端午将至，有玩笑说屈原的伟大之处就在于不仅给后人留下了端午的一天假期，还把粽子这种美食带给了中华大地。虽然各地的粽子外表看上去无二，都是粽叶包裹着糯米，其中的馅料可就五花八门了，而粽子也一直都是南北甜咸之争的主要战场之一。

其实北方也有咸粽子，南方也有甜粽子，但是总的来说，在口味的选择上北方人更倾向甜口的，而南方人颇喜欢咸味粽子。从口味方面来说，由于粽子所包馅料不同，因此口味也不同。粽子馅荤素兼具，有甜有咸。

北方粽子主要以糯米为主，但山东等地黄米粽也比较盛行，内馅偏爱大枣、豆沙，有时候也会玩玩混搭比如八宝粽。吃法上也偏甜，常常会辅以白糖、蜂蜜。有的地区甚至还会甜上加甜，比如西安的蜂蜜凉粽。还有水晶粽，这个晶莹剔透、口感非常Q，并且不会腻的小粽子，配搭各种不同颜色的口味，色香味俱全，让人爱不释口。

到了南方，虽然同样是糯米为主，但是粽子的画风突变，主要以咸鲜为主，馅料中更是添加了各种干货。这个主食+菜的搭配，看着倒更像干饭人标配。除了传统常见的蛋黄、咸肉馅，也有鲜肉、虾米、香菇、火腿等。近些年出现了把菜包成馅的风潮，粽子也不例外，鱼香肉丝、腌笃鲜一类本应出现在餐盘中的菜式摇身一变成了粽子的馅料。

至于粽子的甜咸之分，很大程度上是因为南北方糯米产量的差异。南方气候湿润，比较适合种植糯米，就导致南方的糯米产量高。而北方的糯米产量不高，糯米制品只有逢年过节才能吃上。而在我们的饮食文化中，其实一直都有“主食为咸，辅食为甜”的习惯。所以南方粽子的口味像主食一样偏咸口。而北方过节吃点心，自然当以甜口为佳，所以北方粽子口味像点心一样偏甜口。

粽子虽然美味，但也劝大家不要一次性吃太多，否则容易导致消化不良，并且吃的时候最好搭配蔬菜水果等辅助肠胃蠕动，避免肠胃不适。

In recent years, Taiwanese Boba milk tea has stormed the world with massive popularity spikes in a variety of communities. It has become a life essential for many, especially among the young generation. However, many don't know that there is another type of milk tea with long history and rich traditions that is very similar yet distictive in many ways to Boba milk tea. Hong Kong-style milk tea is not just a delicious drink to enjoy every day, but also a cultural icon and even an Intagible Cultrual Heritage ackowledged by the Hong Kong government.

Chinese people in general has a history of drinking tea since ancient times, but the making of milk tea came from the British after Hong Kong became their colony. Hong Kong-style milk tea is also called the silk stocking milk tea because the white filtering cloth web would become brown after the filtration that it looks like silk stocking. Instead of the many famous types of Chinese traditional tea, the Cylon tea brought by the British, together with sugar and cream or milk is used to make milk tea. Initially the materials were often expensive and the milk tea was only enjoyed by those at high social classes at fancy restaurants.

After the Second World War, especially in the 1950s, Hong Kong's population saw a rapid increase. It as also a period when food stalls boomed to serve the local population. People started to make large tea bags full of cheaper black tea to filter the residue to make the tea thick, which was a much more popular taste welcomed by the local people. Condensed milk or evaporated milk was used to make the drink to give it a richer flavour. The sweetness and calories also helped the massive working labours and soon became popular.

It is estimated that 2.5 million cups of milk tea is consumed by the Hong Kong people every day. Now Hong Kong-style milk tea can be found across the world, and it remains a life essential for those far away from their beloved hometown.

梅菜扣肉，汉族传统名菜，属粤菜客家菜，广东省客家招牌菜，因地域不同而名字颇多(四川地区称之烧白)。其特点在于颜色酱红油亮，汤汁黏稠鲜美，扣肉滑溜醇香，肥而不腻，食之软烂醇香。梅菜吸油，五花肉又会带着梅菜的清香，松仁的醇香，梅菜、松仁和肥五花肉的搭配真的可以说是恰到好处。

梅菜是客家传统特产，色泽金黄，香气扑鼻，清甜爽口，不寒不燥不湿不热，被传为“正气”菜，而久负盛名，据说它与盐焗鸡、酿豆腐同时被称为客家三件宝。“梅菜扣肉”据传还有一段美好的传说，北宋年间，苏东坡居惠州时，专门选派两位名厨远道至杭州西湖学厨艺，两位厨师学成返惠后，苏东坡又叫他们仿杭州西湖的“东坡扣肉”，用梅菜制成“梅菜扣肉”，果然美味可口，爽口而不腻人，深受广大惠州市民的欢迎，一时，成为惠州宴席上的美味菜肴。

梅菜扣肉精选横沥土桥梅菜芯，在清水中浸泡至爽口、淡口，把梅菜切成若干段备用，选五花肉，将五花肉皮刮干净，上汤锅煮透捞出，趁热在皮上上一层老抽，皮向下，入烧热的花生油锅里炸，炸上色捞出，放净水盆内泡软，然后切成三至四毫米厚的大肉片，洗干净锅注入花生油，下葱、姜、蒜、八角未炒出味后，放了五花肉炒片刻，然后再下汤、白酒、盐、生抽、白糖，待汤开后，挪到小火上去，一直焖烂为止。然后把烧好的五花肉拿出来，遂件将内(有皮的在底)平整地放了碗里，上面铺上一层梅菜段，再倒入原汤，上笼蒸透。走菜时滗出原汤，把肉反转扣在盘中，原汤尝好味烧开，用水淀粉勾芡，浇在肉上即可。这道菜的特点是：肉烂味香，吃起来咸中略带甜味，肥而不腻。

茶餐厅，可谓是代表香港的文化标志。在香港街头，你可以看到，茶餐厅开的遍地都是，每隔三五间店铺就会有一间是茶餐厅。香港曾举办过“十个最代表香港的设计”评选，茶餐厅得票排名第一，成为港人眼中最具香港特色的设计。茶餐厅早已不仅仅是一处吃饭、会友、休息、聊天的场所，更是一种深深刻入香港人日常生活中的文化，而这种文化也随着香港人被传播到了世界各地，不管是广东、中国内陆地区、东南亚、乃至欧美都可以见到茶餐厅的踪迹。

除去琳琅满目的菜品外，茶餐厅的例汤也不可或缺。通常例汤为餐厅事先熬制，当日种类固定，所以也常被称为是日例汤。例汤多跟随合菜或套餐赠送，虽然经常免费但好的例汤与好的菜品同样重要，有些餐厅甚至因为汤品而出名，吸引固定的顾客群体。有些茶餐厅有固定的奶油汤和罗宋汤，然而最见功夫的当属中式老火汤。老火汤顾名思义，需要长时间煨炖熬成。老火汤的材料种类繁多，一般以猪骨熬汤为底，一年四季可能有不同的时令配方。到了寒冷的冬天，一碗热气腾腾的老火汤里面放上萝卜、红枣、绍菜、参片、姜片等等，驱赶寒气，暖心又暖胃。到了夏天，酷暑也并不会让食客对热汤望而生畏，汤里的苦瓜、银耳、莲子、薏仁等等清凉败火，消暑解腻。由于炖制时间长，排骨的与其他菜料的香味融为一体，排骨肉软嫩酥烂，汤清香四溢。若不是后面还有更美味的菜品，多喝几大碗也不为过。