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Cha chaan teng

Cha chaan teng
Cha Chaan Teng 7267.JPG
Traditional Chinese 茶餐廳
Simplified Chinese 茶餐厅
Cantonese Yale cha4 chaan1 teng1
Literal meaning "tea restaurant"

A cha chaan teng (literally: tea restaurant) is commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau and parts of Guangdong. They are known for eclectic and affordable menus, which include dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. Since the mass migration of Hong Kong people in the 1980s they are also commonplace in many Western countries like Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, particularly in the Chinatown areas of many major cities.

In early Hong Kong, only high-class restaurants provided Western food and most of them did not serve local people. At that time, people saw western food as a luxury item. After the Second World War, Hong Kong culture was influenced by British culture. Hong Kong people started to like drinking tea and eating cakes. Therefore, some of the Hong Kong people set up the cha chaan teng and their target audience was local people. Providing different kinds of Canto-Western Cuisine and drinks with very low price led to them being regarded as "cheap western food", or "soy sauce western food" (si yau sai chaan, 豉油西餐).

In recent years, the management of cha chaan teng began to change in co-ordination with the development of Hong Kong economy and society. During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, cha chaan tengs became much more popular in Hong Kong as they still provided the cheapest food for the public. In April 2007, one of the Hong Kong political officers suggested that cha chaan teng be listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, because of its important role in Hong Kong society.

The name, literally "tea restaurant", serves to distinguish the restaurants from Western restaurants that provide water to customers instead of tea. Cha chaan teng establishments provide tea (usually weak tea) called "clear tea" (清茶 cing1 caa4), to customers as soon as they are seated. (Some patrons use this hot tea to wash their utensils, a common custom in Hong Kong.) The "tea" in the name refers to this inexpensive black tea, which differs from the traditional Chinese tea served in traditional dim sum restaurants and teahouses (茶樓 caa4 lau4).


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