Yim Tin Tsai – A Day

by Wyee Tsang

by Wyee Tsang

We spend money for deluxe food, but we miss the really simple dishes. We don’t have time for luxurious cooking, but we enjoy the time frying a beautiful sunny-side-up egg. We don’t merely have dreams, we produce something heavenly: We prepatre delicious food with creativity and salt – simply.

Yim Tin Tsai is a small island for people to revitalise their souls when they need a break. It is located 15 minutes of the coast of Sai Kung, Hong Kong, to be reached only by boat. It’s special features are:

– a very atmospheric Hakka Village surrounding a pittoresque Catholic Church;
– a particular traditional local industry: Salt Evaporation; and
– a beautiful, intact natural environment and eco-microsystem.

My project offers the unique experience of the passage of one day in a place like Yim Tin Tsai, articulated through the meals taken throughout it. Salt is the very basic ingredient of many Hakka-dishes and it offers the linkage to Yim Tin Tsai and its particular culture. The experiences surrounding the production of salt in the renovated salt fields of Yim Tin Tsai introduce a unique facet of Hong Kong traditions.

To further engage the visitor she is invited to share three specially created Hakka dishes:

– Hakka Salted Vegetables Pork Nuomici (morning);
– Hakka Dried Radish Pork Sticky Rice Cake (noon); and
– Yim Tin Tsai Rice Ball (night).

Each dish stands for a unique story, to be experienced by the visitor directly, simply and for real.

Project video at YouTube: http://youtu.be/7GLLAkrbU_I