Traditional Egg Waffle Maker Ng Yuk-fai Passes Away
Ng Yuk-fai, also known as “Egg Waffle Uncle” passed away last Thursday after battling lung cancer. For more than 30 years, he sold traditional Hong Kong-styled egg waffles on Tai Hang’s Tung Lo Wan Road. He was 74 years old.
Ng's egg waffles, cooked on a charcoal stove, were ranked one of the top ten food places in Tai Hang by OpenRice in 2009. Online reviews say his egg waffles were crispy on the outside and soft inside, and much better than the “airy” egg waffles stores sold in other stores.
“I sought help from my uncle and he taught me to make egg waffles. He learned from a master who made egg waffles after failing in the revolution as a follower of Sun Yat-sen,” Ng told the SCMP in 2011.
However, for 30 years, Ng operated his food cart without a license. In April 2011, he made headlines when the Hawker Taskforce tried to arrest him for the third time in a week—and the tenth time in two months. However, Ng had not even begun selling his waffles at the time of his arrest. A nearby cha chaan teng worker spoke up for Ng and more than 70 local residents and bystanders rallied around him, asking the Hawker Control Team to spare Ng. People criticized the taskforce for abusing its power.
Even when the police pleaded for Ng, the Hawker Taskforce remained determined to arrest Ng. The police decided not to help with confiscating Ng’s vendor cart.
“Yes they should arrest me, I don't have a license. But I only wish it was not so frequent,” Ng told the SCMP in 2011. “I won't plead guilty this time. I pleaded with them to let me go but they refused. They're inhumane.”
Ng finally retired after the court fined him $780. However, he did set up temporary stalls for workshops at Polytechnic University, and for a “Make a Difference” event at West Kowloon. Many people showed up to get a taste of Ng’s egg waffles.
