Shanghai has its fair share of Michelin-rated restaurants and world renowned chefs, yet a huge amount of food culture is taking place not in the carefully-primped restaurants, but on the street. Literally. Street food in Shanghai is a huge part of the city's charm: One could even argue that it’s an integral part of the culture as well. In recent years, there’s been debate over whether to shut down all open air food carts - especially those that have open grills, which are said to be a major contributor to the city’s smog problem.
Image by David Atkin
In every district, just about every at turn, you will find street-side cafes pouring onto the sidewalk. Let’s also not forget about the countless rolling carts as well, and the infamous hot spots around town where dozens of vendors line up to serve the Laobaixing and Laowai alike. Whether you choose to dine on the wild side or not, it's certainly an experience.
Image by Fran Gubbey
When trying to take photos of street vendors, you may encounter a few words or waving hands from cooks. If so, just move on. It is likely they don’t possess a license and fear possible repercussions from local authorities. Properly licensed or not, it’s wise to abide by their wishes … after all, why create tension? Just order up and eat on!
Image by Gerry Abbott
The delicious list is endless: steam buns (mantou), pancakes with a variety of fillings (cong you bing), xiaolongbao, doufu (yes, even chou doufu), jian bing, ma qiu (deep fried sesame ball), kebabs, rou jia mo (Shaanxi style pork sandwich), sheng jian (fried bun/dumpling) … ah, the list goes on … are you getting hungry yet?
Image by Gerry Abbott
Don’t be shy, go out and try! Many vendors are friendly and often pose for pictures. If you’d like to come out, try a bite or two and even lug your camera at the same time: email us and we’ll add you to the invite list (shanghaiexposed@gmail.com) Wherever we go, there’s surely a street vendor around to happily serve you! See you soon.
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Image by David Atkin
Image by Fran Gubbey
Image by Cheryl Rathan
Image by Cheryl Rathan
Image by Victor Nugter
Image by Victor Nugter
Image by Darrell Lew
Image by Darrell Lew
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