretary Gregory So selling the food truck idea

He is still keen on his pet project of food trucks in the city. Instead of 12 food trucks in six tourist spots, Tsang says the spots will increase to 16 due to "wild interest". However he didn't mention anything about hawkers, which was the cause of the Mongkok riots on February 8...

Perhaps most telling was Tsang's take on the "One Road, One Belt" policy that his boss Leung Chun-ying mentioned 44 times in his policy speech. Instead the Financial Secretary only mentioned it four or five times according to Civic Party leader Allan Leong Kah-kit.

"That has already highlighted their differences. I guess that is also what Tsang wants to highlight," said the lawmaker.

So while Tsang didn't please everyone, most were relieved he was thinking of those who need a few breaks, though they are only short-term measures. He is waiting to see how this year pans out before seeing if more tax breaks are needed, but really, does anyone see a bright spot in Hong Kong's economy anytime soon?

Hong Kong Culture = Hong Kong Identity

Food stalls selling street food are a part of Hong Kong culture

People are still talking about what happened on Monday night in Mongkok and it turns out a group of people was also trying to clear out illegal hawkers in Tuen Mun last night. There were some violent clashes, but not on the scale of Mongkok.

Some wonder why the authorities are being so heavy handed with these hawkers, who were carrying on a tradition that's been going on for practically a century, operating only on the first three days of Chinese New Year.

Why make such a big fuss about this now? Has some bigwig complained and so the government is responding with a hard line? Or is there an underlying message that the Leung Chun-ying administration will not tolerate any kind of illegal activities?

A food hawker selling stinky tofu in Mongkok

If that is the case, then why not crack down on subdivided flats, illegal building structures in the New Territories and money laundering? Aren't those more serious than some food vendors trying to make some extra money to feed themselves and their families?

In Leung King housing estate in Tuen Mun, apparently a self-proclaimed hawker control team clashed with illegal street food vendors and their supporters last night. The conflict began simmering around January 21 when a renovated wet market, run by the controversial company Link Reit, opened at the estate.

One of the hawkers explained that Link Reit increased the rent after the renovation and promised the cooked food stalls there would not be any hawkers.

Supposed hawker control group clearing stalls in Tuen Mun

Link Reit, the police, nor the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department would vouch for the self-proclaimed hawker control group so it is unclear who the members are.

Nevertheless, the hawkers in Tuen Mun seem determined to continue their trade, though traditionally tonight would be the last night to do so before most restaurants and eateries reopen tomorrow.

Both incidents seem to spark more concerns about Hong Kong's culture eroding, and it directly relates to people's identity as Hongkongers. They feel that with the government clamping down on these hawkers, it is like an attack on themselves, and so they are doing whatever they can to preserve whatever is left.

So this may lead to something positive -- people might be more conscious about supporting local eateries and shops as a kind of protest against big corporations and multinationals that have monopolized Hong Kong.

This idea has been happening in the last few years due to mom-and-pop shops closing due to high rents, but perhaps this time will be the tipping point?

Creative Food Carts in Causeway Bay

Gregory So (right) seeing what it's like to operate a food truck in Australia

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah fantasized about Hong Kong having food trucks in the city, and then his colleague, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung estimated it would take HK$600,000 (US$77,102) in start-up costs, and only 12 of them would be in six tourist spots.

As expected the media and the public ridiculed these government officials for being completely out of touch with the concept of food trucks, how they would be regulated, and that the prohibitive costs would result in only big restaurant groups operating them.

One creative food cart served mini egg waffles to customers

So today some creative designers and hawker groups came out to Causeway Bay to show what they could do -- at a fraction of the cost.

It was their way of sending a message to the government to diversify its food truck offerings and lower start-up costs.

There were 10 small hawker carts, serving snacks like mini egg waffles, Chinese pudding and glutinous rice balls covered in desiccated coconut. The carts were added to old bicycles or small vans, with the construction costs ranging from HK$1,500 to HK$100,000 -- well below So's suggestion of HK$600,000.

"The purpose of the show is to demonstrate that cheaper food trucks could also be unique and artistic, while meeting hygiene requirements," said Chan Ka-hing, who designed some of the food carts.

Another designer, Niles Mak, pointed out the smaller carts would be better because they wouldn't block traffic, compared to a regular food truck.

John Tsang was inspired by the movie Chef to have food trucks

So how about it, Mr So and Mr Tsang? Why not encourage local hawkers to set up shop around town and not necessarily tourist-specific sites, and while we're at it, why not help dai pai dong stalls to flourish in the city?