Street barbecue and night markets
Alexander Bushroe is from Florida, USA, and has resided in China since 2009. He graduated from Clemson University and the Dalian University of Technology. In this column on the City News Service, he'll offer some thoughts about the latest official goings-on in Shanghai and navigating through life in the city. If you have any questions, please email Alex at alex@shanghaidaily.com.
I broke a sweat during my walk to the office today, which is a clear indicator of one – well, two – things.
First, I need to lose a few kilos, though I suppose that's why I've started walking to work in the first place rather than taking the Metro. But second, and more relevant to everyone else, it means that spring is actually, finally, for real this time, here.
The sakura in Shanghai's parks have come and have already begun to vanish. Temperatures for next week may well crack 30 degrees, peaking between the upcoming days of plum rain.
But the reason I bring this up this year in particular is the re-emergence of something that certainly has the potential to counteract my weight loss efforts like a riptide current to a novice swimmer – outdoor night markets.
Remember the days of yore, years ago in Shanghai? I know, I'm sorry ... I hate to be that guy, but appease me for a moment. Barbecue stands, noodle and fried rice carts, and food stalls of all sorts lined street corners in every district in the city, particularly after dark and on weekends. Night owls, like I was in my younger days back at that time, particularly treasured these opportunities to fill up their stomachs after a late night out on the town as well as the chance to socialize with and befriend others out late whilst perched atop our plastic stools with sauce and grease spattered across our faces and Saturday night outfits.
It was great
These large agglomerations of stalls, carts, and portable furniture began to disappear from the city's central areas over the past decade, however. The carefree ethos of the late-night weekend outdoor face-stuffing session also at times was accompanied by a similarly nonchalant attitude toward the disposal of trash and leftovers, which eventually led to the city deciding that downtown cleanup efforts were necessary, at the expense of some of our favorite outdoor grub hubs.
This commenced well before 2020, and, of course, the pandemic brought what was seemingly a coup de grâce to the streetside food community.
But, as 2023 has begun to show us in a number of senses, all is not yet lost.
A mild relaxation in restrictions downtown as well as stricter enforcement of licensing policies has allowed some vendors to resurface. Still, as has been the trend, the largest congregations of night food markets today are mostly located outside the domain of Shanghai's ring roads.
Perhaps the largest, located in the Songjiang District neighborhood of Sijing, located just across the street from Metro Line 9's Sijing Station, reopened for the first time post-pandemic last month. Reminiscing about the – ahem – "good old days" of outdoor street food, I ventured westward to investigate the scene.
I was not disappointed by the veritable smorgasbord on display. All the classics were there; thousand-year eggs, barbecued squid on a stick, stinky tofu – you know, your favorites.
In all seriousness, though, all sorts of the regular nosh were present, from lamb skewers to jianbing wraps, alongside a few more eclectic items, like donkey meat sandwiches and something called kao shaopi, which I'd never had or even heard of before. I decided to try as many options as I could fit in my gullet.
Jianbing wraps
Kao shaopi
Luosifen
We needn't rehash the debate about whether despite stinky tofu's odor, it actually tastes great or not (I hate it) or whether durian fruit or any cake, candy or other durian-infused product has an aroma reminiscent of gym socks (it doesn't; I love it) or any other controversial item.
Thankfully, the dish that's gained extreme popularity in recent years amongst China's online youth, luosifen, a noodle soup from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with river snails and horrendously reeking fermented bamboo shoots, was not available. I can't say I'm a huge fan.
Chou guiyu
Black stinky
tofu
Guobaorou
Nor, as a matter of fact, is every Chinese person. I've heard all manners of differing opinions about China's most polarizing foods. Some can't stand the nutty, custardy goodness of the durian fruit but love chou guiyu, a semi-fermented fish dish from Anhui Province. Others agree with me that the snail noodles are off-putting, but are happy to shovel down the black stinky tofu by the skewer. To each their own, of course.
Even for the less adventurous, though, staples like fried noodles and various buns and dumplings are available and can be washed down with a hand-smashed iced lemon tea. I even came upon a stall serving guobaorou, a sweet dish of fried pork commonly available in northeastern China-style restaurants. Excellent.
So regardless of your degree of culinary adventurousness, if you enjoy a bit of outdoor street snacking, it is making a comeback. Though it may never quite return to the peak fervor of yesteryear, and though it might take a few extra minutes' travel to get there, stalls and night markets are reappearing in town.
As the weather warms up, get out and enjoy the outdoor snacking culture. It's the perfect time to welcome it back.
Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite street dish or favorite outdoor market in Shanghai or elsewhere.
Scan the QR code to read Alexander's other stories.
Click the pictures to read past stories ↓
Editor: Su Yanxian
Designer: Shi JingyunWriter: Alexander BushroePhoto: IC