Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady (Part 3)
By Emily Ho
Editor’s Note: The author runs an ice-cream parlor on Hong Kong’s Lamma Island. When time allows, she draws caricatures and writes. The following are semi-autobiographical anecdotes blending fact and fiction.
Welcome to Lamma
It’s no exaggeration to call Lamma Island a “country version” of New York City. There are many similarities.
Like the Big Apple, Lamma has residents from all over the world: Britain, the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia and even Afghanistan, not to mention the Chinese mainland and elsewhere in Hong Kong. Both Lamma and New York are melting pots, but per capita, Lamma has more crazy people!
Two groups live on Lamma: the indigenous people who own the land, but don’t necessarily want to stay, and the outsiders who love the place and pay rent to the first group.
All the diversity lured Emily to this “last unofficial colony of the Great British Empire”, as she later called it.
Seven Days
After applying for all the necessary documents, like business registration and various permits, Emily discovered she had only seven days until the “grand opening” of her ice-cream shop. So she hurried to complete the tasks she had written with a green pen on her “business plan”.
General Information
-- Address: G/F, 61 Main Street, Yung Shue Wan, Lamma Island
-- Area: about 430 square feet
-- Basic facilities: one shop floor, one kitchen with water basin, one bathroom
-- Business: selling supreme ice cream and yoghurt
-- Selling points: children-friendly facilities, like children’s books, small tables and chairs, and a play corner complete with a tent; Emily’s caricatures of local people; a charity donation box (hopefully to benefit under-privileged children); and membership cards for occasional free ice cream or yoghurt.
Furnishings
-- Using red, white and blue highlights with creamy light blue as background
-- Two round, metallic tables and eight armed-chairs
-- Three sets of ceiling lamps
-- Posters of the sea and boats.
Equipment
-- Two freezers: one for ice cream, one for yoghurt
-- One refrigerator for cold drinks
Accessories
-- Ice-cream scoopers and sterilizer
-- Children’s books and toys
-- Napkins and plastic spoons
-- Ice-cream cones and tubs
-- Toppings for ice cream
-- Rubbish bins
Proprietor’s Uniform
-- French-maid style with white hair band
After seven days, Emily had created the first version of her new shop.
What Is The Name of the Shop?
Chinese people consider names more important than destinies. Anyone given a bad name endures a bad destiny.
Before launching her shop, Emily grappled with the biggest problem yet. What should she call it?
She ruled out “Lamma Ice Cream Parlor” and “Island Ice Cream Parlor” as too corny and lacking originality. She wanted something special. She pondered day and night. Failing to think of a proper name before the “grand” opening might drive her crazy, yet her brain went blank.
Then a friend said, “Why not use your own name for the shop?”
“But I don’t have my own ice-cream brand yet!” exclaimed the ambitious Emily.
Then she considered the idea. Actually, the name “Emily” sounds like “love” and “beauty” in Cantonese. It sounds appealing and feminine for an ice-cream parlor, and Emily appreciates beauty.
Finally, the ice-cream establishment opened with an appropriate name: “Emily’s Ice Cream and Yoghurt Parlor”. Problem solved.
Coming soon:
On the Seventh Day
(more Memoirs of an Ice-Cream Lady).
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