Hong Kong Instagram star Uncle K on making viral food videos and being ‘a normal person’

It is easy to spot Kent Wong among the lunchtime diners at a busy cooked food centre in Hong Kong’s Kowloon City neighbourhood. He is wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and a tropical-print shirt – the signature style of his social media moniker, Uncle K. Wong, who has amassed more than 184,000 Instagram followers since he began posting food videos a year ago, chose the look as a disguise during the early days of creating content. But, ironically, his glasses and cap now define him. No one is more surprised by Wong’s viral fame than he is. But, with his down-to-earth attitude and humble approach, it is easy to see why his videos strike a chord with people across generations. “Many people ask me why I am so popular, and I think it’s because I’m just a normal person,” says Wong while sipping on a red bean ice drink. His daughter, now 11, and whose name he wants to keep private, sowed the seeds for his social media stardom. “My daughter changed my life,” he says. His online pivot started when she asked him for help with a school video project about maths. “At that time, I had no idea about YouTube or how to make a video,” he laughs. “That night we went to a burger place for dinner and we did some practice footage.” The result was a bit of a flop. “The first video was about five minutes long, but it was so boring, so I told myself I had to improve.” Wong headed down the video-making rabbit hole, learning as much as he could about editing. It paid off, and he soon found himself in foodie influencer territory, a label he is not entirely comfortable with. “I prefer content creator,” he says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uncle K HKG - 健叔 香港 (@uncle_k_hong_kong) As his audience grew, so did his concerns that his daughter might be targeted by bullies. Those fears quickly dissolved, however, when he came home one day to find her showing videos from his YouTube channel to a classmate. For Wong, 46, it was a moment of great relief and even greater pride. “I really appreciate my daughter, and I keep learning from her,” he says. Whether she follows in his footsteps is up to her, he says. “I will let her find her own way … what is most important is that she is happy.” It is this sort of attitude that has helped Wong bridge the father-daughter gap, a difficult relationship to navigate, and one that is often hindered by social media. For Wong, it has been the glue. “I am keen to find out about the younger generation, so I always ask my daughter who the famous YouTubers or famous singers are,” Wong says. Not surprisingly, she is a fan of the K-pop girl band Blackpink. “I thought one of their songs was interesting, so I used it as background music for a video,” Wong adds. Wong, who swims each morning to keep his weight in check, says his new online role also feeds his creative side. He has worked in logistics for two decades and has been running his own company for 12 years. His “second life” has given him renewed energy, and owning a company is a blessing as it gives him the freedom to work on videos, which he does most days, posting about his breakfast and lunch as often as four times a week. Dinner, he says, is reserved for family. “Much like a newspaper, I like to post fresh content regularly,” he says. “It makes my followers happy.” And while Wong shuns the influencer label, he is taking steps to expand his brand, including through collaborations with other digital creators. So far, he has worked with Kelly Chan (Spoon Chan), an Indonesian-Hong Kong beauty, fashion and lifestyle influencer, and Lukian Wang, aka CookingBoBo, a Hong Kong-based digital content creator, actress and model. In one post, Wong is seen hanging out with Hong Kong-born Canadian actress and former Miss Hong Kong Grace Chan, as they feast on Indian food in Chungking Mansions. Chan reached out to Wong about making content together after seeing his videos online. In July, he released Hong Kong Food Map, a book that explores the city’s culinary landscape much like he does in his social media posts. Merchandise is also on Wong’s radar, and this month he launched his online shop, Old Cake – the Cantonese translation of which, lou beng, is used as an affectionate term for an old man. The first item for sale is a navy blue cap like the one he is often seen wearing in his videos. It features the Chinese phrase fei saa zau nai, which loosely translates as “fly sand, walk milk” – a phrase some use to request no sugar and no milk in their drinks at traditional Hong Kong-style cha chaan teng cafes. “I wanted the online shop to be called I’m Not Old Cake, but I was told the name was too long, so I went with Old Cake,” he laughs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Uncle K HKG - 健叔 香港 (@uncle_k_hong_kong) It is the sort of self-deprecating humour that makes Wong so likeable. He does not take life too seriously and is modest and unpretentious – traits not always associated with popular online content creators. What Wong does take seriously, however, is his role in supporting local restaurants. He gets a lot of joy when his videos drive business and is saddened when local favourites close down – something increasingly common in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Compounding the problem for Hong Kong restaurants is the regular weekend exodus of residents across the mainland Chinese border to Shenzhen, where food tends to be cheaper. Wong urges people to stay in Hong Kong to support the city’s struggling food and drinks industry. Although Wong covers many kinds of restaurants, from traditional open-air dai pai dong food stalls to fine-dining establishments, he gravitates towards more relaxed places where he can people-watch and chat. As if on cue, two men walk by and greet Wong with friendly handshakes. “They are both film directors,” he says. As for his video style, Wong follows a format: Cantonese narration with English and traditional Chinese subtitles. And while he does not like to highlight his favourite places, he does lean towards those serving traditional Hong Kong-style food. It makes sense that Wong chose Lok Yuen as the venue for this interview. The family-run cha chaan teng, which dishes up old-school favourites such as Hong Kong-style French toast and baked pork chop rice, perfectly aligns with his philosophy. “In my videos, I don’t rate a place or review them,” he says, adding he prefers a positive approach. “If I don’t like the food, then I won’t make a video.” Wong says his mission is not to tear down a place with negative comments but to tell a story that will connect with his audience. “Many Hong Kong people living overseas in the US or UK message me and say, ‘I miss Hong Kong-style food, so thank you for your videos’ … that makes me happy.”

Hong Kong Instagram star Uncle K on making viral food videos and being ‘a normal person’

Kent Wong has set social media ablaze with his down-to-earth videos exploring Hong Kong’s food scene. Just don’t call him an influencer