除夕下午太陽和石欄上的點滴翠藤為這片海畔染上點點生機。一整個下午都被粉紅色木迷住,半封信都寫不完,但不打緊,就這樣坐着發夢已很好。編輯先生給我看了一幀舊照片,相中拍到寫着「蛋撻」兩字的招牌﹣這種事情令人開心得想叫出來。心情不好的日子,新找到那數本十九世紀香港舊日記就如止痛藥般,裹面記錄了當時的市集廟宇、油鹽家常等事,也有一八六零年代遊客們在維多利亞城上酒吧吃早餐的雜文,平常人家瑣憶粹感往往卻是最珍貴的。坐在細軟沙灘上看見太陽不一會便躲到水平線下,遠方的高山小島、慢慢駛過的小船都被夜色染成層層有深有淺的藍。我們趕着去參加派對,經過赤柱和大潭水壩回到北邊。跟聖誕夜同一個工作室,煮同樣的海鮮煲,但邀請了少一半的人,卻喝同樣二十瓶酒,這次大家都能都圍在長桌旁談天,感覺很kinfolk, 很溫暖。
這是陶瓷工作室,陶瓷家老虎先生除了把剛焗好新鮮熱辣的杯碟從窯裹拿出來給我們立刻使用,還焗了香蕉蛋糕、巧克力蛋糕、檸檬芝士蛋糕和香蕉巧克力蛋糕。而編輯先生則早於昨天在一家古舊港式茶餐廳買來十分迷人的傳統層層蛋糕放在冰箱裏。那個蛋糕十分漂亮,很想再多看一會,下次要找出它的歴史和研究怎樣做。虎媽跟上回一樣煮虎蝦,有人把香檳都加進花蟹花甲魷魚大蝦海鮮煲中;大家都搶着喝海鮮湯,有叔叔嚷着要玩塔羅咭。我們在桌下繼續閱讀十九世紀的文件,找到最早紀錄的釘書匠、印刷店、畫家、酒吧、西餅店等。最後老虎先生端出另一個鍋來,用海鮮湯煲成一鍋意大利飯,所有人都爭着遞上自己做的陶瓷碗去載。昨天一整天都有點不適,但現在想起太陽下的溫暖還會微笑,很喜歡南區海灘上輕輕的海浪聲,看見月亮、星星,還有小船上的燈在深藍色的海上緩緩溜過。
“I passed a little street of cook-shops. Here they chop everything they sell into little bits, with onions and herbs, and put them into a cornet made of a dried leaf - the same as used for fans. The women were marketing, buying eggs, fruit etc. One bought half a duck, which was also cut up into little bits, head and all. A traiteur was making a stew of fat pork and tripe, and at all the shops were little heap of fowls’ entrails, and giblets to sell. They cut these things up upon blocks, with a sharp chopper, which they hammered with their fists. Everything is soldby steelyard weight, from fowls to onion.” - To China and back : being a diary kept out and home, Hong Kong, August 21, 1858 - September 28, 1858
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last two photos credit to mr. editor b