Eric ‘Spanner’ Collective 集合力肥

14/F of Eastern Fu Tak Building turned into a gallery yesterday. It was originally a home-studio, and would return to the original shape after yesterday. Even it became a temporary gallery, some traces of home could still be found. I cannot present it in a picture, but still can tell it in words.

Visitors first came across three TV sets, which each one was showing a video in DVD, and one of the TV sets was playing a DVD with a selection list. There were two cushions and a pair of stools placed before the TV sets, and let you watch the videos just like you watch them at your home. The videos were shot or collected by B and another B, I guess.

Then visitors could meet an oven, with our third B in housewife-like costumes, and in an apron. She was baking, and the baking stuffs were placed on a table with the oven. Our baker also brought some home-like atmosphere, and you could taste her work. However, you should not expect any dairy products or eggs in her bakings, for she does not consume any.

Near the street side windows, you would met a pair of loudspeakers, which was working. It is known that the pair was a work of a non-HK artist, and he or she left the work after he/she had finished it. You would also see a pot of plants, which was from one of the Bs, and another B’s namecards. I can say, B the baker had nothing related there. The plants and the cards came from the pair of Bs offered us videos. R’s handcraft, which was folded birds in black papers, was being hanged before the loudspeakers. Her namecards were placed near a TV sets.

Some photos, which came from the pair of Bs offered us videos, also caught visitors’ sight. They were hanged on walls, like pictures or photos in living room. They were not the reflection of families or relatives, which you might found in some living rooms, but were showing the thought or the taste of the home host, if there was one.

Yesterday Fu Tak Building, Wan Chai was opened to general public for visit. The opening is one of the programme in 2007’s City Festival, which the organizer is Fringe Club, Central.

壹出版和《飲食男女》的朋友們：

說起來，我不算是你們出版物的「長期忠實讀者」。「長期」或可稱得上，因為看《飲食男女》已好幾年了。不過忠實的說，我看到的《飲食男女》，都是人家付錢買的，我可沒為雜誌付過分毫，所以不敢妄稱「忠實讀者」。

也忠實的說，我懶得從網上找你們的聯絡電郵地址，只是把信打好，貼到自家的泊上，希望哪天你們當中有誰能讀到。寫這封信，是希望你們考慮把各期《飲食男女》的〈老字號〉編集成單行本。

這一個多月來，此城都在討論城中的歷史，大多以建築或集體回憶的詞兒開始。然則香港本地史的記錄，從來都有人在做：已故的魯金、葉靈鳳、余慕雲等前輩，仍在盛年的吳昊、蕭國建等學者，還有許多一時想不起名字的同路人，都做了不少本地近代史的文章。他們有的都做過本地飲食史的研究考證，其中吳昊的《吃的啟示錄》裡，更有不少文章是談香港的飲食。然而從飲食有關的商號言，或者因資料不足，或者因資料太分散或未形諸筆墨，又或者諸位研究者考研的範圍太多，我看到的相關資料多只是記下店號，店號的故事可多是沒了踪影。

而《飲食男女》的〈老字號〉欄似補了店號後面的空白。從業務言，食肆糧食店等自是不缺，但食材店廠、餐飲用品店廠等亦不曾略過；各期欄目文筆功力不差，內容除介紹各店號的馳名貨品外，亦簡述商店經營家族的奮鬥史，並附店家提供的珍貴圖片，實保留了本地飲食、民生及商業等歷史的史料，亦可藉此再闡揚港式奮鬥精神（或云鞏固港式奮鬥神話）。

雖說《飲食男女》已為本地公共圖書館收藏，文章散佚的風險少了，但每期一篇〈老字號〉，要集中閱讀或研究確是有點不便。我對書市認識不多，也生怕這輪以至近年的談舊事之風，可未必能支持〈老字號〉編集單行本的銷路，但若有機會得知此欄有結集問世，定當再加推介。

祝　編安

肥力

非關新年，我一直都想抄這段書。這段提到的事，是「生、病、死」以外，我覺得最要面對的現實。戰火可能滅，和平可能毀，建繞道可能停，老皇后可能保，但以下的現實，幾無改變的可能。

有人自暴自棄，有人劃地為牢；有人咬緊牙根，有人尿搖搖搖。互不諒解，互相輕視，互存敵意，愈走愈遠，便是成年人的世界。再一次，家裡的小朋友切勿模仿學習。

——謝立文，《尿水遙遙》後記

然而，雖然不須學懂才叫長大，但小朋友終會模模糊糊或清清楚楚地，把上面的想法學懂兼實踐。而稱上成年人的，在假日稍事休息後，明天後天又再要大戰三百合，或遠遁空無一人處。

分裂才是從來的現實，也可能因此，統一的美夢愈發迷人，一代代的人前仆後繼，試圖圓夢。