Writing Question:
The Young Post is holding an essay competition on the topic of ‘Preserving Street Food in Hong Kong’. The aim is to promote public’s awareness of the need to preserve this unique culture. Include three reasons why Hong Kong street food is worth preserving. Write your essay.

Traditional Street food – something that we should all preserve for Hong Kong

Do you have any favourite street food ? Whether it is chestnut, sweet potato or curry fish ball, I believe we all can't live without them. Street food is one of the representative delicacies in Hong Kong. Whenever we smell their aroma in the street, we are always attracted to them. However, in recent years, we have seen less and less of the unique presence of street food of Hong Kong because the government has implemented stricter policies. I believe that the Hong Kong street food culture should be preserved.

First, we cannot do without street food snacks because street vendors and street food are an essential part of life in Hong Kong. Street food is not only cheap and delicious but also easy to buy. Another important reason is that you can fill your stomach anytime, anywhere. Although street food is unhygienic in the eyes of the government, Hong Kong people take pride in their street food. As one of the symbols of Hong Kong culture, I think it should be retained.

Another reason is that street food is a part of the collective memory shared by both the older generation and the younger generation. When we were young, we used to beg our parents to buy sweet potatoes as we walked past the vendors and smelt them. Now, we still rush to buy chestnuts and fish balls whenever we see them. Therefore, by preserving street food, we preserve our childhood memories.

Third, as a ‘Gourmet paradise’, street food can become a symbol of Hong Kong. The variety of food provided by street vendors is sure to impress tourists, benefiting Hong Kong economically and culturally. Street food may bring some novelty to their itineraries. Also, it allows them to explore Hong Kong from a different perspective. Just as a visitor cannot truly understand Chinese history without visiting the Great Wall, it can also be said that people cannot truly experience Hong Kong culture without trying the delicacies of our street vendors. Our future generations as well as overseas tourists can still enjoy the street life of Hong Kong.

To conclude, preserving street food has a lot more benefits than one could imagine. We should all treasure the traditional culture originated from Hong Kong, since without this culture, our city is no longer the city we are familiar with.

4A Yvonne Huang