As Manhattan’s Chinatown Changes, Food Vendors Keep a Bit of the Old with the New 唐人街今昔殊异，食品商新旧兼容

阿里·亨特

Even when I lived hours away， Manhattans Chinatown was my familys destination for groceries. Decades back， you couldnt find the same variety and quality of Chinese produce， meats and dried goods1 in most of the Mid-Atlantic2. But thats changed.

Cheaper options in Flushing， Queens; Sunset Park， Brooklyn; and elsewhere in the city have drawn working-class Chinese immigrants away from this neighborhood bordered by trendy SoHo3 and TriBeCa4. As Chinatowns population changes， what will happen to the grocers and specialty food stores that feed the community？

I spoke to some food shopkeepers， who ran first- and second-generation family businesses in Chinatown. Their answers both surprised and inspired me and suggested that while some see a neighborhood in decline， others see merely a transition.

Lewis Wu， 50， lives in Hong Kong Supermarket， 157 Hester Street. After immigrating from Burma， his father opened his first store in 1973， a small dry goods grocery on East Broadway in Chinatown. Business was brisk5， especially on Chinese New Years. “It was actually like a can of sardines6.” Mr. Wu reminisced7， “long lines throughout the whole day.”

And Mr. Wu loved it. Choosing products and seeing what sells at what price was like running little experiments for him. So while his sisters went into medicine and dentistry， he chose the family business. With two floors and 17，000 square feet， Hong Kong Supermarket is one of the largest in Chinatown and larger than most grocery stores in Manhattan： The store has several tanks for live fish and shellfish， a butcher section， a back wall entirely for frozen goods， and a lower level for kitchenware， herbs， rice and noodles.

Just a few years ago， Hong Kong Supermarket expanded its selection of non-Asian products， like yogurts and cold cuts8， though Mr. Wu explained that it wasnt just non-Chinese customers who had asked for it. While his customer base used to be more first-generation Chinese， he said now he saw more second-generation Chinese-Americans along with non-Asians.

And Mr. Wus family also opened stores in East Brunswick， N.J.， and Flushing， Queens， to tap into9 growing Asian communities outside Chinatown. “Like dinosaurs，” said Mr. Wu， “if you dont change with the environment， you wont be here.” But he added that despite the relative higher rent in Chinatown， the volume of sales at the Hester Street store still made it the most profitable.

Paul Eng， 51， lives in Fong On， tofu store， 81 Division Street. He really wants to appeal to everybody. His new shop will offer riffs10 on Asian foods to attract younger customers who are into the “snacking， foodie culture，” basically， quick bites， usually novel and Instagram-able11， that could be sweet or savory.

The store will also sell conventional tofu， other soy-based products and sticky rice cake to serve older Chinatown residents. “I still want to serve the community，” Mr. Eng said. Though Mr. Eng has a family history in the tofu business （his father owned Fong Inn Too on Mott Street， the oldest tofu and noodle shop in the city）， this new store is a somewhat surprising turn for him.

He had long disliked working at his familys store. “Any little thing that needed attending to， it had to be done right away， seven days a week，” said Mr. Eng， who was the youngest child. So a few years ago， when his parents and older brothers asked if he wanted to take over the business， he had no interest. Fong Inn Too， known as Hong An， was closed in February 2017.

Now though， at 51 with two young children， Mr. Eng is looking for a steady job instead of freelance12 photography. He had spent 10 years as a commercial photographer in Russia， where he met his wife. But unlike the original shop owned by his father， the new shop will serve foods like soy custards13 topped with red and mung beans， boba14 or grass jelly15， a combination he was introduced to while visiting Taiwan.

“Who knew？” Mr. Engs eyes brightened. “Ive eaten all this stuff in separate parts my whole life， but together？ Oh my God！” The name will still be Hong An， this time transliterated16 as Fong On. “Im going to put everything that I know into it，” Mr. Eng added. “The photography， the marketing， the art direction.” I asked Mr. Eng what his father， who has died， would say about his return to the tofu business after so many years of resistance. His answer： “I told you so.”

Zee Ying Wong lives in Aqua Best Seafood， 276 Grand Street. The customers， and even the vendors， call her “Mommy.” Though shes not in charge anymore， she still manages the register17 at Aqua Best and enjoys chats with longtime customers.

“It would be boring to stay home，” she said. About 30 years ago， after Ms. Wongs husband passed away， she built up the current business， now managed by her two sons， Freeman， 42， and Steven Wong， 39， along with other family members. But she still comes every day “to point out the things they should pay attention to and how to solve problems，” she added.

One entire wall of this spacious store is occupied by glass tanks， filled with barramundi， spotted shrimp， whelk， Dungeness crabs， king crabs and lobsters. In the center are trays of razor clams and other shellfish next to several types of iced fish， and a bucket of frogs near the back （so as not to scare the non-Chinese customers， Steven Wong explained）.

Freeman Wong spent 10 years in the finance industry. But when his job required a move to Ohio， he decided in 2004 to dedicate himself full time to Aqua Best. “I needed a little bit of time to figure out what I wanted to do，” he said. The business and its block have changed a lot since then. Its neighbors used to be a handful of other Chinese-owned seafood shops， now replaced by an ice cream shop and a Vietnamese restaurant among others.

And wholesale makes up 90 percent of its revenue now， with restaurant clients like Blanca and Del Posto， along with nearby Chinese restaurants. Steven and Freeman Wong have partnered with a former executive chef from the restaurant Talde to open a seafood market and restaurant called Essex Pearl.

The menu wont be strictly Chinese， but rather a mix of Jewish， Hispanic， and Asian cuisines， a homage18 to the neighborhoods history. Freeman Wong said， “The second and third generation， were bringing our own ideas of what Chinatown should be.”

当初，尽管离住所有数小时车程，曼哈顿的唐人街仍是我家采购食品的去处。几十年前，在中大西洋的多数地区，同样品类和品质的中国农产品、肉类和干货都见不到。然而，如今情况已变。

曼哈顿唐人街紧邻苏豪和翠贝卡两处时尚街区，而在皇后区的法拉盛、布鲁克林的日落公园，以及纽约的其他社区，物价更为低廉，把唐人街工薪阶层的中国移民纷纷吸引过去。随着唐人街人口的变动，服务社区餐桌的食品杂货商和特色食品店将何去何从？

我采访了一些在唐人街经营一代和二代家族生意的食品店主。他们的回答既令我惊讶，也给了我启发，从中可以看出，对于唐人街，有人认为日趋衰微，而有人则认为不过是转型而已。

刘易斯·胡现年50岁，在赫斯特街157号经营“香港超市”。他的父亲从缅甸移民美国之后，于1973年开设了自己的首家商店，那是位于唐人街东百老汇大街售卖干货的一家小店。当时生意红火，特别是在大年初一。“真的是顾客盈门，”胡先生回忆说，“一天到晚都排着长队。”

胡先生乐在其中。对他而言，拣选商品和调整售价就像开展一项项小型实验。因此，当他的姊妹選择从医、当牙医，他却选择接手家族生意。“香港超市”拥有两层店面，面积达1.7万平方英尺，是唐人街最大的商店之一，规模超过曼哈顿的大多数超市。店里有多个盛放活鱼和贝类等水产的水箱，设有一处鲜肉区，一面后墙专售冷冻食品，下层店面出售炊具、香料、大米和面条。

就在几年前，“香港超市”扩充了亚洲产品以外的商品种类，比如酸奶和冷切肉，但胡先生解释说，有此需求的并不只是非华裔顾客。他的顾客群过去多是第一代华裔，据他讲，如今不仅增加了亚裔以外的顾客，还有了更多的二代华裔顾客。

为抓住唐人街以外日益壮大的亚裔社区带来的商机，胡先生一家还在新泽西州的东不伦瑞克以及纽约皇后区的法拉盛开了店。胡先生说：“如果像恐龙一样，不随环境改变，那就无法生存。”不过他又说，尽管唐人街的店面租金相对更高，但由于销量大，赫斯特街的这家超市仍然盈利最丰。

现年51岁的伍启芳是迪威臣街81号“宏安”豆腐店的店主。他很想迎合每一位顾客。新店将供应经过改良的亚洲美食，以吸引热衷这种“快餐和吃货文化”的年轻顾客，他们喜欢吃的基本是速食，通常很新潮，值得在社交网络晒照，口味或甜或咸。

店里也会售卖传统豆腐、其他豆制品以及年糕，供应唐人街的年长居民。“我还是希望给本社区提供服务。”伍先生表示。虽然伍先生的家族长期做豆腐生意（父亲经营过的莫特街“宏安”店曾是纽约城最早的豆腐和面条店），但对他来说，开设这家新店却是一个有些意外的转变。

长久以来，他一直不愿在自家店里工作。伍先生是家里的老小。他说：“任何小事，凡要处理的，都得说做就做，一周七天都这样。”所以，几年前当父母和哥哥们问他有无意愿接手生意时，他表示不感兴趣。于是，“宏安”（英文名称为Fong Inn Too）在2017年2月关张了。

然而，如今51岁、已有两个小孩的伍先生不想再做自由摄影，而是希望有份安稳的工作。他曾在俄罗斯做过10年的商业摄影师，并在那里遇见了妻子。不过与父亲原先的店铺不同，新店供应的食品包括以红豆、绿豆、粉圆或仙草冻作浇头的豆花，这种混搭是他去台湾时见识到的。

“谁能想到呢？”伍先生双眼一亮，“这些东西我一辈子都是分开吃的，可是要混在一起吃？哦，天呐！”新店店名仍是宏安，现在的英文名称则音译为Fong On。“我打算把自己熟悉的一切元素都纳入其中，”伍先生补充说，“包括摄影、市场营销、美术设计。”我问他，多年抗拒之后又回归豆腐生意，对此，父亲若在世会作何评价。他的回答是：“你早该听我的。”

王徐婴经营格兰街276号的“福旺海产”。顾客乃至商贩都称呼她“妈咪”。她虽不再掌店，但仍管理收银，而且喜欢和老顾客聊天。

“待在家里会很无聊。”她说。大约30年前，在丈夫去世之后，王女士创办起目前的生意，现由两个儿子——42岁的弗里曼·王和39岁的史蒂文·王——及其他家庭成员共同打理。但她每天仍来店里，“指点他们该注意什么，遇到问题要怎样解决。”她补充道。

这家店店面宽敞，有整整一面墙都被玻璃水箱占据，水箱里养满了尖吻鲈、樱花虾、峨螺、珍宝蟹、帝王蟹和龙虾。中央摆着一盘盘的竹蛏和其他贝类，旁边是好几种冰冻鱼，靠里还有一桶蛙（放那里是怕吓到非华裔顾客，史蒂文·王解释说）。

弗里曼·王從事过10年的金融工作。但在2004年，因工作缘故需迁往俄亥俄州时，他决定全职投入“福旺海产”。“那会儿我需要些时间弄明白自己想做什么。”他说。此后，生意和所在街区都经历过很大变化。邻居曾是另几家由华人经营的海鲜店，现在则代之以一家冰激凌店、一家越南菜馆及其他几家店铺。

如今，批发占到营业收入的90%，餐厅客户包括布兰卡、德尔波斯托，以及附近的中餐馆等。史蒂文和弗里曼兄弟俩已携手塔尔德餐厅的一位前行政总厨，要开一家名为“埃塞克斯珍珠”的海鲜市场餐厅。

菜品不会仅限中式，而是犹太、西班牙和亚洲菜肴的混搭，可谓对社区历史的致敬。弗里曼·王表示：“唐人街该是什么模样，我们二代和三代华裔在按自己的想法打造。”□

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者;单位：中国农业大学）

1 dried goods干货，干制食品，指不含水分的固态食品，如米、面、坚果、茶叶等，同后文的dry goods。  2包括美国纽约、宾夕法尼亚、新泽西、马里兰、西弗吉尼亚、特拉华和弗吉尼亚等七个州，首都华盛顿也位于该地区，因地处美国大西洋海岸中部而得名。  3为South of Houston之略，是纽约的一处商业区。  4为Triangle Below Canal Street之略，是纽约的一处豪华社区。

5 brisk（生意）红火的。  6 like a can of sardines挤得像沙丁鱼罐头似的，挤得满满的。  7 reminisce回忆，追忆。  8 cold cuts冷切肉，即切片冷食的熏肉、腌肉、火腿或香肠等。

9 tap into开发（资源、市场等）。  10 riff变化形式。  11 Instagram-able值得在社交平台分享的。Instagram是一款移动社交应用软件，允许用户拍摄照片和视频，并分享到社交网络。

12 freelance自由职业的。  13 soy custard豆花，豆腐脑。  14 boba粉圆，用于珍珠奶茶，由木薯粉制成。  15 grass jelly仙草冻，由仙草粉制成，是福建著名小吃。  16 transliterate音译。

17 register收银机，亦作cash register。

18 homage致敬，表示敬意的做法。