茶餐廳是香港獨特的飲食文化象徵，誕生於1950年代，當時大量難民從中國大陸湧入香港，催生了以廉價、快速為特色的大眾餐飲。作為英國殖民地，香港廣泛使用進口罐頭和瓶裝食品，廚師們將外來食材與本地口味融合，創造出午餐肉三明治、通粉湯配火腿、檸檬可樂等經典菜式。這種中西合璧的飲食風格不僅滿足了工人階層的需求，更成為香港城市身份認同的核心組成部分。

2019年香港大規模抗議活動及其後的政府打壓導致大批港人移居海外，茶餐廳文化也隨之在全球各地生根發芽。僅英國就有近十七萬港人抵達，超過一百家提供茶餐廳菜式的食肆隨之開業，包括倫敦東區的Hoko和時尚的Cafe Kowloon。澳洲悉尼、紐約、維也納和汶萊等地也出現了港式茶餐廳。人類學博士生賴先生指出，這一代移民擁有更強烈的身份認同感，他們正透過茶餐廳向世界介紹香港文化。

茶餐廳的海外擴張不僅是飲食的輸出，更是一場持續進行的文化實驗。倫敦Hoko餐廳將叉燒與猶太百吉餅結合，創造出香港本土沒有的新菜式；紐約廚師冼盧卡斯計劃在紐約開設茶餐廳並出版茶餐廳食譜。然而在香港本地，茶餐廳卻面臨高租金和深圳競爭的壓力，數量從十年前至2024年已下降百分之七。茶餐廳的核心精神在於吸收外來影響並使之成為自己的東西，這種無邊界的變化正是其生命力所在。

Cha chaan tengs, Hong Kong's iconic budget diners, emerged in the 1950s to feed a booming factory workforce swelled by refugees from mainland China. As a British colony with access to global imports, Hong Kong's cooks fused Western canned goods and local flavors into distinctive dishes such as Spam sandwiches, macaroni soup with ham, and milk tea made from Ceylon black tea strained through cotton filters and mixed with evaporated milk. This East-meets-West culinary tradition became central to Hong Kong's cultural identity, embodying a city built on trade, migration, and creative adaptation.

Following the 2019 pro-democracy protests and the subsequent government crackdown, a wave of emigration has carried cha chaan teng culture across the globe. Nearly 170,000 Hong Kongers have relocated to the UK alone, spawning over 100 eateries serving cha chaan teng fare. Venues like Hoko in London's East End and the upcoming cha chaan teng by chef Lucas Sin in New York City reflect a generation's desire to preserve and share Hong Kong's culinary heritage. Anthropology researcher Samuel Lai notes that this diaspora generation possesses a heightened sense of identity, which they actively express through these cafes.

The global spread of cha chaan tengs represents an evolving cultural experiment rather than mere replication. Overseas operators are adapting menus to local tastes—Hoko's char siu bagel, a collaboration with a 171-year-old London bakery, exemplifies this creative fusion. Meanwhile, back in Hong Kong, the number of cha chaan tengs has declined by seven percent over the past decade due to rising rents and competition from Shenzhen. Chef Lucas Sin captures the essence of this phenomenon: cha chaan tengs are inherently built for evolution, their DNA rooted in absorbing outside influences and making them their own, making their international expansion a natural continuation of the spirit that defined Hong Kong itself. (Key numbers: 2024)