Street Food Series – Hong Kong, Trinidad & Tobago, and Wales
Dear Brave Explorers,
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to have a joyfully vibrant time during your mobility experience. You may think you only have to focus on your studies, or your internship or volunteering, but food can be an essential part of your language-learning journey!
As you embark on your new mobility journey, one of the pleasures of this era of your life will be exploring the local cuisines. Join me on a delicious culinary tour of STREET FOOD in the Anglophone diaspora.
I know, I know, you might be saying, “But, Iya, there are thousands upon thousands of tasty treats, how will you list them all?” And the simple answer is this, my friends: I won’t! You will fill in the rest by telling us what street foods YOU love.
So, start thinking back to those times when you were walking around the streets chatting with friends and eating some scrumptious num-nums. Maybe you were strolling through Hong Kong, or maybe along the beaches of Trinidad. Wherever you were, share your memory of a food you ate while strolling about.
This article will get you started on a few tasty treats to try. So, let’s kick off the journey with a tour of Street Foods in four English-speaking nations: Wales, Hong Kong, and Trinidad & Tobago.
HONG KONG
Source: Public Domain
Sugar Cane Juice
This popular beverage can be found at nearly every food stall and street food vendor in Hong Kong. Fresh sugar cane stalks are cut and then placed into a machine that churns and grinds the fibrous pulp to extract the delicious sap. Refresh yourself with a nice cup of juice as you wander to your next food stall.
PS: Watch this cool video to see how popular this drink is around the world!
The Three Treasures
The name alone is intriguing enough for me to want to try these! Many food stalls will have this uniquely Hong Kongian specialty of in which morels of eggplant, tofu, and bell pepper are stuffed with fish paste and then fried. You can order each dish separately, or all three at once to give yourself variety. Usually eaten with soy sauce, enjoy these robust flavors with local friends the next time you’re strolling along the streets of Hong Kong.
WALES
Source: Public Domain
Laverbread
You would be forgiven for thinking this next Welsh delight has to do with bread, but it doesn’t! Laverbread is a traditional Welsh food made by boiling laver (seaweed) until it breaks down into a brown-black pulp. High in essential nutrients like iodine, zinc, iron and more; grab a spoonful smeared on a tasty oatcake as a quick and easy mobile snack.
Welsh Food Festivals
Mark your calendars and get ready to explore traditional Welsh cuisine and modern takes on classics as you enjoy getting to know local culture through their food festivals!
Pembrokeshire Street Food Festival occurs in June in the picturesque seaside town of Tenby. This multiday food extravaganza will have your head spinning with foods from Wales and abroad.
The Pembrokeshire Fish Week Festival is exactly what it sounds like. Also occurring in June for nine days, this is a festival devoted to creatively cooking fish. Not a fan of fish? Don’t worry! This foodie festival has something for everyone.
I know what you’re thinking and you’re not wrong for thinking it! Noo, not ALL Welsh food festivals happen in Pembrokeshire, but it does seem like it! The Lampeter’s Food Festival is great for friends and families and great opportunity to go from stall to stall sampling everything from artisan cheeses to organic vegetables and traditionally preserved jams.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Source: Public Domain
Doubles
This twin-island nation will have your mouth watering (and maybe your eyes too!) with this popular, spicy street food. Doubles, made with long simmered curry chickpeas folded into soft, fried flatbread with the optional condiments of tamarind sauce, mango chutney, coriander sauces and others.
Bake and Shark
What’s in a name? Well, in this case: literally a shark but the bread isn’t baked! Language is fun and fluid in this Caribbean nation, so the bread is actually fried bread to make this popular shark sandwich. A thick cut of shark is battered and fried and like the doubles above, you can dress it up with a plethora of different toppings and sauces: cucumber, pineapple slices, tomato, mango, cole slaw, lettuce, chandon beni dressing or tamarind sauce. Feeling spicy? Add hot pepper sauce for the win!
OVER TO YOU!
Yuuuummmm!! Have you ever been to the three countries mentioned above? Have you tried any street foods in Trinidad & Tobago, Hong Kong or Wales? Tell us about it and any other street foods you’ve tried. Curious to learn more about street foods in other countries? Let us know by clicking Reply below!
Iya, OLS Community Manager - English
