Snacking in Shanghai!

On the final day we were in Shanghai, we had the morning free (our flight was in the afternoon) and decided to take a walk in the neighbourhood we were staying in. It was a very pleasant morning with temperature about 12 deg.C - the cool & crisp air made it a very enjoyable walk!

We walked several blocks away from CH's condo and there were interesting sights all around... but let's focus on the FOOD aspect here, haha!

Yu Tiao (yau cha kway here) is a very popular breakfast item and we passed by several spots where this was fried and sold on-the-spot... just like this "fur-clad" girl here... so glamorous hoh?

Walking past some shops, we spied this lady...

On closer look, this was what she was selling... she was making some kinda thin eggy pancake (like our thosai) on a flat pan...

Then she wrapped some fried beancurd skins (fu chook), shredded omelette, chopped springonions, a dash of chilli and folded the pancake...
...and this was the end result! Layers of hot crispy stuff that made a lovely crackling sound as you savour it - It was really yummy! But do note the chilli was really fiery & almost-lethal (even though she put only a tiny bit!)
This lady was selling something similar, I think...but maybe hers were not so nice & crispy - looking at those pancakes piled up there!
Walking along the pavements, we came across some interesting characters... like this "cool dude" lounging against the wall selling bamboo shoots...

... and a barber doing brisk business by the roadside... and a young lass frying eggs not too far away...
Since it was breakfast time, we saw the locals enjoying their food on every corner...
Hehe...just like here in Malaysia, people eating everywhere!
So... what were they eating huh?
Hot fresh soyabean milk and soyacurd (taufu fah)...
...and more Yu Tiao.... and also these interesting flat breads baked in a tandoor-like oven...
See... everyone enjoying their hot soya and breads fresh from the clay oven!
I don't think I have ever seen a more hygienic-looking hawker than this lady here! She's wearing a doctor-like white coat with gloves... she was selling glutinuous rice ball with yu tiao wrapped inside! It was fascinating watching her deft moves as she piled the yu tiao together with some pickled veg and quickly wrapped & rolled everything into a ball with glutinuous rice!
It was very refreshing to be greeted by all these colorful fruits as we continued our walk...


Don't forget Shanghai is the City of Dumplings, hehe! There were several of these stalls all along the roads...Talking about snacks, if you are in Shanghai, you absolutely must go to the biggest Food Store in the Pedestrian Mall on Nanjing Road. Sorry I didn't snap a picture of the store facade (we just dashed in & forgot about it when we exited, haha!)... neither could I take a pic of the interior because it was just too darn crowded & I was practically jostled everywhere! Anyway, it is a very famous store - everyone knows this place - just tell the cab driver to bring you there!

Braised stuff: eggs, duck gizzards, duck wings & feet, chicken feet

There's so much food inside that you can really go beserk gawking at everything! From cooked food, to dried/preserved food, to sweets, savouries, from meats to seafood, from fungus to shark cartilage ... wahlau, the list is endless, I tell you! I was practically like the proverbial saying "kid let loose in a candy store" hahaha!

Preserved every-part-of-the-pig & preserved fish

See these beauties? No, that's not ikan masin, it's the famous Chinese Ham! You pay by weight and they will vacuum-pack for you. Not cheap - a piece weighing 200+g will set you back about RM70 but they are delicious - just drop a few small slices into your soup/stew/porridge and you'll be rewarded by the most delish smokey-porky-hammy flavours - trust me!

Salted preserved pork belly

Fat plump chinese sausages

More waxed delicacies

OooOOooh... these were all sorts of braised/smoked meats, packed neatly in boxes, ready to go! Just grab a few, eat with your fingers as you continue pounding the pavements, hehe!
Glorious roasted fowls and pork hanging everywhere - they had me almost swooning as I was jostled by the crowds - aiyorrr!

And these are the excellent Shanghainese "mooncakes" - they are actually baked buns with pork fillings! OMG - they were fresh out of the oven when I bought a few and ate on-the-spot >>> unbelieveably SEDAP with crispy crumbly pastry and warm delectable morsels of pork inside!
I bought a box of 10 to bring home but of course, they were not as nice as when eaten-off-the-oven!!

These are some of the hundreds (perhaps even thousands!) of types of snacks available - mostly sold by weight. The mochi were extremely good, I tell you - many choices of flavours & fillings! Just pick your choices into bags - that's what I did and half my luggage back was filled with all these!

Ahhh...food, glorious food in Shanghai - how I miss them now!