Content provided by British Council
Read the following text and answer the quiz below.
[1] A guessing game from Blackpink’s Hong Kong shows went viral online. Two-dish rice and other street food, such as egg tarts and pineapple buns, were among the top items that fans speculated the main vocalist would eat on stage.
[2] In the end, it was signature street food items, like egg waffles, Hong Kong-style milk tea and curry fish balls, that made surprise appearances. Fans seemed delighted by the K-pop girl group’s embrace of local food culture.
[3] Hong Kong was Blackpink’s final stop on its world tour, with three shows at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium last month. Concertgoers eagerly discussed what the group’s lead singer, Rosé, would eat on her way to the stage before performing her solo segment. The singer’s choice of local snack became a highlight of the group’s brief stay in Hong Kong, with residents making guesses ahead of each concert.
[4] Classic Hong Kong favourites such as egg tarts, pineapple buns and siu mai, dominated online discussions. Others suggested viral dishes like the meat patty from bing sutt, or cafe, Tai Bo in Yuen Long. The frenzy formed part of Rosé’s segment of the “Deadline” world tour that began in July last year. While most touring artists typically learn basic phrases in the local language, she chose to sample popular street foods alongside cheerful greetings, such as “dai gaa ho” [hello everyone].
[5] Her culinary curiosity also inadvertently promoted shops that sold the snacks sampled. Traditional bakery Jiu Zhen Nan thanked the artist publicly for trying their product. Rosé ate the shop’s Taiwanese pineapple pastry during her Kaohsiung concert in October. Taiwanese social media users were also quick to investigate which drink from the classic bubble tea brand 50Lan she had tried backstage.
[6] In Hong Kong, the singer began her run of shows with a bite of an egg waffle, before moving on to milk tea served in a signature black and white milk ceramic cup commonly found in cha chaan tengs. She concluded her performances with a bowl of curry fish balls.
[7] While netizens discussed potential shops, social media users from the city joked that Rosé’s team had simply sourced snacks from the nearest street stall to the stadium rather than from any particularly famous eatery.
Source: South China Morning Post, January 27
