Egg Vendor
( 雞蛋零售)
Hung (雄 - “hero”) 

Happy Valley( 跑馬地)

09:00 - 18:00



 

  “I grew up in Happy Valley. I’ve been living here and selling eggs since I was 10 years old and it’s been over 40 years now. My family used to live in the Jockey Club staff accommodation on Blue Pool Road (藍塘道). My father was a stable boy and looked after the horses for the races. He would get into work at 3am to walk the horses, to clean and feed them. We used to wake up to the sound of trotting horses every morning around Happy Valley. Dad would be done with his shift at 6am; and would then start his second job - selling eggs at the market. I am the middle child in a family of five children and I was the only one who couldn’t study well, so I ended up selling eggs with my father.”

「 我 喺 跑馬地大嘅。10歲起就喺 呢 道賣雞蛋， 依 家 已經40幾年喇。我細個屋企住喺藍塘道（Blue Pool Road）, 係賽馬會職員宿舍。我老豆係做馬夫嘅，負責照顧啲賽馬。佢凌晨3點就開始帶啲馬去行街，做清潔呀, 同餵啲馬。我哋跑馬地以前日日晨早就會聽到啲馬喺街周圍行。老豆凌晨6點輪完早班。跟住就開始佢第二份工作 - 喺街市賣雞蛋。我屋企五兄弟姐妹，係得我讀唔到書，所以我跟 咗 老豆賣雞蛋。 」

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  “When I was young, everyone called me ‘dahn zai’ (蛋仔 - “egg boy”), and as I got older, ‘dahn gor’ (蛋哥 - “egg brother”). Now I’m in my fifties so it’s just ‘dahn lo’ (蛋佬 - “egg guy”). We used to source all our eggs from the egg market in Sheung Wan, on ‘duck egg street’ (鴨蛋街). You probably don’t know this, but that street - officially named Wing Sing Street ( 永勝街 ) - used to be filled with egg suppliers. Now the whole area has been redeveloped. Do you know how to check if an egg is good? Shine a light on it. If it is clear, it’s a good egg. If you see a small black spot or dark shadow, the egg is still edible but not fresh. If it’s completely black, then it’s a smelly egg. Back in the day, some people used to ask specifically for smelly eggs because they were a lot cheaper. Apparently if you cook it with a lot of chives you can cover up the smell and it’s still edible. I don’t know - that’s what you do when you have to save money.”

「 我細個嗰時，個個都叫我 「 蛋仔 」 ，大大下叫 「 蛋哥 」 。 依 家 我五十幾 歲喇，所以 叫 「 蛋佬 」 。我 哋以 前 喺 鴨蛋街嘅雞蛋市場買貨。您未必知，嗰條街 - 正式名叫永勝街（Wing Sing Street）- 以前周圍都係雞蛋供應商。 依 家成 個區已經重建哂喇。你知唔知點樣睇 啲雞 蛋 靚 唔 靚 ？用燈照。如果清嘅話，係好蛋。如果見到有小黑點或者深色陰影，隻蛋仲可以食，不過唔新鮮。如果黑哂，就係臭蛋。以前有啲人專門來買臭雞蛋，因為平好多。話如果用多啲韭菜炒，可以掩蓋啲臭味，仲食得。我唔知呀 - 慳錢嘛。

 

  “After I finish up at the market, I then begin my night shift job as a cleaner for a building in Happy Valley. I’ve been doing this additional part time work since 1997, after the big financial crisis in Hong Kong. I take only a few days off a year - a lot of market vendors don’t take holidays. As I’m always working, I rarely get to see my extended family. They’ve given up on contacting me now since they know that I’m hardly ever available for family gatherings. When I do have some down time, I spend it with my wife and daughter. My daughter is an air stewardess. I like to sing old Chinese songs on the streets a lot, especially when I’m making deliveries. You know, like songs by Sam Hui (許冠傑)? Sometimes little kids will point at me and call me a ‘crazy man’. This will embarrass my daughter and she will ask me to stop singing so loudly. But I don’t care what other people say, I just keep singing. I don’t have high standards and I’m content with and grateful for what I have - that’s why I’m the happiest person in Happy Valley.” 

「 街市收檔，我就開始夜班工作，喺跑馬地一棟大廈做清潔。由97年香港金融風暴之後，我就一直打呢份兼職。我一年只放幾日假 - 好多街市供應商都唔放假嘅。我成日都好忙，所以好少見到我啲屋企人。佢哋都知道我多數冇時間參加家庭聚會，所以佢哋都冇乜聯繫我。真係有得休息時，我會陪老婆同個女。我個女係一位空中服務員。我鍾意喺街唱好多廣東舊歌，尤其是送貨嗰時。您識唔識許冠傑（Sam Hui）啲歌呀？有時候，啲細路會指著我，話我痴線。我個女就會好尷尬，叫我唔好咁大聲唱歌。不過我冇理人點講，我繼續唱。我要求唔高，對自己有嘅嘢知足，所以我係全跑馬地最開心嘅人。

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