The tea restaurants in Hong Kong are always crowded and we often have to sit with strangers. I don't like their environment but there are many delicacies that I like on the menu and everything is cheap and delicious.
The first time I went to eat Pig's Nest, curry beef, and barbecue rice, the dishes were practically flying out the waiter's hand as everyone around me was trying to order. After finishing, I always took a few freshly baked "Pineapple Buns" with me, filled with hot and creamy yellow custard. It is my comfort food and it is always satisfying to eat them as I walk home. By the way, be sure to pair it with "Hong Kong-style milk tea" in a tea restaurant.
Most milk teas in Hong Kong are made from Ceylon black tea powder and the staff at large stalls or tea restaurants pour boiling water into cotton filter bags filled with tea leaves and shake it to accelerate the filtration of the tea. After soaking the black tea, the filter bags will be dyed a coffee-like colour, and condensed milk or light milk will be added. We see that many customers also like to add many spoons of white sugar.
Mom said that the tea restaurant originated from the "tea culture of the working class" in Hong Kong. HK used to be a British colony and saw European and American gentlemen and ladies dressed elegantly, sitting in air-conditioned hotel lobbies, and leisurely drinking afternoon tea while consuming scones or pastries.
Under the scorching sun and sweating profusely, the low-level laborers stubbornly developed their own "civilian afternoon tea". A freshly baked butter pineapple bun, paired with fragrant silky milk tea and 3-5 tablespoons of white sugar. They sat on the ground and indulged in a satisfying feast for only HKD 10. After filling up their energy, they continued to work and always believed"tomorrow will be better".
The milk tea culture in Hong Kong is very popular, and related professions emerged such as that of a"milk tea taster". A famous tea restaurant dispatched specialists to anonymously taste milk tea from various branches and competitors to determine the level of quality。 My mother said that the milk tea represents the optimism and fighting spirit of the lower-class people in Hong Kong, and has even been promoted as an "intangible cultural heritage". I was born and raised in Hong Kong and I've learned to appreciate their culture of rolling up their sleeves while eating and fighting every day.
香港的茶餐廳時時很擁擠，又常常要和陌生人併桌，我不喜歡它的環境。但菜單上有許多我喜歡的平民美食，應有盡有，便宜美味。
我第一次去看見豬趴堡，咖喱牛，叉燒飯….菜盤在服務生手中甩飛出去，每次又大約能落在點餐顧客的面前，真令我感到驚奇，吃完我總是要帶走幾個剛出爐的『菠蘿包』，裡頭夾著熱軟的黃牛油，香氣四溢，大口咬下，令人滿足，明明已經吃的很飽，我都是在回家途中邊走邊吃。對了，在茶餐廳一定要配上『港式奶茶』。
香港的奶茶大多是用錫蘭紅茶碎末為基底，大牌檔或茶餐廳的伙計將沸水倒入裝有茶葉的棉紗濾袋，上下拉動加速將茶水濾出，紅茶浸泡後，濾袋的顏色會被染成咖啡絲襪般，所以又稱作『絲襪奶茶』，之後加上煉乳或淡奶，我們看到許多顧客喜歡加很多很多匙的白糖，總之完全走『健康的相反路線』。
媽媽說，茶餐廳源自香港的『勞工階級的茶文化』，曾為英國殖民地，看見歐美的紳士淑女穿著優雅，坐在開著冷氣的旅館大廳裏，悠閒地吃著下午茶，一口Scone或西點，一邊喝著貴貴的各式花茶。 烈日當空，揮汗如雨的底層勞工，倔強地發展出屬於他們的『平民下午茶』，一個剛出爐的牛油波蘿包，配上香氣十足的絲滑奶茶，加3-5湯匙的白糖，坐在地上滿足地大快朵頤，只花10元，充飽力氣後繼續開工，如此拼搏，永遠相信『明天會更好』。
香港的奶茶文化十分普及，受到歡迎，後成為專業，甚至出現『奶茶試喝員』的職業。有名的茶餐廳派出專員，四處匿名去試喝各分店和對手的奶茶，確定更勝一籌。 媽媽說，豪邁的奶茶代表著香港底層人民的樂觀和拼搏精神，甚至已經晉升為『非物質的文化遺產』，我在香港出生和成長，一定要了解港式奶茶，記得『挽起袖子，吃飽拼搏』的香港精神！
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