【VIDEO】Matthew Lee | Free meals for protesters—The Conscience of ‘Tomato C Hing’ restaurant owner
Initially, ‘Tomato C Hing’ was just a humble little restaurant in Sham Shui Po that served noodles in rich flavourful tomato soup. Before opening the restaurant, Matthew had a stable job in banking; however, he decided to quit and chase his dreams.
During the Anti-ELAB movement, Matthew has provided free meals to protesters. He also played different protest songs and put up infographic posters in his store. He even frequented other ‘yellow’ pro-democracy small businesses to show solidarity.
“When someone mentions ‘Tomato C Hing’ now, many will immediately associate me with being a ‘yellow’ (pro-democracy) business owner. Because of my political stance, many customers choose to ‘punish’ me by frequenting my restaurant. As a result, there is a long queue outside every day. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the key to attracting patrons is the quality of the food and service. I will never forget my original aspirations when I first opened this place.”
Journalist: Snowyeok
Photographer: I am Z
Videographer: HKers Normal, JM
Video Editor: KJ
Between conscience and wealth, some would choose to hide their conscience in exchange for financial stability. Contrarily, I chose to be true to my own values and gave up a stable job to start this little restaurant, ‘Tomato C Hing’.
My name is Matthew. I had worked in financial management and banking for 15 years. I often thought that I’d be in this industry until retirement.
However, I realized that I was sacrificing my own integrity and values to live a stable life. My job entailed giving advice to customers on their investments and helping them accumulate more wealth. Unfortunately, with the pressure to reach our sales targets, we often went against our conscience and gave advice that benefited the bank more than our customers, which indirectly affected their wealth.
It was difficult for me to cope with this workplace culture so I decided to quit my job and re-evaluate my career path. I have always liked cooking and hosting friends ever since I was a kid so I thought, “Why not turn my personal interest into a career by opening a noodle shop?”
I spent several months figuring out how I could best attract customers to my restaurant. I tried using tom yum, laksa, corn chowder, and pumpkin soup as special bases for the noodle soup. After several rounds of taste tests, many of my friends preferred the tomato based soup. Even though it isn’t my personal favourite, the tomato soup has become my restaurant’s specialty.
It was very challenging when I first started the restaurant because I did not have any experience in the food industry, nor did I have an investment partner. I could only turn to my co-workers and ask for their opinions on the restaurant ranging from renovation to running a kitchen and even everyday business operations. Essentially, I was learning every single day. I still remember that I used to marinate beef the way my family does it at home; however, the result tasted nothing like restaurant quality. Later on, a co-worker taught me how most professional cooks do it which drastically enhanced the beef’s texture and taste — I am still using that method to this day.
When someone mentions ‘Tomato C Hing’ now, many will immediately associate me with being a ‘yellow’ (pro-democracy) business owner. Because of my political stance, many customers choose to ‘punish’** me by frequenting my restaurant. As a result, there is a long queue outside every day. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that the key to attracting patrons is the quality of the food and service. I will never forget my original aspirations when I first opened this place.
To be honest, I was quite politically apathetic at first. I did not start reflecting on the dark side of our society until the Yuen Long mob attack on 21 July. I rolled out discounts at my restaurant hoping that it could help support the pro-democracy movement. After the police attack in Prince Edward Station on 31 August, I amped up the discounts including: ‘I’m an ally’, ‘university students add oil’, and ‘I’m an ally version 2.0’. These discounts allowed students and allies to eat for free.
As the movement progressed and evolved, I have become increasingly active in spreading pro-democracy messages. This, in turn, has attracted even more attention from allies towards Tomato C Hing. One of the most memorable moments was when I cried for the first time in the restaurant. At the time, the restaurant was playing some protest-related music. There was an auntie weeping as she ate her noodles. When she came up to pay, she kept pushing more cash into my hand saying that she wanted to help by paying for the kids’ meals. She felt that too many kids were having a tough time participating in the protests. When I told her that wasn’t necessary, she wept even harder. Even though I was supposed to comfort her, I ended up crying along with her.
This experience has prompted me to reflect on my banking career where I used to work merely for financial gain, but now I am able to make a societal contribution. Society doubts and questions many of the youth even as they encounter all kinds of pressure and challenges. I truly admire them because they are willing to risk their own safety to protect our home, Hong Kong. When those in law enforcement are ruining the rule of law, I completely understand why the valiant frontliners do what they do. I can also see why more and more peaceful, rational, non-violent protesters are turning more valiant.
I hope that no more protesters are injured. I also pray for protesters to take good care of themselves and those around them. Besides protesters, I also have a wish for law enforcement: please find your conscience and stop using violence to suppress citizens fighting for their rights and freedoms.
“I am Matthew Lee, I am a HKer.”
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*During the Anti-ELAB movement, many businesses in Hong Kong explicitly express their political stance. Netizens have categorized restaurants into different labels, such as ‘yellow’ and ‘blue’ stores, according to the owner’s political stance. ‘Yellow stores’ refer to businesses that support the movement by participating in general strikes and giving out promotions related to the protests.
**This is an ironic reference used by Hong Kong netizens. By ‘punishment’, they mean frequenting those stores to support their business.