提起溫哥華,很多人腦裡馬上浮現「小香港」的畫面。280Please respect copyright.PENANAvZTI2S4W5C
280Please respect copyright.PENANAsvkFzi6y8v
滿街的港式茶餐廳、茶樓、燒臘店,就連商場的名字也充滿香港情懷。譬如置地廣場隔壁是新城市廣場,對面馬路還有太古廣場,鄰近還有金鐘廊和中環廣場。走着走着,還真的以爲自己仍身處香港。280Please respect copyright.PENANA4CpELnc06l
280Please respect copyright.PENANA3uG1QnHVWN
然而,這些都只屬於九十年代才發展起來的「唐人街2.0」—— 列治文。280Please respect copyright.PENANAUWFp2k9vZ2
280Please respect copyright.PENANA2vsbcZtg6G
元祖的溫哥華唐人街,位於惡名昭著的市中心東區(Downtown Eastside,簡稱DTES)。今天,只要你踏進這個地方,就能感受到一股頹廢的氣息。曾經車水馬龍的Keefer街,在疫情之後急速凋零,兩旁的建築物全是塗鴉,部份店鋪更被砸爛櫥窗,只能用木板圍封起來。在這裏,隨便轉入一條後巷,一股混合尿騷、垃圾和大麻的惡臭撲鼻而來,幾個街友在垃圾和污水旁席地而坐,旁邊的癮君子不知道是死是活地靠着牆壁,還有些人眼神空洞,望着空氣喃喃自語,彷彿正在進行超越三界的靈魂交流。280Please respect copyright.PENANAd1gJE6uZIX
280Please respect copyright.PENANAfaJfLtulKV280Please respect copyright.PENANAzNwqvHsq6q
這裡曾是華人文化的地標,如今卻成爲了沒人想看的犯罪直播秀。280Please respect copyright.PENANAcB0YbBhaq8
280Please respect copyright.PENANAgp7jyI7nqO
每隔幾分鐘,就有一輛警車或救護車呼嘯而過,就像替這個地方配上背景音效。如果你夠膽半夜來走一圈,還能親身體驗「被不明人士尾隨」的驚悚感,根本不需要購買電影門票,這裡幾乎天天都在實景上演。280Please respect copyright.PENANA4LfRAEDRmT
280Please respect copyright.PENANAYgDaqLPVeU
這樣的唐人街,還能做生意嗎?280Please respect copyright.PENANAu9GSo68aXW
280Please respect copyright.PENANA1Zg1iIAILF
所以有人說,「唐人街沒落了,只剩下老一輩在這邊混日子而已。」280Please respect copyright.PENANA5K6uHCk3rE
280Please respect copyright.PENANA9VMJ162qPL
的確,現在的溫哥華唐人街可謂水深火熱,可是在1989年的時候,這裡可不是這副德性呢。280Please respect copyright.PENANAChtIfiWE7v
280Please respect copyright.PENANAr1WddGkCF0
1989年6月1日,我和家人的移民新生活正式展開。280Please respect copyright.PENANAliALo8D1BU
280Please respect copyright.PENANAZdqLVjm82X
我們一早退了酒店房間,準備下午就搬進新居,但在正式成爲「溫哥華居民」之前,首要任務就是去唐人街掃貨補給。280Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5ZzmkqzIc
280Please respect copyright.PENANAwmMI8NTXQC
原本以爲這趟唐人街之行,就是隨便買些鍋碗瓢盆、米油鹽醬,順便看看這邊的中式市場長什麼樣。豈料才剛開進唐人街範圍,畫面瞬間變成地獄級別的修羅場。貫通整個唐人街的主要幹道Main街徹底塞爆,相連的Keefer街和East Pender更是全線癱瘓,別說車位,就連插進一台電單車的空隙都沒有。一些駕駛者更是把車隨便一靠,車門一開,一家幾口就像特種部隊般跳車,轉眼消失在人群之中。280Please respect copyright.PENANA2aCBiOCINu
280Please respect copyright.PENANAmMm71a5vk2
就算不開車,走路也不見得比較輕鬆。人潮像被倒出來的螞蟻群,擠滿了整條街道,能擠的還能在行人路上覓路前行,受不了的就乾脆跳到車道上繞路,簡直就是用生命來玩「真實版的Crossy Road」。眼看路邊的菜攤將一箱箱的蔬果堆到店外,魚檔更霸氣的直接讓店裡的水流到街上,把整條街弄得濕漉漉。280Please respect copyright.PENANA8psQ0MD9T5
280Please respect copyright.PENANAJBIivz528r
這場景太熟悉了,簡直跟香港的菜市場沒兩樣!280Please respect copyright.PENANA7wkM0cSwDp
280Please respect copyright.PENANAS5CB1TqlVP
沿着Main街走到East Pender交界,這裡的畫風終於有點「荷里活電影感」了。抬頭一看,兩棟橙紅色瓦頂、紅磚牆的建築座立在路口兩旁,上面寫着「天仁樓」和「加信樓」,加上古色古香的街燈和金龍雕塑裝飾,一股外國人眼中的「Chinatown」味道撲面而來。280Please respect copyright.PENANAPvWoaE4uxu
280Please respect copyright.PENANA9mNO2kmGBG280Please respect copyright.PENANA5IoWdWknwz
然而,低頭一看,鋪位竟然是再熟悉不過的「天仁茗茶」!280Please respect copyright.PENANA0jqBNuVgJ4
280Please respect copyright.PENANAtkI5uWstvS
當年的唐人街,隨處可見「大班餅店」、「博益圖書」、「美心西餅」這些香港人一看就知道的店鋪。我原先以爲只是「盜版」而已,豈料連招牌和商標都跟香港一樣,難道真的是從香港開過來的分店!?然而,當我向親戚查詢時,對方卻笑著說,這些根本只是小巫見大巫。據說,在六、七十年代,「嘉禾」和「邵氏」都曾在唐人街設立戲院,每晚幾乎座無虛席。280Please respect copyright.PENANAQA1UFXX9IB
280Please respect copyright.PENANAuScyBdSiwZ
那時候,香港電影風靡一時,不僅讓戲院生意興旺,也讓唐人街步入了黃金時代。可惜,到了 1989 年,「嘉禾戲院」和「邵氏戲院」早已殘破不堪,幾近荒廢。而與它們相鄰的喜士定東街(East Hastings)更是滿街癮君子與無家可歸者,絲毫看不出昔日繁華的影子。280Please respect copyright.PENANAcOfSgzXWMs
280Please respect copyright.PENANAQrUeQG4jOM
「你要嘗嘗唐人街著名的Honey Bun嗎?」280Please respect copyright.PENANAAjTbXY3HW4
280Please respect copyright.PENANAsWzxJf1GEh
親戚見我對歷史不太感興趣,趕緊轉換話題,向我推介這裡的「特色美食」。280Please respect copyright.PENANAhlErEKDrNg
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然而,所謂的「特色」,竟然只是普通的餐包,上面塗上一層蜂蜜而已。對於向來是個饞嘴鬼的我,這種東西根本搔不着癢,就連新鮮出爐的菠蘿包,也完全比不上香港吃慣的口感和味道。無奈,這就是當年的溫哥華 —— 許多在香港根本不會多看一眼的東西,到了這裡就成爲必須要特地跑到唐人街才能買到的奢侈品。280Please respect copyright.PENANAylA7x4xLAF
280Please respect copyright.PENANATD6qCS351n
想喝維他奶?麻煩特地跑一趟唐人街。280Please respect copyright.PENANAuLfV6qyG8m
280Please respect copyright.PENANAuMYr7QewrJ
不想吃超市那種乾巴巴又掉屑的麪包?那就只能來唐人街的麪包店了。280Please respect copyright.PENANAniiuTx57ml
280Please respect copyright.PENANA8aI584Hlgk
即使到了今天,溫哥華在許多方面依然比不上香港和臺灣。(不過,單論菠蘿包的話,現在的水平倒是比當年的餅店強太多了。)偶爾有些店家會模仿香港、臺灣、日本的產品,推出像湯種麪包、麻糬麪包之類的,但多半只是限時、限量發售。這些產品價格偏高,但品質卻遠遠比不上香港、臺灣,甚至日本。280Please respect copyright.PENANAdu2U8dllwW
280Please respect copyright.PENANAPQjSa58ngy
元祖的唐人街,就是這樣似是而非,卻又不可或缺的存在。280Please respect copyright.PENANAiwHtunABDh
280Please respect copyright.PENANAXj5SoIUHA0
它是新移民生活的唯一補給站,卻也是一種不得不依賴的無奈選擇。280Please respect copyright.PENANAxYPue2JQgi
280Please respect copyright.PENANA5cJvzUvDVV
直到新的華人社區逐漸成型,元祖的唐人街就在各種問題困擾下,一步步走向沒落。280Please respect copyright.PENANAGoTyaErvtt
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混在一起做成楓糖魚蛋!
Author:
Nox C

ISSUE #8
89年的唐人街
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