Hong Kong speak cantonense, there are many more Cantonese speakers in Guangdong and the rest of China than Hong Kong. The food is very similar to the surrounding provinces as well, though with some variation...maybe?

HK culture, movies and pop music, has been hugely influential on the mainland, so I guess there is that.

There are perhaps good arguments for HK to be its own country, but distinct language and food isn’t one of them.

To this poster, and the above edit - I live and work in HK, and was in Hong Kong during the protests.

There are incredibly distinct Hong Kong foods. You'll never find yuanyang (tea coffee mix) in mainland,like you'll not find Rua Jia Mu (Chinese snack burger) in Hong Kong.

Obviously HKers have Cantonese roots. I wasn't arguing who was more traditional, I was pointing out that HKers consider themselves Hong Kongese, not Chinese.

The OP alludes that HK was kept under the yolk of British rule, and is eager to shed its shackles to return to the mainland. This is simply not the case.

I can assure you there are incredibly distinct foods, languages and cultures everywhere in China.

People from different provinces consider themselves "people from that particular province". I guess the difference is that they also consider themselves Chinese.

> The OP alludes that HK was kept under the yolk [sic] of British rule, and is eager to shed its shackles to return to the mainland. This is simply not the case.

But they were. Governers were appointed by the Queen. Protests were brutally surpressed -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1966_riots

(edit: typos)

China is a vast place, of course there are local dishes. But no-one would seriously even suggest that HK's food isn't Chinese food, or that their culture isn't Chinese.

> The OP alludes that HK was kept under the yolk of British rule, and is eager to shed its shackles to return to the mainland. This is simply not the case.

I cannot find any such allusion in this thread. It is true, though that the situation wasn't better under the British, and it was perhaps worse (no LegCo).

If Cantonese is really Chinese, why they the mainlander want to destroy it even in canton. They cannot practically read the “chinese” newspaper here or Taiwan as it is quite different. We do not eat dog and cat.

I think sentiment many hker is not really want to be chinese under the communist rule. Not even the establishment camp looking at the recent law enactment issue.

Back to the fundamental. Humanity with a sense of liberty would not sacrifice human and let them fall into the regime that have social credit system, no freedom to access internet, no freedom to worship both Jesus and be Muslim.