A Visit to Tso Hin Kee and Tao Heung Museum of Food Culture

On 15 October 2016, a group of 17 alumni joined a tour arranged by SHTMAA to Tso Hin Kee and Tao Heung Museum of Food Culture.

The group was greeted by the representatives from Tso Hin Kee and was led to their factory located in Fo Tan. Upon arrival, Mr George Tso, the grandson of Tso Hin Kee’s founder welcomed us and introduced the company’s story and the 70-years history of their products. From the famous penguin logo to the quest in pursuing ISO-22000 and HACCP certification, it demonstrated the family’s endeavor in preserving the most authentic “flavor” to their customer that was 100% made in Hong Kong. Besides, participants had a chance to visit their “top-secret” production line. In order to avoid any contamination to their products, protective measures such as face mask, shoe covers, hair cap, etc had to be worn beforehand.

The exploration continued with another visit to Tao Heung Museum of Food Culture not far away from Tso Hin Kee. The curator of the museum showed the participants through all the areas which introduced different culinary cultures, styles and types at different eras in Hong Kong. A 3D video clip giving an overview of the Tao Heung Group was shown as well. In addition, the curator brought the group to an eyes-opening journey to the VTC Tao Miao Institute and their resources centre located on top of the premise. The resources centre covers all aspects of a restaurant, e.g. occupational health and safety, building materials for restaurant and customer service training guideline. There was also a full functional food testing lab inside.

Finally, the 3-hours tour was concluded with a hearty meal served in the Tao Heung Training Restaurant.

The Dragon Boat Paddling Fun Day

On 26 November 2016, SHTMAA’s first dragon boat paddling fun day, was held at the Shek Mun Training Center of the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA). Even though the weather was fairly cold with a strong wind blowing, members arrived early and were very excited for the dragon boat experience.

Participants were first guided through the basic paddling techniques by Nancy and Charles, two registered HKCDBA dragon boat coaches. Participants practiced the skills on the ground following some warm up exercises. Equipped with some skills and thus feeling confidence, members found the paddling unexpectedly challenging after landing themselves in the real dragon boat. Fortunately with the guidance of the coaches and the impressive demonstration of a few members from the Hong Kong dragon boat young team, our members learnt that teamwork is everything in dragon boat paddling and synchronicity is more important than strength.

After practicing a few rounds together, members managed to paddle down and enjoyed a great view along the Shing Mun River for hours of fun. The Fun Day ended with a snack party and the popping of some champagnes!