Soft Bread as Cultural Soft Power: A Personal Journey Through Hong Kong, France and India
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Lee Yik-suen, Administrative Director of the Hong Kong Ballet, explores the cultural significance of soft bread in a personal essay published on September 5. The article traces the origins of Hong Kong sweet buns to post-World War II immigrant bakers from Shanghai and Qingdao, and connects them to similar breads in French and Indian cuisines. Through nostalgic memories of breakfast buns and dinner rolls at Hong Kong-Western restaurants, Lee argues that bread represents a form of cultural soft power that transcends borders.
Key Points
- Lee Yik-suen (李易璇), Administrative Director of the Hong Kong Ballet, published the essay titled "Soft Bread Power | Major Aesthetics" in Sing Tao Daily
- Hong Kong sweet buns originated after WWII when bakers from the Shanghai French Concession and Qingdao German Concession migrated to Hong Kong, blending European baking techniques with local ingredients
- At Hong Kong-Western restaurants such as Tai Ping Koon (太平館), Russian soup is traditionally served with butter dinner buns that are enjoyed warm, with butter at room temperature
- French brioche, a butter-rich soft bread similar in texture to cake, was once a luxury aristocratic treat and is now a staple of French breakfast and afternoon tea
- Indian pav, derived from the Portuguese pão brought during colonial rule, is a popular street bread in Mumbai often paired with curry, mashed potatoes, cheese or onion
Why It Matters
Lee frames different nationalities' soft breads as embodiments of cultural soft power—able to cross geographical boundaries and nourish human bodies, minds and hearts . The essay invites readers to appreciate the cultural heritage embedded in simple foods like the dinner bun served with Russian soup, transforming an everyday dining experience into a meditation on global interconnectedness through cuisine.
Lee frames different nationalities' soft breads as embodiments of cultural soft power—able to cross geographical boundaries and nourish human bodies, minds and hearts . The essay invites readers to appreciate the cultural heritage embedded in simple foods like the dinner bun served with Russian soup, transforming an everyday dining experience into a meditation on global interconnectedness through cuisine.