Give more licences to food hawkers rather than allow food trucks
I fell asleep watching the Hollywood movie Chef on HBO. But then, that says nothing about its quality, as I am no middle-class film buff like John Tsang Chun-wah.
I fell asleep watching the Hollywood movie on HBO. But then, that says nothing about its quality, as I am no middle-class film buff like John Tsang Chun-wah.
Our finance chief was apparently so inspired by the movie that he wants to put food trucks on the busy roads of Hong Kong. More traffic jams, anyone? The film is about a down-and-out chef who rediscovers his passion for cooking by selling Cuban sandwiches from a truck.
I found Tsang's inspiration funnier than most of the jokes in the film. In his latest budget speech, Tsang drew on his time in the US for his latest idea.
"I have asked relevant departments ... to facilitate alfresco dining operations, and to consider introducing food trucks, which are popular abroad, to the mix of Hong Kong's existing food scene," he said.
We have a long and proud tradition of hawkers and street food, if it hasn't been strangled by hygiene bureaucrats, who prefer big fast food chains with their high carbohydrate, salty, MSG-infested and saturated-fat food which would surely kill us faster.
In Sham Shui Po during the Lunar New Year holiday, dozens of street hawkers were barred by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department from doing business, despite having operated in the area for decades. The agreement between government bodies on what exactly can be sold is unclear.
Since the 1970s, only a handful of new licences for hawkers have been issued. Existing licences are cancelled once their owners die or retire.
An unnamed government source said food trucks would sell more "gourmet" products, not "merely fish balls and egg waffles".
For God's sake, how is it any business of the government if people want to buy or sell fish balls or Cuban sandwiches?
Tsang has been happy to see a local food tradition die during all the years he has been in government. Now he watches some silly Hollywood movie and declares we must have food trucks.
Mr Tsang, I suggest you spend less time watching foreign movies and walk around town to see how most people actually live.
Streamlining licensing for food hawkers to encourage instead of kill their businesses would be a good start.
