Thank you, Brenda for a wonderful picture of the variety of street food. I can recall the smells and the atmosphere. It is a lovely photo-prompt posted by Rochelle to challenge our writing for Friday-Fictioneers. More stories are ready to be read HERE.
Mo Tong Lai Cha 無糖奶茶
(Tea, Milk No Sugar)
My shirt clung to my skin as I weaved down Yau San Street, and I knocked against a basket of squirming snakes. The warm aroma of peanut oil drifted among whiffs of cooking chicken; salivating, I ignored my hungry protests.
First the deal.
I saw her. Mai Ling sucking noodles, and she nodded.
‘Lai cha mo tong.’ She ordered for me. ‘Milk in tea, so British.’
I covertly slipped the passports into her bag, as a loose noodle struck her nose.
I twitched towards the observers.
‘My bankers,’ she said. ‘Drink your tea.’
A smile, a gold tooth. Money transferred.
James McEwan 
The sensory details here are lovely
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I kept to the acceptable smells. Thank you.
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Oh! Great take on the prompt! I especially like the noodle on her nose. It makes the scenario more real somehow
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Thank you. Slurping noodles makes me laugh.
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It all depends on how we measure success, I suppose. Well done, James.
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Thanks, Bill.
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Just loved the detail in this 🙂
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A done deal! Nice one, James.
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Pretty smooth transaction. I loved how you described the scene.
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Thank you.
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i guess it’s good while it lasts.
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I couldn’t help but wonder whose gold tooth was displayed?
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I was thinking it was the signal from one of the observers, to indicate that the money had been transferred, to pay for the passports.
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Okay, the noodle-slurping and the nose-noodle won the prize for me! Couldn’t help smiling at what is probably a very dangerous situation 🙂
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Thanks, Linda. When using chopsticks how else do you eat noodles?
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🙂
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That’s just how I like my tea as well, guess that makes me British. 🙂 Mai Ling sounds like a good secret operative, the last person you would suspect.
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Tea with milk, can’t beat it. Thanks David.
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James, this image inspired you to a first class story. You brought the scene into 3 dimensions with your descriptions.
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Painting in words, thank you.
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You’re welcome.
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Your welcome, James. A very evocative piece. The gold tooth is a great touch. I could smell, taste, and hear the scene. You made me miss Hong Kong. When I’m out of Asia, I sure do miss the food. I love zhen zhu nai cha (though I do like Hong Kong milk tea too – haha)!
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I spent three years in Hong Kong = I loved every minute.
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I remember that. Good food for sure! 🙂
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Nicely done James. I like the way you presented every detail.
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Thank you.
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Wow I could really see, smell and taste what was going on here. Great sensory tale with subtle hints. So he’s the supplier of the fake ids. I hope they still need him for future work or I imagine he’s in for a surprise.
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Perhaps he is rogue British Embassy staff!
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