Why One Bun Is Never Enough

When talking about Cantonese bakeries, it is impossible to choose just one thing.

You walk in thinking you’ll grab something quick, and suddenly you’re standing there debating between five different buns, and all of them are somehow the right choice.

For us, these bakeries have always been part of everyday life. Not something fancy, just something comforting. You go in, pick whatever you’re craving, and keep going with your day.

Sometimes before school, sometimes after school, we’d stop by Maxim’s Bakery (美心餅店), one of those bakeries you’ll find everywhere across Macau and Hong Kong. The routine was always the same: we would get at least 3 buns for the two of us, one each and one to share, because choosing only one flavour never felt right!

Years later, after moving to the US, we had one of those unexpectedly nostalgic moments when we realized the name Maxim’s had made its way there too. Fun fact: Maxim’s in Cantonese is 美心 (mei5sam1), which means “beautiful heart”. Surprisingly fitting for a bakery we associate with small everyday moments, right?

That’s the thing with Cantonese. It lives in these small, everyday moments. It is more than what you say. It is about what you choose, what feels familiar.

And honestly… we’ve never managed to leave with just one bun.