巴不得講排檔

幾年前有一套小品電視劇,叫「爸不得爸爸」,描寫既係五六十年代既那些年香港,主角楚慈同楚帆既故事.內裏既故事情節好多都已經應該唔記得,但最記得既,係呢一幕……

I would like to start this entry with the show "A chip off the old block."

Few years ago, there was a Cantonese soap opera called "A chip off the old block," the show basically depicted the basic life of a Hong Kong Citizen in the 50s/60s.  Though I have already forgotten most parts of the show, the following scene still imprinted in my mind…

點解隻老鼠俾人當網球咁拍都唔死係一個謎,但類似呢兩個既熟食大排檔,响今時今日既香港,已經成為稀有動物,但有冇人知當年佢地梗有一檔响左近既程度,係多過今日7-Eleven同Circle-K既總和呢?

While readers might be side-tracked by the fact that how the mouse could still alive after numerous spankings, I would like to focus on the two hawker stalls a.k.a Dai Pai Dong in the show.  People might not be familiar with the setting of the scenes.  Could one ever imagine they are once outnumbered the sum of 7-Eleven and Circle-K nowadays?

 唉,成日都未發市,等我打爛一隻,欣賞十五分鐘,再打掃十分鐘,應該可以平伏我未發市既心情......最少三十分鐘內,反正人生既充滿色彩的啊(不過唔知我打爛左五分鐘後會唔會已經俾人拉)

呢種攤檔既正式名稱叫固定攤檔,响百佳同惠康仲未出現,TASTE,GREAT同CITYSUPER仲未進駐大商場,天星碼頭仲响中環,中央冇香港照顧就分分鐘完蛋既時代,呢類檔口分佈港九(新界當年仲係新界—未開發),數以萬計,通街都有,賣既野琳瑯滿目,衣食住行照顧周到:柴米油鹽,衫褲鞋襪,水電三行,娛樂物品,包羅萬有. 

The official name of these types of stalls are called fixed pitch stall.  Before Park and Shop and Wellcome were ever existed; TASTE, GREAT and CITYSUPER still had not invaded the major shopping malls; when star ferry was still located in Central; Victoria Harbor was still a "Harbor;" and when Hong Kong can still survive without the support of the PRC, these types of stalls could be found anywhere on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula (Noted that New Territories was still under development).  They were all over the place selling a full range of products from daily necessities to cute accessories and usually operated by the sidewalk of the major streets.  As a growing number of families depends their livings on operating in stalls and as more and more successful business models evolved from these stalls, colonial Hong Kong government started to issue licenses to these stalls in a way to supervise and monitor them.

吔飯啦!

呢類檔口多數响馬路旁營業,唔少人就靠呢啲檔口養活一家.嗰啲美麗既都市童話如「灣仔碼頭臧姑娘」就係由嗰陣開始.當時政府雖然有透過發牌作出規管,但貨品質素毫無保障,有咩意外消費者自己負責.話雖如此,大家嗰陣分分鐘係連二手飯都冇得食既人,對地溝油同頭髮鼓油呢類野亦冇乜認知,所以其實都分分種細菌當補品而不自知.既然冇病有痛,就照食可也.

就算里巷之間,都叫賣之聲不絕

時移世易,到左七十年代,當時既市政局眼見市容日非,攤檔帶來大量垃圾同道路阻塞,一聲令下, 對小販作出「職業清洗」--唔再發新既攤檔牌照,現有既牌照只可以由家庭親屬繼承,再全面掃蕩無牌擺賣小販,同時加強宣傳,塑造一個比公廁牛雜更污糟既小販型像……

As time passed, in the 70s, due to the messiness and the amount of garbage these stalls has created to the city, colonial Hong Kong Government made a drastic decision to cleanse the city by proposing the following measures; 1) stop issuing new licenses, 2) only allow the transfer of licenses to spouse, 3) penalize unlicensed stalls, and 4) create a very negative image for stalls.

就係咁,小販業就好似一個响聖誕節去譚仔食米線既毒男,瑟縮响牆角,連叫人起身借過既勇氣都冇.只可以响度任人魚肉,因為香港冇人會同情佢地,將佢地同污糟邋遢畫上等號.香港既小販响呢個時候永不超身,連想做個好人既機會都冇……等待住佢地既就係隨時代淘汰,成為星塵既回憶

Thanks to the power of the mass media, the ads campaign was a success.  The brain-washing ads has imprinted a very negative image of stalls in the new generations.  Since then, Stalls operation started to diminish and decline.

雖然政府同時對廟街,利源東西二街等排檔集中地包裝成旅遊景點,但係小販政策一直原封不動,隻字不改,一方面有得佢地自然消失,一方面就想响排檔完成其歷史使命前賺盡一分一毫,每當有人想政府再發牌,就總係要食環「闖禍」時,先至會以恩恤又或者平息民怨既態度,發放牌照,好似早前既擦鞋伯伯事件.而對民園麫家,就更係鐵腕處理.

民園麵家事件,其實唔係第一單,早在香港開埠,我地既政府早就想拎大牌檔開刀

時光飛逝,當柯景騰變為九把刀,香港冇左中央照顧就要完蛋既千禧年代,情況出現左轉機

2009年,經濟大蕭條,銀行想你借錢既電話變得仲乞人憎過日日响fb貼自己食左啲乜野既女仔既時候,政府為左減低失業,決定响維持現有攤檔數目既前提下,將空置緊既固定攤位開放抽籤俾新經營者去經營,又或者比其他仲營業緊既攤檔擴充營業,同時間廢除現有牌照再續期時既繼承制度,確保牌照流動,就係咁,香港既小販業就好似枯木逢春既老處女咁,得到滋潤重生既機會.

In 2009, accompany with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers and the downsizing of several investment banks.  The credit crushes had already created an opportunities for the Stalls; in order to lower the unemployment rate, HKSAR government decided to open the previously unoccupied stall locations to the general public through allotment, in additions, she also allows the expansion of existing stalls and allow the demolished the original regulation in regard of the transfer of licenses and allow them to be transferred to any persons.  As a result, people start to see opportunities in stall business just like seeing light at the end of the tunnel.

呢個blog設立既其中一個目的,就係希望可以趁小販浴火重生既契機,搵出香港散落既檔位,或者仲係碩果僅存既士多,雜貨舖,甚至係特色既小店,令大家知道作為消費者,唔一定只可以幫趁大集團,消費既最大既力量,就係選擇既權利,响呢度,你甚至可以响度搵到心頭好舖位,第日可以乘政府再度抽籤既契機,開創自己的ANOTHER STORE!

One of the purposes of setting up this blog is to help promoting stalls, locating them and cast light on the fact that consumers have a lot of other choices besides shopping in malls and supermarkets.

當然,我地只有兩丁友, 唔可以行盡天下舖,但係網上世界,無遠弗屆,如果你見到你既住處附近有任何既小商舖想同人分享,不妨响我地既facebook page留低資料,我地會盡快整理,再响呢度,又或者其他地方發佈!

We hope anyone could join us in promoting local stalls.  Should any one of you discover any interesting stalls around you and would like to share with us.  Please feel free to leave the details on our Facebook page and we will reorganize them and share them ASAP!