Things change ...

There are in Hong Kong, but for not much longer, dai pai dong stands (apparently this means “big permit stall” for the size of the permits they where issued with originally) they came into their heyday in the 1960’s when the population of Hong Kong was growing rapidly. They are cooked food stalls where you can sit and get a bowl of noodles, a cup of tea or some congee. A few years back the Hong Kong govt. decided they where a menace to health and hygiene. Now, when the permit holder dies the permit can only be transferred to their spouse. As a result they are literally dying out.

This is the “memory” of one that has now been pulled down. Hey, maybe a Starbucks or Pizza Hutt will go in instead.

Some might read a sense of irony in my diptych, what can I say.

I have also found this series on the last day of a dai pai dong by a local photographer which is worth a view www.flickr.com/photos/ahorizon/42032336/in/set-921379/