End of an era? 5 Hong Kong food and beverage icons that have bowed out, and how their legacy lives on
- From Happy Cake Shop to Jumbo Floating Restaurant , a number of classic food outlets have buckled under pressure amid the Covid-19 pandemic
- The Post takes a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the eateries that have closed down over the past two years
As Hong Kong weathered the social unrest in 2019 and more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic, cracks have appeared in its economic landscape, with some of the city’s old businesses, seen as heritage pillars that hold the memories of generations, buckling under pressure.
They are the icons of old Hong Kong – from cha chaan tengs to traditional bakeries – that have bowed out and called it a day, marking the end of a way of life for some residents.
Noting the value of such historic establishments, what they represent and how such locations bridge eras, Chinese University (CUHK) anthropology professor Sidney Cheung Chin-hung said: “They are about respect for different people ... Even though the elderly could not use smartphones or computers, it doesn’t mean they lived in an ignorant world. They had their ways of dealing with problems and made choices for themselves.”
The Post takes a trip down memory lane to revisit classic food outlets that have bitten the dust over the past two years.
Happy Cake Shop
A stalwart on Wan Chai’s Queen’s Road East for 45 years, Happy Cake Shop was one of the few traditional bakeries in the city selling baked, retro treats reminiscent of late-20th century Hong Kong until it closed for good on August 2.