stuff.

just started thinking about this stuff one afternoon... most of these things can be found in toronto, but they are still best eaten right at the market, or on the streets, under a tarp, and sitting at a folding table on folding stools. how i miss hk in the 90s

• fresh from the oven egg tarts. we get these here, but they're best eaten right at the bakery. no one does that anymore.
  
• 菠蘿油 (hot custard buns with a slab of butter in the middle)
  
• raisin bread
  
• hot dog buns - the chinese bakery kind
  
• ham and egg sandwiches on white toast with loads of butter. with crusts cut off
  
• ham and egg on macaroni in soup.
  
• vitasoy. there was one time when the church crowd was at one of those street food places. all the kids had a vitasoy and we imagined the boxes were little robots. hours of fun.
  
• fish balls and fish cakes on rice noodles. i'm referring to the cheapo 魚片 fish cakes, not the fancy japanese stuff we get nowadays
  
• cola in tall glass bottles
  
• deep fried french toast with lots of syrup. we used to go to this one street-tarp place for breakfast. mmm syrup. the toast at bubble tea places comes the closest.
  
• japanese fish sausages
  
• 紙包蛋糕 (spongecake "cupcakes") - this is one of the things that've never tasted the same. none of the bakeries here make it like they do in hk
  
• 魚肉燒賣 (fish siumai) on a stick, with a drizzle of soy sauce, fresh from the market vendor. this one too... i get them from first markham once in a while, but i think the fish they use is different. also the soy sauce.
  
• curry fishballs on a stick. it's not the same without the stick :D
  
• spaghetti bolognaise from hk cafes. or ox tongue on spaghetti. there was this cafe that we went to sometimes after church. i remember going there one afternoon during a typhoon.
  
• ground beef and egg in rice. my mom used to make this in the rice cooker. she'd stir in the egg and the beef when the rice was almost done.
  
• rebena
  
• ovaltine
  
• homemade popsicles from orange juice or diluted sweetened condensed milk.
  

gotta hit up a really cheap cafe some time :)