Profile | Hong Kong nightlife veteran Richard Feldman on why Lan Kwai Fong is ‘a magical place’ and opening his new gay bar, Petticoat Lane
- Growing up in a family of doctors gave Richard Feldman a huge appreciation for medicine and biology but he ended up getting a degree in theatre, his second love
- After 34 years running restaurants and bars such as Al’s Diner, Peak Cafe and now Petticoat Lane, the Canadian is still in love with Hong Kong and its people
I was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1965. Back then, Montreal was much more anglophone, an English city in a French province. My mother is from France and I grew up speaking French. My dad is first-generation Canadian, his parents were refugees from Poland during the war. My two older sisters went to a French school, but I chose to go to an English school.
Dad is Jewish and my mother is Catholic and growing up we had both the Hanukkah menorah and the Christmas tree in the house at the same time. We were taught that this is what our mother believes, and this is what our father believes, and you can believe what you want to believe.
On the French side of the family no one spoke English. And on the English side of the family no one spoke French. So, in the early days at weddings and functions, the five of us – my mother, father and my two sisters and I – were put in the centre of the room or the table and we translated for everyone.
Doctor in the house
My father lost most of his family in the war and my mother had to hide in the fireplace to save her life during the Normandy bombings. As a child, I was aware that there are different people with different beliefs and people are sometimes persecuted for those beliefs. We lived in a protected, safe home – bigotry, discrimination or anything of that nature wasn’t tolerated.
We have many doctors in our family and growing up there was a lot of talk about medicine and biology; it’s something that fascinates me and to this day I watch YouTube videos of surgeries for relaxation – it’s inspirational to see what can be done to help people.
Both my parents worked at the Jewish General Hospital – my father was a doctor, a specialist in internal medicine, and my mother is now the assistant director of psychosocial services for the methadone clinic at the hospital. After school I’d take the bus to the hospital and do my homework there and then follow my dad around as he did his rounds and then at 6pm we’d drive home.
When I was eight, we were driving to our summer house when we came across a horrific car accident. There were people dying on the highway and others pinned under cars. My sisters and I sat in the back seat for 40 minutes as my father tried to save as many lives as he could. I have a tremendous appreciation for what doctors can do and for medicine and biology.
Feels like home
When I was 16, I went to Vassar College, a small school outside New York, for my undergraduate studies. I love medicine and was pre-med, but I was also interested in communication and theatre and ended up getting a degree in theatre. As a student, I worked at the all-campus dining centre as the assistant to the food and beverage director and chaired the food committee.