The most exciting headline at last weekend’s Art Basel Paris wasn’t its location in the magnificent Grand Palais nor the 195 galleries featuring artists. For this columnist, it was Cha Chaan Teng.

This was the launch of a three-year partnership between the Hong Kong Tourism Board and Art Basel, which included a pop-up cafe in the Grand Palais serving Hong Kong specialties such as rice char siu, pineapple buns, egg tarts, mango pudding, and more. and Hong Kong style yuen yeung milk tea and of course some art.

The Cha Chaan Teng installation goes beyond showcasing Hong Kong’s culinary and cultural experiences. Especially since the name used is Cantonese. cha chaan teng 茶餐廳 – translated into English as “tea restaurant” rather than the more standard translations “Hong Kong-style cafe” or “typical Hong Kong tea house”.

This is important because it shows why and how words were adapted into English, even if they have roots in other languages.

In the first place, words such as restaurant, cafeteria, pizzeria and delicatessen are included. Originally French, Restaurant entered English in the late 1700s. Pizzeria, naturally, comes from Italian and entered the English language in the late 1800s.