City seniors dine together in style they can afford
Print Edition
CANTEENS catering for the growing elderly population are opening up across the city with affordable prices and a pleasant environment, in an attempt to alleviate the loneliness which afflicts many people in their later years.
Some 90 percent of local seniors are taken care of at home. The tradition of filial piety means children are reluctant to put frail parents in nursing homes. Dining has become a major difficulty, for those seniors living alone, or whose families are off at work all day.
The daughter of Tang Xiulan, an 83-year-old retiree in Yangpu, used to drive across town for an hour, twice a day, to take her mother hot meals.
Her daughter’s daily pilgrimage ended last month, when Tang began eating at Yinfu Kitchen, a government-subsidized seniors’ canteen at the nearby Yinhang community.
“The canteen provides inexpensive, healthy meals which have made things easier for my daughter as well as relieving my loneliness,” said Tang.
With subsidies from the government, a meat dish at the canteen such as a pork chop costs 4.5 yuan (66 US cents), while vegetables cost 1.5 yuan, far cheaper than any nearby restaurants.
Around 60 of these canteens have opened in Yangpu District, catering for over 3,000 elderly citizens. More than 84 percent of them are over 70, living alone or have chronic conditions. The canteens also offer deliveries for an additional 1 yuan.
Citywide, over 500 such canteens have sprung up around major residential communities, with another 70 to open by the end of the year, according to Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. It is part of efforts to improve community care services for all senior residents. Companion day-care centers, with activity rooms and medical services, are also planned.
The number of city residents aged 60 or older reached 4.8 million at the end of 2017 and is expected to climb to 5.3 million by 2020. Seniors already account for more than a third of the city’s permanent residents.
Yinfu Kitchen opened with assistance from Yangpu District and Yinhang Subdistrict in 2008. It is run by Zhuang Yunhai, a successful businessman who previously managed another popular restaurant in the district.
Compared to his previous lucrative endeavor, the canteen hardly makes ends meet due to the low prices, but the 64-year-old Zhuang is more fulfilled than ever before.
“Without a loving heart, no one could stick to a business with so many hardships and so little profit,” Zhuang said.
His two predecessors had quit within a year.
Zhang Xingen, 85, is Zhuang’s most loyal customer. He has been dining at the canteen since 2008 when his wife passed away. The former technician at a Shanghai diesel engine plant can hardly see now.
He arrives at the canteen at 10am every day, listens to the orders of other customers to learn the menu of the day and then orders his own. He sits on a special spot near the counter where canteen staff bring him his meal. He has made many new friends at the canteen, who eat with him and chat.
“The price of the dishes has not increased in 10 years,” Zhang said. On weekends, his son and daughter come to visit him along with his grandchildren. Zhang often takes them to the canteen to sample his daily “cheap and cheerful” feast.
To keep prices low, Zhuang drives to a market in neighboring Baoshan District at 5am every day where products are fresh but prices are lower than other downtown wet markets. He also serves as the cashier at the restaurant to save on the labor costs.
The canteen has 22 staff, including cooks and deliverymen. Another two branches mainly cater for deliveries. The three sites sell about 700 sit-in meals plus 300 deliveries each day. During peak hours, his son and his wife often help out.
“I am determined to spend every penny of the subsidies properly and never to make a profit from customers,” he said.
Many downtown district governments have also begun cooperating with local restaurants to deliver meals to their elderly residents.
Huangpu District has invited time-honored eatery brands Guang Ming Cun and Xiao Shaoxing restaurants to deliver meals to seniors across Huangpu. Over 5,000 seniors have registered for the service.
In the Yangjing community in the Pudong New Area with over 29,000 elderly residents, a campaign is underway to increase choice and improve quality in its seven canteens.
“Today, most seniors care more about the taste and quality of their meals than the price,” said Lu Xiaofeng, the official in charge of the canteens.
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