I first landed in Hong Kong in 1994 and found the dining scene quite vibrant and exciting. It was certainly very different from the US, where I hailed from.
In my travels around the city and speaking to the locals and to tourists, I quickly learned that Hong Kong dining was among the very best in Asia and considered by many travellers as world class and a real attraction to tourism.
One of the unique offerings and one of the elements that added to the mystique and allure of the dining culture was the so called dai pai dong and other "street offerings". In some areas by day there would just be normal shops and other businesses. At night they were transformed with a variety of quaint street vendors established. This added to the diversity of the Hong Kong dining scene.
Over the course of the next 10 years most of these venues and dining areas were closed down.
From what I read in the report ("Policy on alfresco dining 'has no bite'", May 10) this seems to be part of an overall government strategy. The Ombudsman claims the relevant departments do little in the way of enforcing the current licensing regulations. However, given what was in the story and taking into account what I see is now being offered in Hong Kong's dining scene, that would not appear to be the case.
You stated that of 104 requests for alfresco operations only 17 were granted, which would appear to indicate a great deal fewer operators need to be regulated. And overall complaints are down by more than 20 per cent, year on year.
