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  • 7 hours ago
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00:00There's a lot that might remind you of Hong Kong, its movie stars, its cinema, its protests,
00:04and its legacy in manufacturing and global finance. Now another part of Hong Kong that's
00:08making its way around the world, its unique dinaculture, carried overseas by a new wave
00:13of Hong Kong migrants. They're called cha chan tangs. These no-fills cafes emerged in the 1950s,
00:19blending foreign ingredients with local flavors to create something distinctly Hong Kong.
00:23Unlike most Chinese restaurants, their menus mix dishes like spam sandwiches,
00:27macaroni soup, and satay beef noodles. The satay was brought to Hong Kong by refugees from China's
00:33Guangdong province, but its origins trace back to modern-day Indonesia. Today, these iconic diners
00:38are popping up in cities from Sydney to New York and Vienna, but perhaps nowhere more than the UK.
00:44Hoko in East London is one example. Inside it creates the look and feel of a traditional cha chan tang
00:50while putting new twists on Hong Kong diner classics like the char siu bagel and the tofu steak bun.
00:55But it's not just the food that keeps people coming back. For many of the owners opening
00:59cha chan tangs overseas, they're a way to preserve and share a distinctly Hong Kong identity,
01:04at a time when many feel that identity has become increasingly blurred
01:08cha chan tangs overseas, as Beijing has taken the more assertive role.
01:10So for those years, the world has been working for the many people that were
01:11Cha chan tangs overseas, they don't know what they're looking for, but they're a very
01:13The UK has such a common sense, and so they're going to be a different character than the
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