Lettuce vs. latte: Cucumbers to be drawn at dawn

^{The popup fruit and vegetable shop opposite Starbucks in Sai Kung}

Tempers are rising along with the heat in downtown Sai Kung as customers at Starbucks, as well as many local residents, get upset with the owners of a popup vegetable store in the alley opposite the coffee shop.

Social media has been buzzing with comments such as “You rent the shop, not the street”, “You sit outside having a coffee and reading the newspaper and all you get is music blasting from inside the shop”. “What are FEHD inspectors doing letting these fruit and vegetable shops take over the pavement”. …and so on.

Anyone walking around Sai Kung would have noticed that fruit and vegetable shops run the restaurants along the sea front a close second for being the main pavement abusers when it comes to taking over public rights of way with their wares. FEHD inspectors, and even police – who have a reputation for being tardy even with traffic and parking offenders – turn a blind eye, or, having made some representations to the shop owners, don’t bother to return a few minutes later when offending items which were removed are simply placed back in the same place.

However, it seems the slightest violation of the rules for the restaurants and bars in the Square are the cause of much consternation amongst the officials with penalties being handed out with great abandon.

Comments from BUZZ readers most welcome.