Romancing Home: Sweet & Sour Hong Kong

Abstract

A duel scene, somewhat reminiscent of West Side Story, is taking place on the stage. It is a battle for business between a Chinese noodle shop and a pizza place; it is also a battle of contrasting colors, dance moves, and music styles. The stage is divided into two wings. On stage right is a crew-cut young man leading a group of sexagenarians from Fu Ji Dragon-beard Noodles. All dressed in grayish Chinese sweatshirts and culottes, they are making gongfu moves, chanting and boasting that their noodles and dumplings are handmade in traditional Beijing style. Their opponents, stage left, are a group of young people from Sun’s Pizza, who are dancing hip-hop in bright orange and white uniforms. In a rap-like refrain, they are hyping their “international” pizzas, which are said to contain foreign ingredients from Italy, Britain, and Japan. The two camps are parading about, in and out of tune with each other. Harmony does not come about until they agree on the spirit of food delivery—putting the customers first, working round the clock, and earning every penny—which somehow echoes the so-called spirit of Hong Kong.