Over the past couple of decades, Hong Kong has seen a rapid decline in the number of Dai Pai Dongs, with no new licenses issued since the 1970s. Furthermore, the licenses were only transferrable to the spouse (not to the next generation) after the licensee passed away, and could not be sold to a third party. 

These iconic food stalls have been part of the Hong Kong dining scene since the 1950s, and for many they are part of their childhood memories. While many people have recently begun to recognise their place in society and some are to be renovated, we still face the possibility of losing one of the most important food-cultural phenomena in Hong Kong.

A Cultural Decline 

Some of these stalls have indeed created environmental hygiene issues, noise nuisance, traffic hazard, as well as blocking of public areas. The Government has given a gentle push towards this decline by opening many large spaces in the upper floors of the wet market, allowing ex-street hawkers to set up shop inside these covered markets. 

In the past few years, the tide of conservation has spread to Dai Pai Dongs (DPDs). Many of them have successfully blended in with their neighbourhoods and are considered part of the local heritage. Hong Kongers have recognised the need to preserve what remains of our street food culture. 

In 2009, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) also planned to relax the requirements for succession and transfer of existing licenses of DPDs. The District Council will be consulted as to whether a license is allowed to be succeeded by or transferred to the licensee's spouse or other immediate family members.

The Final 28

There are 28 licensed street stalls remaining, with ten in Central, one in Wanchai, one on Lantau Island, two in Tai Hang and the rest in Sham Shui Po. If you try and visit every stall one by one, you simply cannot. A few of them are no longer in operation by the licensees themselves, and they are getting "help" from nearby stalls. The reason is that if a DPD license owner is no longer running the business, the FEHD will have to take away the license. With no conspicuous banner on the stall front, it is difficult to identify between stalls when a few congregate on one small street.  

The lucky 10 in Central have received notification from the FEHD that their stalls will receive subsidy for renovation. This means facilities will be enhanced to make it a safer and more comfortable dining experience for the patrons. The revamp will include installation of drainage pipes to create a cleaner environment, and Towngas pipes which will replace the individual gas stoves. The stalls will need to take one month off to allow for the renovation work to take place. 

When we talked to the licensees, they were not sure how much help they would receive from the Government with the conservation work, which is scheduled to begin in the near future. Some of the licensees also lamented that they will not receive subsidy for the loss of a month's income, and that they will also have to invest in some further refurbishment of their stalls, which could be relocated, depending on the District Council's decision. One thing for sure is that their licenses are now allowed to be transferred to an immediate family member. 

The Unlucky 14

With Central Dai Pai Dongs getting a makeover, the future is looking grim for the stalls in Sham Shui Po. Theoretically there are 14 licenses in this area and unlike their counterparts in Central, the Sham Shui Po stalls are more spread out and one would only find one or two at each spot. This means that any renovation initiative would be more costly and therefore less likely.

In addition, the area is one of the earliest developed districts in Hong Kong, but it has gone through serious urban decay in the past decades. It is in desperate need of a facelift, and many residents believe that eliminating the DPDs, which they see as a hygiene and traffic hazard, is necessary. Without the help of the District Council, the days for these low-priced dishes might be numbered.

When we visited Sham Shui Po in search for some authentic DPD milk tea and noodles with pork knuckles one afternoon, we found the owners of the stalls to be talkative and very dedicated to their work. However, when speaking of the future, their faces dropped. It is unlikely that their licenses will be renewed. One employed DPD chef, Mr Chung, told us the licensee is in his 90s and he is worried that he will be out of a job in the next few years. 

Another owner, Mr Lam from Oi Man Sang, proposes a DPD area, where a street is blocked as pedestrian zone with covers for food stalls. This is similar to the hawker centres in Singapore that successfully address the problem of unhygienic food preparation by street hawkers. Some of the owners are thinking ahead and have rented street-level shops next to the stalls and have turned them into proper restaurants with separate restaurant licenses. This way, patrons can enjoy both the flavourful dishes from a DPD stove, as well as make reservation for a table in air-conditioned surrounds. Moreover, when the licensee passes away, the stall can still continue its "legacy" by operating under the restaurant license. 

The Future

Is there enough demand to preserve the DPDs in Hong Kong, or should they be preserved because they are an important cultural phenomenon? This is no doubt going to be a hot topic in the coming years. We suggest visiting a DPD before the only place to see one is in a museum. 

To read our article on the dishes and characteristics of the city's remaining Dai Pai Dongs click http://www.womguide.com/hot-features/all-about/hong-kongs-dai-pai-dongs