Snakes in the bowl - School of Journalism and Communication, CUHK
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38 39 food and drink food and drink Snakes in the bowl by Chriz Chan A small bowl of snake soup costs about $30. Snake soup is usually paired with lemon grass. Tse Shui-ming is playing with snakes outside his restaurant. ZIP CHEUNG ZIP CHEUNG CHRIZ CHAN Wong Chit-sing, licensed Chinese medicine practitioner Doctor Fong Yuk-fai, director of University Health Service, Chinese University of Hong Kong 1. Is eating snake soup good for health? YES It would enhance blood circulation. NOT REALLY Snake meat is just a kind of meat. 2. Having more than a bowl of snake soup per day would be harmful to health? Depends on the health condition. NO But those who are weaker should avoid eating too much. 3. Is snake soup suitable for people of all ages? YES YES 4. Snake soup would increase the body’s dryness which in turn leads to nose bleeding. NO Depends on the types of Chinese crude medicines in the soup. e.g. Codonopsis root can be a tonic for weaker ones while fruit of Chinese wolfberry is good for eyes. NO But Chinese medicines in the soup may increase the body’s dryness. Common misconceptions clarified V O utside a restaurant, several rectangular iron cages are tidily stacked. In the cages, snakes are crawling slowly, their forked tongues darting in and out. Inside the restaurant, rows of glass jars along the shelves on the wall hold dead snakes, coiled up and steeping in liquor. Many enthusiasts brave such traditional settings for snake cuisines which they believe are good for health in winter. However, these enthusiasts have become fewer and fewer over the years, and so some snake shops cater to more customers by transforming themselves. Snake King Dong, which is called She Wong Dong in Cantonese, was a traditional snake restaurant in Kowloon City. Founded in 1988, the restaurant sold only traditional snake cuisine, like snake soup, snake wine and snake oil. In 2004, the founder of She Wong Dong, Wong Chi-lun, decided to move when the rent doubled. His two sons, Yankov Wong Hiu-cho and Wong Hiu-tung, grasped the chance to revolutionize the family business, transforming the restaurant into the modern Dragon and Phoenix. “Nowadays, Hong Kong people have a higher standard for hygienic conditions. Also, the traditional image of snake restaurants is rather scary, with many snakes crawling around in the cages. So I believe that we have to change,” said Yankov Wong. Dragon and Phoenix looks different from the old restaurant. All the snakes are stored upstairs. The environment looks more tidy, comfortable and well-lit. Besides decorations, Yankov Wong also added a number of new dishes which are mostly handed down from their ancestors in the restaurant. The family has been selling snakes for four generations and developed some special recipes, such as “Chicken Rice with Snake Sauce” and “Fried Fresh Snake Meat.” “I prefer the new type of snake restaurants. Sometimes I don’t want snake soup but I would like to try other dishes. The new restaurant provides a wide choice of food,” said Yuen Ka-yi, a 20-year-old student from the University of Hong Kong. Some die-hard customers, however, prefer traditional snake restaurants. “I think snake soup is something traditional, so I would like to have it in traditional old snake restaurants,” said Wong Kam-tao, a 46-year-old salesman. Yankov Wong understands the modernization of She Wong Dong into Dragon and Phoenix might lose some die-hard customers like Mr Wong. But he is confident that the new way of running business could attract more new customers, which can cover the loss of old customers. “When the new restaurant opened, the total revenue yielded in that year already outweighs the total earnings of the past two years of the old shop,” said Wong. Another decades-old snake restaurant took a different approach to survival. Snake King Sin, which is called She Wong Sin in Cantonese, has been in Sham Shui Po for 40 years, and they insist on keeping the snake restaurant traditional. “I believe that a legitimate and traditional snake restaurant should only sell snakes, not other dishes. If I want other Chinese dishes, I would go to other restaurants, not a snake restaurant. My restaurant will not sell dishes other than snake,” Tse Shui- ming, owner of She Wong Sin said. Realizing the drop in popularity of snake cuisine, particularly in summer, he has adopted a modest change in his business. He sells fruits at the restaurant as well. Tse, with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, has witnessed the ups and downs of snake restaurants in Hong Kong. “Snake King Sin is my brother-in- law’s nickname, who also owned the restaurant. After he retired, I took over the business,” Tse said. About 20 years ago when Snake King Sin had not yet retired, he always performed with snakes outside the restaurant. These shows attracted a lot of passers-by, including tourists. However, due to tightened government regulations on snake shows and the potential danger to the passers-by and the performer, there are no more snake shows any more. “The 1980s was the most prosperous period and our business was good,” Tse continued. After the economic recession in 1997 and the outbreak of SARS in 2003, all businesses in Hong Kong were seriously affected, let alone the business of snake restaurants. Tse estimated that the number of snake restaurants in Hong Kong has shrunk from nearly a hundred to around thirty-five. The popular misconception that winter is the only season for snake cuisine also drives his business into difficulty. According to Tse, during winter, snakes are much fatter as they have more fat for hibernation. The snake meat therefore is tender and tasty. “In summer, snakes are relatively thinner, but you cannot feel any big difference when you eat it.” Tse suggested snake is an all-season cuisine. Tse said different snakes have different meat textures and different effects on health. Usually, a bowl of snake soup contains five types of snake meat: Chinese Cobra, Banded Krait, Copperhead Racer, Indo-Chinese Rat Snake and Little Multibanded Krait. A bowl of snake soup includes many Chinese ingredients other than snake meat, especially Chinese crude medicine such as Chinese wolfberry, aged tangerine peels, Chinese yam, Codonopsis root and others. Sometimes, chicken meat or lean pork meat are added to increase the variety of textures in the soup. Regardless of the approaches adopted for their snake businesses, both Tse and Wong would like to keep running their restaurants. As the older Mr Wong, founder of She Wong Dong said, “this is my hobby.”
Transcript of Snakes in the bowl - School of Journalism and Communication, CUHK
38 39
f o o d a n d d r i n k f o o d a n d d r i n k
Snakes in the bowlby Chriz Chan
A small bowl of snake soup costs about $30.
Snake soup is usually paired with lemon grass.
Tse Shui-ming is playing with snakes outside his restaurant.
ZIP CHEU
NG
ZIP CHEU
NG
CHRIZ CH
AN
Wong Chit-sing, licensed Chinese medicine practitioner
Doctor Fong Yuk-fai, director of University Health Service, Chinese University of Hong Kong
1. Is eating snake soup good for health?YESIt would enhance blood circulation.
NOT REALLYSnake meat is just a kind of meat.
2. Having more than a bowl of snake soup per day would be harmful to health?
Depends on the health condition.
NOBut those who are weaker should avoid eating too much.
3. Is snake soup suitable for people of all ages?
YES YES
4. Snake soup would increase the body’s dryness which in turn leads to nose bleeding.
NODepends on the types of Chinese crude medicines in the soup.e.g. Codonopsis root can be a tonic for weaker ones while fruit of Chinese wolfberry is good for eyes.
NOBut Chinese medicines in the soup may increase the body’s dryness.
Common misconceptions clarified
V
Outside a restaurant, several rectangular iron cages are tidily stacked. In the cages,
snakes are crawling slowly, their forked tongues darting in and out. Inside the restaurant, rows of glass jars along the shelves on the wall hold dead snakes, coiled up and steeping in liquor. Many enthusiasts brave such traditional settings for snake cuisines which they believe are good for health in winter. However, these enthusiasts have become fewer and fewer over the years, and so some snake shops cater to more customers by transforming themselves.
Snake King Dong, which is called She Wong Dong in Cantonese, was a traditional snake restaurant in Kowloon City. Founded in 1988, the restaurant sold only traditional snake cuisine, like snake soup, snake wine and snake oil. In 2004, the founder of She Wong Dong, Wong Chi-lun, decided to move when the rent doubled. His two sons, Yankov Wong Hiu-cho and Wong Hiu-tung, grasped the chance to revolutionize the family business, transforming the restaurant into the modern Dragon and Phoenix.
“Nowadays, Hong Kong people have a higher standard for hygienic conditions. Also, the traditional image of snake restaurants is rather scary, with many snakes crawling around in the cages. So I believe that we have to change,” said Yankov Wong. Dragon and Phoenix looks different from the old restaurant. All the snakes are stored upstairs. The environment looks more tidy, comfortable and well-lit.
Besides decorations, Yankov Wong also added a number of new dishes which are mostly handed down from their ancestors in the restaurant. The family has been selling snakes for four generations and developed some special recipes, such as “Chicken Rice with Snake Sauce” and “Fried Fresh Snake Meat.”
“I prefer the new type of snake restaurants. Sometimes I don’t want snake soup but I would like to try other dishes. The new restaurant provides a wide choice of food,” said Yuen Ka-yi, a 20-year-old student from the University of Hong Kong.
Some die-hard customers, however, prefer traditional snake restaurants. “I think snake soup is something traditional, so I would like to have it in traditional old snake restaurants,” said Wong Kam-tao, a 46-year-old salesman.
Yankov Wong understands the modernization of She Wong Dong into Dragon and Phoenix might lose some die-hard customers like Mr Wong. But he is confident that the new way of running business could attract more new customers, which can cover the loss of old customers. “When the new restaurant opened, the total revenue yielded in that year already outweighs the total earnings of the past two years of the old shop,” said Wong.
Another decades-old snake restaurant took a different approach to survival. Snake King Sin, which is called She Wong Sin in Cantonese, has been in Sham Shui Po for 40 years,
and they insist on keeping the snake restaurant traditional.
“I believe that a legitimate and traditional snake restaurant should only sell snakes, not other dishes. If I want other Chinese dishes, I would go to other restaurants, not a snake restaurant. My restaurant will not sell dishes other than snake,” Tse Shui-ming, owner of She Wong Sin said.
Realizing the drop in popularity of snake cuisine, particularly in summer, he has adopted a modest change in his business. He sells fruits at the restaurant as well. Tse, with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, has witnessed the ups and downs of snake restaurants in Hong Kong.
“Snake King Sin is my brother-in-law’s nickname, who also owned the restaurant. After he retired, I took over the business,” Tse said. About 20 years ago when Snake King Sin had not yet retired, he always performed with snakes outside the restaurant. These shows attracted a lot of passers-by, including tourists. However, due to tightened government regulations on snake shows and the potential danger to the passers-by and the performer, there are no more snake shows any more.
“The 1980s was the most prosperous period and our business was good,” Tse continued. After the economic recession in 1997 and the outbreak of
SARS in 2003, all businesses in Hong Kong were seriously affected, let alone the business of snake restaurants. Tse estimated that the number of snake restaurants in Hong Kong has shrunk from nearly a hundred to around thirty-five.
The popular misconception that winter is the only season for snake cuisine also drives his business into difficulty. According to Tse, during winter, snakes are much fatter as they have more fat for hibernation. The snake meat therefore is tender and tasty. “In summer, snakes are relatively thinner, but you cannot feel any big difference when you eat it.” Tse suggested snake is an all-season cuisine.
Tse said different snakes have different meat textures and different effects on health. Usually, a bowl of snake soup contains five types of snake meat: Chinese Cobra, Banded Krait, Copperhead Racer, Indo-Chinese Rat Snake and Little Multibanded Krait.
A bowl of snake soup includes many Chinese ingredients other than snake meat, especially Chinese crude medicine such as Chinese wolfberry, aged tangerine peels, Chinese yam, Codonopsis root and others. Sometimes, chicken meat or lean pork meat are added to increase the variety of textures in the soup.
Regardless of the approaches adopted for their snake businesses, both Tse and Wong would like to keep running their restaurants. As the older Mr Wong, founder of She Wong Dong said, “this is my hobby.”
