Kejia food 客家菜

Just went to a pretty good restaurant, it’s 客家 (Ke4 jia1) food - I think that’s Hakka in English. A lot of the food isn’t actually Kejia, but the stuff that is got the approval of my tai chi teacher friend, and he speaks their language (Kejia hua).

It’s next-door-but-three to Haley Cafe of the corner of Jinsha Dong Rd and Huashan Nan Rd. It’s pretty small - there’s an Ouyji (or whatever the spelling) nearby and and hairdressers next to Haley Cafe. A kids games arcade is opposite, as is an academy with basketball courts. The shop is red.

You can eat full for min 6rmb (see the back page of the menu) - dishes cost around 15rmb each.

For those who don’t know: Kejia, Chaoshan and Minnan huas are three dialects belonging to three distinct cultural groups in the east of Guangdong and south of Fujian. They are particularly noted because they have withstood the influence of most national changes to the language and culture and bear a reasonable resemblence to ancient Chinese (so I’m told, it’s also been written on this blog in the comments). Chaoshan and Minnan hua are similar, while Kejia hua more resembles Cantonese. The home of Kejia culture is Meizhou, a three hour bus ride or train ride from Shantou. The Rough Guide is very favourable about the area, which makes a nice change from Lonely Planet.