出差回顧: 大館裡的非常香港：空間是麵團，我們是野生酵母

2024 年 7 月，我暫離長洲的麵粉糊，來到中環大館，參與由「非常香港」（Very Hong Kong）主辦的「將空間變成辦法」亞洲地方營造交流大會（Everything's in PLACE Asia Placemaking Convention）。

這場活動匯聚了一群在城市夾縫中尋找可能性的「空間」。現場除了我們，還有許多各路好手與參展單位，包括我的老朋友, 窗口巷 Window Alley

空間與酸種的玄學：大館石階上的微氣候

一個烤麵包的，為何跑去聽城市空間改造？

因為做酸種麵包（Sourdough）和地方營造（Placemaking）本質上是同一門玄學。沒有酵母的麵團只是死氣沉沉的死麵；沒有人互動的鋼筋水泥，也只不過是巨型墳場。

( IMAGE ) 

看看大館的洗衣場石階。主辦方沒有砸重金裝潢，僅用回收木箱、坐墊與幾盆植物，就像撒下了一把高活性的酵母，瞬間改變了這冰冷過道的「微氣候」。原本匆忙的香港人竟然願意停下腳步，讓「過道」發酵成了「聚腳點」。

把荒廢角落轉化為社區心臟，就像我們在處理高水合（High Hydration）麵團——你不能硬碰硬，你得順著它的筋性去折疊它、引導它。

結語：長洲島上的野生酵母

大館的實驗讓我反思「長洲哨牙刀」的存在意義。我們賣的從來不只碳水化合物，而是用麵包微酸的香氣，把長洲街坊與島外的靈魂，通通揉進我們這個小空間裡。

我們試圖在香港這塊巨大、有點乾硬的麵團中，注入一點不安分的野生酵母，讓它重新產生呼吸的氣孔。

(下次來長洲，別只拿了麵包就走。留下來坐坐，你可能就是我們下一個空間實驗的關鍵成分。)

SourPost - Very Hong Kong at Tai Kwun: Space is the Dough, We are the Wild Yeast

[Prologue: The Gathering of Space Hackers]

In July 2024, I stepped away from the floury mess in Cheung Chau and headed to Tai Kwun in Central for the "Everything's in PLACE Asia Placemaking Convention" organized by Very Hong Kong.

This event gathered a group of "space hackers" looking for possibilities in the city's crevices. Besides us, there were many other experts and exhibitors, including my old friend Window Alley

The Metaphysics of Space and Sourdough: The Microclimate on Tai Kwun's Steps

Why would a baker attend a convention on urban space transformation?

Because making sourdough and placemaking are essentially the same metaphysics. Dough without yeast is just a lifeless lump; concrete without human interaction is merely a giant graveyard.

Look at the laundry steps at Tai Kwun. The organizers didn't spend a fortune on decoration. Using just recycled wooden crates, cushions, and a few potted plants—like sprinkling highly active yeast—they instantly changed the "microclimate" of this cold corridor. Hurried Hong Kongers were actually willing to stop, allowing the "passageway" to ferment into a "gathering spot."

Transforming an abandoned corner into the heart of a community is like handling high-hydration dough—you can't force it; you have to fold and guide it according to its gluten structure.

Epilogue: The Wild Yeast on Cheung Chau Island

The experiment at Tai Kwun made me reflect on the existence of "Cheung Chau Sourdough" (Wakin Bakin). We never just sell carbohydrates; we use the slightly sour aroma of bread to knead the souls of Cheung Chau neighbors and outsiders into our small space.

We are trying to inject a bit of restless wild yeast into this massive, somewhat dry and hard dough of Hong Kong, allowing it to regenerate breathing pores.

(Next time you visit Cheung Chau, don't just grab your bread and leave. Stay and sit for a while; you might just be the key ingredient in our next spatial experiment.)