Vice
Working with the VICE team on this episode of 24 Hour Intern was one of those productions where we knew from the beginning it was going to be a wild ride.
The concept for 24 Hour Intern was already established by the VICE team in Singapore. The format is simple: drop an intern into one of the toughest jobs imaginable and see if they survive 24 hours. Sink or swim.
Together, we started asking the obvious question: what are some of the toughest, most uniquely Hong Kong jobs we could throw someone into?
Meet Aaron
That’s when Aaron entered the picture.
Aaron had been cast by the VICE team and from the moment we met him, we knew we had our intern. He had this wonderfully unassuming energy, funny without trying, endlessly polite, and just slightly out of his depth in the most endearing way. From a storytelling perspective, he was the perfect person to place into environments that were fast, intense and completely unfamiliar. Naturally, one of the first ideas we landed on was the Hong Kong Chaan Chaan Teng.
What Is a Chaan Chaan Teng?
For anyone unfamiliar, the Chaan Chaan Teng (or Cha Chaan Teng) is a Hong Kong institution. The name translates loosely to “tea restaurant,” but the idea goes much deeper than that. These cafés first appeared in the 1950s during Hong Kong’s post-war boom. Western dining was becoming popular but still largely inaccessible to most people, so local cafés began adapting Western dishes using Chinese cooking styles and ingredients. The result was a unique East-meets-West menu that has since become iconic.
Today a Chaan Chaan Teng might serve instant noodles with satay beef, baked pork chop rice, silky Hong Kong milk tea, or a gloriously indulgent slab of Hong Kong style French toast drenched in condensed milk and butter. For Hong Kongers, these cafés are part of daily life, a place to grab a quick, affordable and comforting meal before heading back out into the city.
What really defines a Chaan Chaan Teng though is the pace. These restaurants run with almost unbelievable efficiency. Tables turn quickly, orders are shouted across the room, and waitstaff often don’t write things down in full. Instead they use a lightning-fast shorthand system that only other staff can decipher. Regular customers know exactly what to expect: quick service, minimal fuss and the occasional blunt interaction if you take too long deciding what to order.
Into the Chaos
Dropping Aaron into that environment was exactly what we were hoping for.
Suddenly he was trying to memorise a string of orders like “two milk teas, one iced lemon tea, satay noodles, macaroni soup and extra toast” while learning how to pour milk tea, clear tables and navigate a packed dining room moving at full speed. At one point a waiter handed him a ticket covered in scribbled shorthand and told him to take care of it. Aaron studied it carefully for a few seconds before turning to us and quietly asking,
“Does anyone here actually know what this says?”
The Production Challenge
Filming the episode came with its own set of challenges.
Unlike a controlled set, the Chaan Chaan Teng couldn’t slow down for a production crew. In fact, the restaurant had to be completely full for Aaron to get the real experience. That meant our team had to embed ourselves into a small corner of the café while waitstaff and customers moved around us with trays of hot food and drinks.
Safety was a major priority. Every camera team had a dedicated safety manager to make sure there were no slips or trips while filming in such a tight and busy environment.
Our setup had to stay extremely nimble. We kept lighting minimal and used cameras on gimbals so we could move quickly through the restaurant. Filming meant weaving between tightly packed tables while trying not to interrupt the rhythm of the café.
The Outcome
For the crew it was a surprisingly fun experience, almost like navigating a moving obstacle course. Aaron, on the other hand, was being put through his paces. His memory, his ability to keep up with orders and even his deep-frying skills were all put to the test. By the end of the shoot he had managed to deliver plates, pour tea and survive the lunch rush with his dignity mostly intact.
He definitely held his own, but we’re not entirely sure he’ll volunteer to do it again.
Overall, the episode ended up being one of the most enjoyable shoots of the series and a great way to capture a small slice of everyday Hong Kong life inside one of the city’s most iconic institutions.