City University Student Chan Man-yee

HK Magazine: So what is it that you’re planning to sell?
Chan Man-yee: We are going to sell “Jin Yeung Sam Bo,” or “pan-fried three treasures” cushions. They’re a traditional Hong Kong street snack made of slices of green pepper, eggplant and red sausage with fish paste. We decided to make a set of three cushions based on this popular dish.

HK: What are the cushions like?
CMY: Each cushion has two parts: the fish paste and the base, which is either the green pepper, the eggplant or the sausage. You can even interchange them. There are lucky words knitted on each fish paste cushion. They are really colorful so that you’ll have good luck for the coming year. If the customers buy the whole set, we will give them a paper bag just like when they buy the real ones from hawkers.

HK: What was your inspiration?
CMY: Nostalgia - “pan-fried three treasures” represent traditional food in Hong Kong and we thought that it would be lovely if they were turned into cushions for people to enjoy.

HK: You are a student. How serious are you about this project?
CMY: The public always thinks that students participating in the fair don’t take it seriously. My partners and I want to change that misconception because we have planned this very carefully - we even held a focus group to study the trends of our target customers. We are creative but careful.

HK: Who do you think will buy these “treasures”?
CMY: Judging from information we got from the focus group, I think that teenagers would like them the most. They’re just for fun, and not really necessary for everyday life, so some adults might not want to buy them.

HK: Why not follow the trend and come up with something to do with pigs?
CMY: This way, our cushions will stand out from the crowd! Besides, using pigs as a theme would limit our creativity.