British grub not what it seems
By Liang Yiwen and Lu Feiran |
May 28, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LOCALS cheering online for a "British cuisine" stall set up outside Tongji University following the closure of a popular French crepe stall may be disappointed to discover that it was merely a prank.
Web users were excited to find pictures and video clips of "British fried rice with egg" making its debut on the city's "night food street" yesterday.
Many netizens planned to travel to the stall to have a taste before urban management officials cracked down on the unlicensed vendors.
However, a Shanghai Daily reporter visited the stall at the intersection of Chifeng Road and Miyun Road last night and discovered the expat chef in the video had just rented an unlicensed stall from its Chinese owner to put on a personal show on Thursday night while a companion videotaped his culinary feats.
They made signs in Chinese advertising "British fried rice with egg" and hung them on a tricycle stall. The Briton cooked one dish of rice and then left, the stallholder said.
Other nearby vendors said the man and his friend had asked to rent their stalls to put on the show and promised to pay them 100 yuan (US$15) in return, but they had refused.
While the Gallic street gourmets worked from a clean wooden surface on a gleaming white tricycle, the British egg fried rice cook relied on an oil-spattered old stove and appeared to be using "swill oil" - cooking oil scooped out of eateries' drains - stored in a drink bottle.
And though the expat cooked the meal, footage uploaded to tudou.com by web users showed a Chinese man adding oil and sauce and giving instructions on when to toss the rice.
"Foreigners have learned some bad things, including using swill oil," one web user joked.
Some other web users questioned whether foreigners would use the same cooking equipment as locals.
However, the real purpose of the foreigner's prank remains unknown.
Last week, authorities called a halt to a popular but unlicensed crepe stall launched by two French students from Tongji University. The pair became a big Internet hit.
City urban management authorities have intensified the crackdown on unlicensed stalls on the street after media exposure, stall owners said.
Liu Weiguang, an official with the city urban management authority, said that the team will treat expat vendors and local venders equally.
Expats are banned from conducting any business in China without the official approval from the labor authority and its commissioned department.
Violators face being fined or even deported, according to Chinese Law.
Web users were excited to find pictures and video clips of "British fried rice with egg" making its debut on the city's "night food street" yesterday.
Many netizens planned to travel to the stall to have a taste before urban management officials cracked down on the unlicensed vendors.
However, a Shanghai Daily reporter visited the stall at the intersection of Chifeng Road and Miyun Road last night and discovered the expat chef in the video had just rented an unlicensed stall from its Chinese owner to put on a personal show on Thursday night while a companion videotaped his culinary feats.
They made signs in Chinese advertising "British fried rice with egg" and hung them on a tricycle stall. The Briton cooked one dish of rice and then left, the stallholder said.
Other nearby vendors said the man and his friend had asked to rent their stalls to put on the show and promised to pay them 100 yuan (US$15) in return, but they had refused.
While the Gallic street gourmets worked from a clean wooden surface on a gleaming white tricycle, the British egg fried rice cook relied on an oil-spattered old stove and appeared to be using "swill oil" - cooking oil scooped out of eateries' drains - stored in a drink bottle.
And though the expat cooked the meal, footage uploaded to tudou.com by web users showed a Chinese man adding oil and sauce and giving instructions on when to toss the rice.
"Foreigners have learned some bad things, including using swill oil," one web user joked.
Some other web users questioned whether foreigners would use the same cooking equipment as locals.
However, the real purpose of the foreigner's prank remains unknown.
Last week, authorities called a halt to a popular but unlicensed crepe stall launched by two French students from Tongji University. The pair became a big Internet hit.
City urban management authorities have intensified the crackdown on unlicensed stalls on the street after media exposure, stall owners said.
Liu Weiguang, an official with the city urban management authority, said that the team will treat expat vendors and local venders equally.
Expats are banned from conducting any business in China without the official approval from the labor authority and its commissioned department.
Violators face being fined or even deported, according to Chinese Law.
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