Pantyhose Tea in Hong Kong
Lan Fong Yuen is famous for its milk tea which is made by straining many different varieties of black tea through a pantyhose-like filter. The full story is here. It’s kind of like boba milk tea but is richer and more complex. If boba milk tea were a carefree kid, HK-style milk tea is a hardworking adult. According to the Wiki, milk tea in HK has the same popularity as coffee to Westerners. Ah no wonder I liked it so much - any culture that favors tea over coffee is where I belong. The Wiki also says some tour books neglected to put in HK-style milk tea in favor of British tea or said milk tea was not as good as other teas; shame on them! Lan Fong Yuen also has a popular drink called bistro which is a mix of tea and coffee but I did not have this.
The macaroni noodle soup in these bowls looks like good comfort food. Hong Kong has funny food because of British colonization.
See the pantyhose? It’s funny what becomes a tourist attraction in Hong Kong.
It was very crowded inside, yet still harmonious. I noticed this throughout Hong Kong, crazy tight spaces with people moving everywhere like ants, yet there was overall harmony. I guess that’s how people adapt to the population density. The last shot of dishes being washed outside Lan Fong Yuen reminded me of Baja, Mexico where I saw the same thing. Our guide told us that Lan Fong Yuen was one of the last street stall restaurants of its kind, something about the government not wanting to permit more outdoor operations like this. Well, I guess outdoor dishwashing is not the most sanitary, but still the place was great, the tea good, and the toast tasty. I was only in HK for 2.5 days so not really a chance to get too far off the beaten path. Next time, I’ll go for much longer! I put more pics of this place on biggestmenu.com
That’s so fascinating. So is it really that much better than non-pantyhose HK milk tea?
Comment by Wandering Chopsticks — October 27, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
You know, I don’t think I’ve had non-pantyhose HK milk tea. I liked the above tea more than boba; it felt richer, less like a kid drink. Apparently milk tea in HK has the same popularity as coffee in the U.S., according to the Wiki.
Comment by UnHip LA — October 27, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
“any culture that favors tea over coffee is where I belong”
me too!
Comment by buddydvd — October 28, 2007 @ 9:38 pm