User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Cha chaan teng

Description

 * Cha chaan tengs serve a wide range of food, from casual Cantonese items to Western-inspired dishes like pork cutlets and steak
 * The Western influence in the food served at a cha chaan teng reflects Hong Kong's ties to Britain
 * Cha chaan tengs are open throughout the day, with its peak hours at mid-morning and late afternoon


 * The literal name of cha chaan teng, "tea restaurant"

History

 * After World War II, Hong Kong turned to manufacturing to successfully bolster its local economy
 * As the standard of living in Hong Kong rose in the 1960s, multiple food shops, such as the cha chaan teng, appeared
 * These restaurants catered to factory workers who needed a fast and cheap meal, and who could occasionally afford some of the more Western food items

Food

 * Common breakfast items include scrambled egg sandwiches and macaroni soup with ham slices
 * Instant noodles served with Spam and a fried egg became a popular breakfast item after Nissin Foods began selling Demae Iccho branded ramen in Hong Kong in 1969
 * For lunch and dinner, cha chaan tengs will serve items like Yangzhou fried rice and Singaporean fried noodles
 * Other staples include baked pork chop rice (a pork chop covered in sauce and cheese on a bed of rice)
 * Some cha chaan tengs also offer Southeast Asian dishes, like char kway teow, Hainanese chicken rice, curry mee, and noodles with beef in peanut sauce.
 * Snacks served include Hong Kong-style French toast

Drinks

 * Drinks include the popular Hong Kong-style milk tea, a mixture of black tea and evaporated milk strained through a silk stocking
 * Establishments also serve iced lemon tea, and yuenyeung, a blend of coffee and milk tea

In media and popular culture

 * During a 2007 Legislative Council session, Choy So-yuk proposed that the cha chaan teng be recognised and suggested for inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
 * The proposal came about after a Hong Kong poll found that seven out of ten people believed the cafes deserved a UNESCO cultural listing
 * Despite these proposals, cha chaan teng was not added to UNESCO's lists
 * However, cha chaan tengs remain a popular setting for Hong Kong film and television
 * China Cafe has been seen in films like Once Upon a Time in Triad Society (1996), Fulltime Killer (2001), PTU (2003), and Election (2005)