The pineapple bun and French toast are humble, standard items in every cha chaan teng, the favoured everyday staple of many locals. Celebrating these low-brow, high-calorie examples of the city's culture, Anchor Butter and the food blog Open Rice are starting a campaign to discover the best pineapple bun and French toast. The poll was announced on Friday at the Pastry Passion baking school in Kowloon Bay, with food writer Craig Au Yeung Ying-chai (left) and TV cook Annie Wong (right) attempting to bake their own pineapple bun (which doesn't actually include pineapple). Both failed miserably in kneading the butter and dough into the proper texture, so it was left to a master of the trade, Bina Chan (centre) of the Kam Wah Cafe and Bakery in Prince Edward to pound the mixture into submission. 'The business was a struggle for us,' said Chan, who has co-owned her place for 37 years. 'But now things are better. Younger people are becoming interested in nostalgia and ordinary Hong Kong-style food. Ironically, a lot of the chefs and bakers are growing old and retiring, so some of the preparation steps are being replaced by machines. Now that these things are not so readily available, people then flock to get a taste of it.' Au Yeung, who has been actively promoting such local delicacies, is a connoisseur. 'I like my pineapple bun to be soft and fluffy, but the butter in between must be cold for a taste contrast. However, I have a quota and refrain from eating too many. The butter has to be good, too. I remember having terrible experiences eating pineapple buns with margarine in them.' Voting for the city's best pineapple bun and French toast begins on Friday at www.openrice.com/anchor .
