Curious Cats Baked Loaves of Bread

Recently, I read an essay by Xixi in which she explored the topic of bread and discussed the fabric of various objects. Xixi remarked that while the colour and shape of bread may not be impressive, the small round holes of different sizes scattered across its surface form a beautiful pattern. This led her to reflect on how ordinary objects like a rope, a carpet, a rough-edged book, or a piece of fruit peel all have unique and intriguing texture patterns that can evoke admiration and surprise for a long time.

Xixi has a talent for finding interest in everyday life and possesses a curious nature towards all things. While we may not always share such a wide range of interests, we often find ourselves drawn to something in the community, prompting us to pause, observe, and feel the urge to record. In addition to aesthetic appreciation, the study of objects and underlying principles is equally important. In the internet age, where answers are readily available with a simple click, there is a temptation to accept everything at face value and follow others' opinions.

Let's imagine a method of testing this, using Xixi's fascination with the cross-sections of bread as an example. If we want to understand the origin of the small round holes in bread and how the bread-making process affects their size, why not knead the bread ourselves several times? Alternatively, we can cut different types of bread and compare them to determine which tastes better: the bread with denser holes or the bread with sparser holes?

The same principle applies to understanding communities. In the face of misleading information, we encourage participants of "Hong Kong Faces and Places" to verify and seek their own answers through comparative analysis, on-site inspections, and interviews with neighbours. Even if the results are not as expected, the value lies in the process based on personal experience rather than a mere recitation of secondary sources.

In this context, community stories created by participants of the seventh semester of "Faces and Places" are fresh from the oven. Incense stalls outside Wong Tai Sin Temple, hardware industry in Yau Ma Tei, pocket parks of Sham Shui Po, Smiling Plaza in Cheung Sha Wan, housing estate Playgrounds in Tseung Kwan O, and Kam Tin roadside are all cherished communities for observation. We sincerely invite you to read and appreciate them together.

References

西西：〈肌理〉，《剪貼冊》（臺北：洪範書店有限公司，1991年），頁174-175。