Bubble waffle kailua1/29/2024 Word would spread quickly and people would drive to buy gai daan jai from me.” “In the last few years before I retired, I only opened for business occasionally. “The competition was fierce but my gai daan jai were so good even I liked eating them,” he says. Lee came to Hong Kong in the 1970s from mainland China and soon turned to bubble waffles. Lee Sui Yuen, a retired egg waffle hawker, holds one of his decades-old waffle irons. These include Lee Sui Yuen, who just happens to be my bubble waffle teacher. Many unemployed people turned to hawking to make a living. In the 1960s and 1970s, the city was experiencing another economic crisis, alongside an influx of new immigrants from mainland China. It’s said that the rise and fall of Hong Kong’s hawkers reflects the state of the city’s economy. The hawkers usually bought a few irons at once as the irons got confiscated all the time.” “In the ’70s, there were more street hawkers and demands for bubble waffle irons increased. “People couldn’t afford an entire egg waffle,” says waffle iron maker Leung, who was born in the 1950s. In those days, a bubble waffle was broken into 30 separate pieces, with each bubble sold on its own, instead of one big waffle as it’s served now. The waffle iron wasn’t molded to look like bubble wrap but, most likely, to mimic dozens of mini eggs. Leung Wing Cheung, the third-generation owner of the Choy Tung Shing kitchenware factory. Egg waffles embody the lifestyle of Hong Kong in the 1950s and exemplify the city’s transformation throughout the years.”īut still, I could find no concrete documentation about the backstory of egg waffles. Studying the history of food is closely related to the history of a city. “More people talk about food, not merely as a food review, but about the relationship between the community and our food. “In the last decade, there has been a rise in the need to understand our local identity in Hong Kong,” says Siu Yan Ho, a lecturer in food literature and cultural studies at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University. I was surprised by how the humble waffle has subtly weaved its way into becoming a strong part of our city’s history and culture since its invention in the 1950s. How was the first bubble waffle invented?Ī few years after my one-year stint as a bubble waffle vendor, I was back in Hong Kong and ready to learn more about the history and stories of the Hong Kong snack to which we’ve grown so accustomed. The rise of bubble tea, one of Taiwan's most beloved beverages “Hong Kong bubble waffle?” the Korean traveler asked. Nine months later, I opened for business in London. It was a soft pancake disguised as a bubble waffle.įrom that moment, I decided I’d introduce my own version of gai daan jai to London.īack in Hong Kong, I took a crash course from a retired waffle street vendor. I took a bite and instantly felt cheated. The “new” bubble waffle was rolled up into a cone, which was stuffed with colorful ice cream and toppings. It was a response to a bad gai daan jai experience a year earlier, when I tried a reinvented egg waffle in another London street food market. I used to hold similar views, until 2016, when I quit my full-time job and moved to London where, one cold winter, I opened a street market stall selling Hong Kong bubble waffles under an undersized tarp that barely kept out the relentless rainwater. The waffle is curled into a cone and filled with ice cream or whipped cream. What’s so special about Hong Kong egg waffles? “Are you sure you want to write about bubble waffles? Why not char siu (barbecue roasted pork) or something more remarkable?” “I’ve looked everywhere but couldn’t find anything about Hong Kong bubble waffle irons in my father’s old sketches and notes,” says Leung Wing Cheung, the third-generation owner of the century-old kitchenware store/factory. Choy Tung Shing is one the oldest remaining blacksmiths in Hong Kong – most famous for its handmade ovens used for Cantonese roasted pork and goose.īut there, too, the owner struggled with my request. “Choy Tung Shing may be your best chance.” “We all import our waffle irons from China these days,” said one shopkeeper. Filled with kitchenware shops, it’s a popular destination for those buying bubble waffle irons. I kicked off my quest with a visit to Shanghai Street in Kowloon. Called “gai daan jai” in Cantonese, their texture can be described as a cookie and sponge cake hybrid. When I decided to write a story about the origins of Hong Kong bubble waffles – also known as “egg waffles” – I thought it would be easy.Ī seemingly unexceptional cheap street food found throughout the city, these snacks are crispy on the outside, while each “bubble” is fluffy on the inside.
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