On my recent trip to Hong Kong, I got to explore Kowloon City. Unlike Mong Kok and Central, this place will not impress you with it's trendiness or with any high fashion shops that Hong Kong is famous for. Instead, Kowloon City entrances visitors with it's aged personality where hints of Thailand ribbons it's way through the street.
The unbearing humidity beckoned by the passing showers and the heat made exploring harder but it becomes the norm. This shop encapsulates the essence of Hong Kong life in the 1970s (according to my mum who is a native) before the introduction of supermarket chains. Loyal customers keep breathing life into this shop desiring a truly authentic shopping experience where rows upon rows of stacked sauces tower of each individuals head. The natural movement of tiptoeing on the balls of the feet to reach for the desired sauce which adorns that nights dinner. As you shuffle through the aisles, your lasting footprints enriches the visible wear of the floor where the past and the present merge into one.
As the days come and go, these authentic supermarkets are becoming more and more scarce. If the opportunity presents itself, instead of withdrawing back from the aged and messy clutter- go in to find the hidden gems of the past.
