It's been at least a year since I last saw a dragon's beard sweet seller on the streets of Hong Kong. Not as prevalent as, say, those selling roast chestnuts or gai dan jai (small, hollow, egg-shaped waffles), you could occasionally find such vendors in the crowded pedestrian areas of Causeway Bay, Central, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok.

The vendors almost always have the same set-up: a small, clear plastic box with an opening on one side into which they insert their arms to 'pull' the sweet. Making the dragon's beard inside the box means it's less exposed to humidity, which makes the sweets hard, chewy or sticky.

I love to watch the slow and methodical process of creating dragon's beard - the vendor makes it to order. He takes a small blob of firm but pliable sugar and syrup solution, dips it into cornstarch (so it doesn't stick), then pulls it to form a thick rope. He folds it over and gives it a twist, then pulls it again, folding and pulling repeatedly, each time doubling the strands. He stops when the strands are very thin and delicate - almost as fine as candy floss. What the vendor does next makes it much better. He breaks the strands into shorter lengths, sprinkles each piece with sugar mixed with crushed peanuts and/or sesame seeds, then rolls it up. The last time I bought some, it was only HK$10 for five pieces.