Visit 3 snake shops in Hong Kong, dismantle the mystery of the decline of snake soup, the third generation of snake kings in Sheung Wan from 16 years old to 74 years old, causeway Bay Snake King second former store manager sighed that the family business is limited to the development of the industry!
Walking on the street, Snake King Lin, Snake King II, Snake King Karma, Snake King Association, Snake King Grace, Snake King Source... all are snake kings! Think there are a lot of snake kings? First of all, the "snake" fights the tiger, who is the real snake king? In addition, the culture of eating snake soup in Hong Kong has quietly declined; in the past, Hong Kong ate snake soup, alone in the world, according to Jiang Taishi's granddaughter Jiang Xianzhu said of the five snake soups: "Grandfather Jiang Kong Yin Taishi, intensive diet, in the early twenties of the last century, Guangzhou food altar only Tai Shi Di, ma shou is Zhan, Jiang family cooks rule dishes, the major restaurants are competing to imitate, of which Ether Shi snake soup is particularly popular. However, "But today's snake soup is no longer what it used to be, since the Battle of Sars, wild snakes have been forbidden to enter, and only one kind of ice-cold water snake can be raised (Editor's note: wild snakes can still be imported, but the number has decreased significantly.") Iced snake meat is not only a kind of water snake), there are no more five snakes. Coupled with today's chicken has no chicken taste, meat has no meat taste, ham is salty and not fragrant, even if the chef has great skill, it will not help. The fact is that during the SARS period, the number of snake shops suddenly dropped from about 60 to more than 20, do we have to re-understand this unique culture of Hong Kong?
On that day, he made an appointment with Master Ho of the "Snake King Forest" in Sheung Wan, and the shop guy said, "Master Ho went to catch snakes!" After waiting for two hours, Master Ho finally appeared, smiled and said, "The Fisheries Protection Department told me to catch snakes!" Snake King Lin He Zhuoxing, this year seventy out of three, is the third generation of Snake King Lin, from the age of 16 to now. "When I was a child, I often saw and asked those live snakes like this, I was very curious, and at that time, the boss recognized me again, saying that young people like to play with snakes so much, why not work here?" 」 Master He thought to himself, Well, it's a craft anyway. "When I first started the industry, I was asked to sleep on a snake box so that I wouldn't get bitten by a snake."
Speaking of the bowl of snakes, "I dare not say that it is 'Taishi Five Snake Soup', people who used to do Taishi Five Snake Soup are very particular, they must match all snake breeds, and now the snake soup will never be matched; in addition, now there is no snake shop that will still use live snakes to make snake soup, and all people will use snakes that have been slaughtered, which is not as good as before." However, in addition to the lack of live snakes as ingredients, the snakes are still ancient and tasteful. After a few bites, I was warm. "Snakes are very medicinal, I have a guest who always comes to eat a bowl before going to work every day, that tube is spring, summer, autumn and winter, eating 360 days a year; except for a few days of holidays in the lunar calendar, he said that he did not see a doctor in adulthood." 」 In addition, snake bile and snake wine can also be eaten in the Snake King Forest, and what is more interesting is that they are sold one by one.
"You may not have heard that the older generation of people call snake soup as a civilian tonic, and those who are engaged in manual labor work can supplement their bodies by eating a bowl of hot and spicy snake soup after work." 」 Snake King Liang boss Ye Guoliang said. Although it may not be as old as the Snake King Lin, there are also certain guests, only because the Snake King Liang pays more attention to the medicinal effect. "In addition to the snake itself, our snake soup is a supplement, but also add pepper root, to drive away the cold and warm the stomach, but also to relax the muscles and vitality; but the pepper root is very dry and hot, I add sand ginseng and jade bamboo, can be moist, as well as night vine, which is conducive to stopping skin itching and calming the nerves, and it will feel more comfortable to eat." The snake king is like a half Chinese medicine doctor.
Sure enough, in addition to snake soup, another thing of Snake King Liang is stew soup, cordyceps Huai Berry stewed bamboo silk chicken deer tail Huai Qi stew bamboo silk chicken Goryeo ginseng angelica stewed milk pigeon Goryeo Ejiao bamboo wire chicken stew snake Changbaishan ginseng stew lamb Ginseng Dendrobium ringing snail water duck, all using noble medicinal materials. "In the past, the average person who was sick did not always look for a doctor, but would find some tonic soup to nourish." "Soup" to get rid of the disease! Think the snake soup here will have a strong medicinal taste? There is a medicinal taste, but it feels really comfortable to drink. Like most snake shops, the snake soup here is also served with lemon leaves, which makes it feel more refreshing and refreshing. No wonder, eating snake soup is not only a taste, but a therapeutic culture of Cantonese cuisine.
The name of snake king Xi is unknown, but if you tell you that snake king Xi was formerly the second snake king, you will think of that bowl of sticky rice. The boss, Xi Ge, is the manager of Snake King II, and after the old store closed, he returned to his old business with a group of guys. Now, many snake kings in the market also sell glutinous rice, "this food method can be energyed from the 70s, when people ate the snake soup after a little bit of snake soup is not full, so they think of a bowl of sticky rice, only because the two are also stomach-warming food." 」
Unlike Snake King Lin or Snake King Liang, who pays attention to medicinal effects, Snake King Xi pursues taste more. "The snake soup here is based on snake soup and is simmered for 8 to 10 hours with old chicken, pork, ham and snake meat. In the past, Snake King II would also add pig motley, but I thought that the texture of the pig was too rough, so I improved it." Replace it with flower glue! "The gum is smooth and tender, but it also has a tonic effect, we will first soak it in snake soup to make it more flavorful, and the snake soup will become more expensive." In addition to lemon leaves and thin crisps, Snake King Xi will also attach chrysanthemums, "Teacher Fu said that chrysanthemums have a bright effect of clearing heat."
Why are most of the snake shops in the market family-run and rarely have branches? Xi Ge laughed and said, "Snake shops are usually family-owned businesses, which limits the development of shops; the previous generation works hard to operate, and the next generation provides books and teachings, and their interest in inheriting the ancestral business is even weaker." Coupled with the fact that the snake shop only has a few months of good business a year, the operation is not easy; the old shops are closed one by one, and the industry has been nearly eliminated.
Master Ho of Snake King Lin in Sheung Wan also said that the snake industry has gradually declined, "Of course, it is a pity if there is no more, but for me, from working when I was young to now, I also have feelings for the 'Snake King', this sign has been for decades, I will not be able to do it myself, or when I can't do it, others will not hire me." 」
