Third, unless you decide to quietly quit having spent most of your working days avoiding any interaction whatsoever with your colleagues, you must show up on your last working day with an armful of “scatter water cakes”.
That is the literal translation of the Cantonese phrase saan seoi beng, for which there is really no proper translation.
Crowdsourced online dictionary CantoWords.com, for example, defines saan seoi beng as “confectioneries for co-workers on the last day at work”. The onus is on the one leaving to thank their soon-to-be-ex colleagues for their understanding, friendship and support.
The practice is in contrast to offices in, say, Britain, where it is more common for the “remain” camp to cobble together a cake, gift and card for the “leaver”.
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“I think [the phrase] is new, but it carries some traditional meanings of commensality in terms of sharing friendship and ritualising or formalising the practice of separation,” says Sidney Cheung Chin-hung, a professor of anthropology at Chinese University of Hong Kong.
There’s a sweetness in the composition of the phrase, too, as though its creator imagined the notion of someone floating through the office sprinkling little treats around like a benevolent cake fairy.
Leaving a job is often a bittersweet occasion and over my career I’ve seen many people come and go from the office – each one bringing something a little different on their last day at work.
For a time, it seemed as though everyone defaulted to a box of Sift cupcakes, which then morphed into a slightly fancier tray of Pierre Hermé macarons.
I always had a fondness for the office aunties who would bring in paper boxes of local bakery goods, the boxes’ flimsy laminated sides tied with plastic string barely containing the bounty of swiss rolls swirled with greasy “cream”, sweet-salty cocktail buns and squares of dense butter pound cake.
Among the younger worker bees, Tai Cheong egg tarts were standard, the Bakehouse ones the next level up. Some might even go the extra mile to bake their own cookies or cakes to pass around, their one final burst of effort appreciated by even those who would normally decline a dessert.
Like so many things to do with food, saan seoi beng has become a trend over the years. And when social media started showcasing every “last day” in painful detail, it suddenly became apparent that the standard saan seoi beng just wouldn’t cut it any more.
Now businesses offer more unique and customisable versions for the most discerning quitters.
Pastry chef Joanna Yuen Yeuk-chin, who has worked for award-winning restaurants in Hong Kong such as Nobu and Ando, has first-hand experience of creating saan seoi beng for customers who want to up their gift-giving game.
In the early days of her wedding cake business, in 2012, she would receive requests from moneyed civil servants and finance workers to create themed saan seoi beng for their leaving days.
She suggests that there is a certain kudos attached to creating personalised treats for colleagues.
“People quit very frequently in Hong Kong,” she laughs, “so they’ll often look at what the previous person who left bought, and try to match or better it. If there isn’t that ‘wow’ factor, it’s very much a loss of face.”
While Yuen’s cake business wound down a few years after she moved into restaurant work, she remembers creating very specific coloured cupcakes for customers.
“They would ask me to match the cake to their manicure because they wanted to take photos,” she says. “Or they’d tell me that there is a specific colour scheme to the clothes they were going to wear on their last day.”
Connie Ng Ka-yi, who co-founded online baking business A Little Happiness (@alittlehappinesss) in 2018, says she didn’t really see the concept of unique saan seoi beng becoming popular until a year after they launched.
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At the same time, her business partner suggested they start offering personalised messages that could be hot-stamped onto the tops of their signature puddings, which then became popular gift items.
Now they sell about 10,000 of their signature puddings and palmiers a month.
“Originally, giving saan seoi beng was really something that only people who have a lot of heart would think about,” Ng says. But as the practice became more mainstream, some people have come to see it as more of an obligation than a true expression of sincerity, she adds.
“But there are still many people who make an effort. Last year, we had a lot of people placing orders months in advance as they knew they would be emigrating. People just want to express their gratitude.”
5 bakeries for that extra special last day
1. Beans Group x Tse Sai Pei
This collaboration between independent caterers Beans Group and local illustrator Tse Sai Pei (aka Jasmine Tse) will get your team talking.
The box features illustrations by Tse – chaotic depictions of office life complete with flying laptops and papers, shouting colleagues, and bulky deliverymen – while the inside houses a selection of colourful cupcakes, each adorned with a unique office character.
Flavours include blueberry, matcha, strawberry and apple.
2. Wah Yee Tang
Based in Sai Ying Pun, this bakery is well loved for its sassy bird-flipping cat mascot and tongue-in-cheek baked goods with witty inscriptions.
Its buttery cookies, which are hand-piped with messages in either English or Cantonese, are perfect for passing around.
3. GW Bakery
GW Bakery is an Instagram bakery (@gw_bakery) specialising in iced-sugar cookies that are painstakingly decorated with individual messages (in the past, it also created custom cookies featuring the customer’s company logo).
Creating these intricate designs is time-consuming, so place your orders at least 10 working days in advance.
4. A Little Happinesss
Designed to be eaten fresh on the day, A Little Happinesss’ baked puddings are hot-stamped with individual messages ranging from “thank you for taking care of me” to “keep in touch”.
An alternative gift comes in the form of its flaky palmier biscuits, housed in sturdy jars and with the option of adding a laser-cut wooden owl ornament on which further messages can be inscribed.
5. In The Room
For my own last day in my previous job, I went for In The Room after being pulled in by its eye-catching illustrations set against bold colours.
Its glossy canelés (flavoured with Valrhona chocolate, earl grey, lemon, matcha and more) were neatly set into pleasingly square boxes, which were a sunshine shade of yellow and featured a quartet of young characters smiling and waving goodbye around the characters for saan seoi beng.
Inscribed at the bottom of the box was a phrase that loosely translates as “everlasting friendship; treasure the goodbye” (the phrase “goodbye” in Chinese can also be taken to mean “see you again”).
The art of saying goodbye
So you’ve bought your treats – now don’t forget there are rules for their dispersal, too.
1. Timing is everything
While it is tempting to offload your treats first thing in the morning under the pretence that they go great with coffee, it is awkward to remind everyone of your impending departure at the beginning of the workday.
The optimum time is one or two hours before the end of the work day, or around teatime – which means there is enough time for lunch to be digested, and it is early enough so that no one’s appetite will be spoiled for dinner.
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2. Mind the hierarchy
It is important to offer your saan seoi beng to the most senior members of the company first, followed by your immediate superior and then your team members and subordinates.
Everyone else comes after, but don’t you dare forget the receptionists, tea aunties/uncles and cleaners.
3. Make sure you buy enough
There is nothing more awkward than running out of treats midway through your rounds, something sure to invite scowls when you turn your back.
4. Don’t leave a mess
If there are spares, is perfectly fine to place them in the communal area and invite everyone to help themselves to more. However, it is best to dispose of any unsalvageable pieces before you close the door behind you for the last time, rather than leave the job to your colleagues.
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