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| "The Malted Mocha" |
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Nate talks that one time he contributed to Hong Kong food history on a sweltering day.
A few years back, I was walking around Tuen Mun with my mom who was visiting. We stopped at a Hong Kong-style cafe (茶餐廳 caa caan teng or CCT) in a residential block for lunch. Craving a cold drink on a muggy summer day I ordered a cold Ovaltine, a popular beverage made from malted drink mix. This is called a Dong O-Wah-Teen or Dong-Wah-Teen in restaurant shorthand.
Feeling a bit sluggish after my meal, I asked the uncle taking my order if he could add a scoop of coffee and, instinctively worried the cheap coffee powder might make it too bitter, a scoop of chocolate (Milo) powder to balance it out. After confirming the order with me (as opposed to flat-out refusing and yelling at me as one can plausibly expect), the uncle headed back to the kitchen and came back shortly after.
I took a swig and instantly perked up. No, it wasn't the caffeine working its magic, but how remarkably well all the flavors balanced. The result was something that tasted remarkably like a mochaccino, but the subtle malted flavor of Ovaltine gave it an extra layer that made it feel like I was drinking an entire chocolate-covered digestif dipped in coffee.
Thus, the humble Feh Wah Teen (in Chinese, Feh is short from for coffee, and Wah Teen is the Chinese pronunciation of Ovaltine).
Knowing I was holding a cold glass of something special between my hands, I took my time with this one (as opposed to just about every other beverage I order at a CCT that isn't a red bean ice), relishing my "contribution" back to Hong Kong food history.
Unceremonious as it was, the taste memory sticks with me even though I frankly have not had another one since. Its complexity makes it rare like a moonflower as you're both unlikely to get your average CCT wait staff to even agree to make this for you at any hour and you're just as unlikely to have so many jars of sugary drink mix at home — I certainly don't.
So where do we go from here? I suppose you could treat yourself and try making it with milk instead of the usual water or if you're feeling sinful, add a dash of sweetened condensed milk. Otherwise, the next unexplored frontier for the Malted Mocha is probably trying it with Horlicks, another powdered malt beverage that's popular here.
That said, if you ever want to try the original 啡華田 Feh Wah Teen or as call it in English, a "Malted Mocca" for yourself and you nail the ratio like this uncle did on the first try (without tasting, no less...I hope) I'd love to hear about it.
- Nate
Btw: If you like coffee but also as a means to perk you up after your night out has all but drained you, you might consider ordering an Earl Simmons from Yardbird. Another invented beverage by Eugene — one similarly conceived out of necessity over curiosity — it combines coffee shochū with mezcal to give you a much-needed caffeine kick while prolonging your buzz.
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The Bulletin
Listen and see the latest from MAEKAN and the community. |
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Making It Up 181: Creative writing with language AI and sexism in women’s athletic uniforms
Eugene and Charis discuss “Ghosts” by Vauhini Vara, a creative writing piece written with the assistance of the language AI GPT-3 (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer 3). They also talk about sexism and double standards in sports as seen in recent discussions around uniform requirements in women’s sports.
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| For Your A-10-tion |
The best links from across the Internet.
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1. 👟 Oaxacan Artist Collective La Mesa Puerca On Their Vans x Aries Collaboration
An interview featured here includes the members behind Oaxacan artist collective La Mesa Puerca and their recent work for UK streetwear brand Aries' capsule with Vans. Coming from a range of diverse backgrounds the six-person crew commands a skillset that spans graphic design, screen printing, tattooing, ceramics, and sculpture, among other disciplines.
2. 🍪 Manchester City Introduces Cookie-Based Coffee Cups At Football Games
Etihad Stadium, the English Premier League's home, Etihad Stadium will be trialing hot drinks served in edible cups ahead of the upcoming season. Made by Scotland-based BioBite, the 220ml cups are made of mostly wheat flour, oat bran, and water and can withstand temperatures up to 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit). They also stay crispy for up to 45 minutes and leak-proof up to 12 hours without using any sugar, wax, or artificial coatings.
3. 📷 Why Has The Camera Industry Lagged In Integrating GNSS?
The US-developed GPS we're familiar with is a form of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the one we're most familiar with. However, despite the fact we're used to geotagging photos taken with our smartphones, which often have a built-in GNSS receiver, Nikhon's upcoming N2014 marks one of the first noteworthy implementations of the tech in a camera. Mike Smith looks at why it's been such a long time coming.
4. 🎞️ Watch: Serial Parallels, Max Hattler's Experimental Animation Featuring Hong Kong's High Rises
Description: This experimental animation by Max Hattler approaches Hong Kong’s built environment from the conceptual perspective of celluloid film, by applying the technique of film animation to the photographic image. The city’s signature architecture of horizon-eclipsing housing estates is reimagined as parallel rows of film strips: Serial Parallels.
5. 💸 Crypto platform hit by $600 million heist asks hacker to join the team.
Poly Network, a decentralized finance project that allows users to swap tokens from one digital ledger to another was recently attacked by a hacker exploiting a flaw in their code. The hacker (or team of them) made off with more than $600 million worth of tokens, but in a twist, returned most of the money. Dubbing the hacker "Mr. White Hat," Poly not only offered the hacker a handsome "bug bounty" for finding the flaw, but also offered them a position (even as the hacker continues to toy with the company).
"To extend our thanks and encourage Mr. White Hat to continue contributing to security advancement in the blockchain world together with Poly Network, we cordially invite Mr. White Hat to be the Chief Security Advisor of Poly Network."
6. 🥁 Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts Dies At Age 80
A look back on the life of Charles Robert “Charlie” Watts, who passed away peacefully in a London hospital on August 24. Remembered as the heartbeat of the Rolling Stones, his mastery of rhythm was crucial to the band's hits, in spite of being able to embrace life on terms separate from the band's fame.
"I love this band, but it doesn’t mean everything to me,” Watts said in 1981. “I always think this band is going to fold up all the time — I really do. I never thought it would last five minutes, but I figured I’d live that five minutes to the hilt because I love them. I don’t care if I retire now, but I don’t know what I’d do if I stopped doing this. I’d go mad.”
7. 🎮 How Gaming Rose To The Top Of The Entertainment Food Chain
Creator Economy's Peter Yang breaks down gaming's role in directly outcompeting the likes of film, television, and sports. He also addresses the impact of gaming on music, fitness, fashion, e-commerce, healthcare, and employment.
8. 🍎 Apple Workers Twitter Account Calls On Colleagues To Go Public
A collective of current and former Apple employees have started a Twitter account called Apple Workers and recently called on colleagues to share stories of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation they experienced while working there. The employees say their decision to go public comes after exhausting all "internal avenues" for addressing concerns.
9. 😕 The Persistent Impact Of Name Discrimination
Amit Katwala explores the ways in which name discrimination continues to persist and has impacted his life, consulting University of Toronto associate professor Sonia Kang, who has conducted extensive research into name discrimination and CV whitening. As Amit writes:
"It’s hard, if not impossible, to disassociate name discrimination from straight up racism. But research from Sweden found that immigrants who adopted Nordic-sounding surnames had better outcomes than those who kept their original names – their earnings increased by 26 per cent on average. (In the UK, it costs £18 to change your name by deed poll). There’s been little research done looking at the role first names might play – but some indications from studies that mixed Western-sounding first names with foreign surnames 'isn’t enough to eliminate the discrimination,' Kang says."
10. 🍽️ How Celebrity Chefs Warped Our View of Real-World Restaurant Abuse
An interview with Dr. Ellen Meiser and Dr. Penn Pantumsinchai — hosts of the podcast The Social Breakdown — and authors of an academic article called “The Normalization of Violence in Commercial Kitchens Through Food Media,” which explores how those entering the restaurant industry have come to expect abuse due to the influence of media and celebrity chefs. As Pantumsinchai says:
"We’re not saying these individuals cause violent behavior, but it informs the context and normalizes that behavior. An individual enters the industry and sees something, and thinks, I saw that on TV and nobody else is reacting so I guess it’s okay, even if, in any other workplace, something would result in an HR complaint. You don’t expect your boss in an office environment to throw a stapler at you, but in the kitchen environment it seems “normal.” We have to put quotes around everything because, coming from sociology, these are all just social constructions; people create these ideas and then act upon them as their lived reality."
The Surreal Work of Fashion Photographer Hiro, Who Recently Passed Away at Age 90
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