Amid concern after he stops regular social media updates, food critic Chua Lam resurfaces to reveal reason

HONG KONG – Renowned food critic and columnist Chua Lam has broken his social media silence after a one-month hiatus to reveal he is recovering from a fractured leg.

The 81-year-old Singapore-born media personality, who is based in Hong Kong, used to post daily diary entries on Facebook until March 23.

He wrote then that he was taking time off to recuperate “for a few days”, but his continued radio silence led to concern for his well-being. He did not respond to recent queries from the Hong Kong press either.

The avid foodie, who has written a number of restaurant guides, also joked in the post that his “hospitalisation has nothing to do with eating dangerous dishes and freshwater fish sashimi”.

His latest Facebook update on Tuesday reassured his fans that he was well, and he apologised for not explaining clearly what had happened to him.

He revealed that he was still in hospital as he had broken his thigh bone in a fall and had to have a metal rod inserted.

“Recovery is long and painful. I’m not in the best of spirits and don’t feel like doing anything. I hope everyone can forgive me,” he wrote. “I don’t even want to think about when I can continue writing my diary. Please give me some space.”

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He also posted a photo of a meal of wild vegetables on Sunday, without going into details about his absence.

Chua is the last surviving member of the so-called Four Talents of Hong Kong, the other three being legendary lyricist James Wong (1941 to 2004), wuxia author Louis Cha (1924 to 2018) and novelist-screenwriter Ni Kuang (1935 to 2022).

Chua’s update prompted an outpouring of well wishes from fans, with more than 2,000 comments on his post.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.