It is said that some dishes are best served cold, while others are best served only during the holidays. Chinese lunar new year, for example, has its own special dishes, such as spring rolls, that are typically eaten over Spring Festival.

To celebrate the Year of the Monkey, a group of foreigner foodies in Shanghai got together over the holiday to try their hand at preparing local cuisines. On the menu that day: dumplings (jiaozi) and glutinous rice flour balls called tangyuan.

"There's something really satisfying about eating food you wrapped yourself," said Ben Cost, an expat from New York who has lived in Shanghai for five years. "Rolling jiaozi is like a combination of origami and cooking."

After an hour of hard work, the participants placed their dumplings into boiling water, then waited for the fruits of their labor. "I enjoy this part the most, because I finally see my efforts pay off," said Abby King from the US.

Scarlett Chan, the organizer of the cooking class, told the Global Times that cooking is an ideal indoor hobby during the cold winter, especially when most local restaurants close down for the holiday week while workers return to their home provinces.

"Everything closed down for CNY, so I wanted to know how to feed myself so I don't have to subsist on grilled squid chips and beer all break," joked Cost.

Food aficionados

Most of the participants of Chan's cooking class are Chinese food aficionados who have already adapted their palates to local gastronomy. "I spent the previous new year in a small village in the mountains near Hangzhou, where I learned how to make dumplings," said Rita Malvone from New York, who has lived in Shanghai for a half-decade but prefers Cantonese or dongbei (northern China) food.

"Before I came to China, Chinese food was synonymous with high-octane fodder eaten out of white cartons at 3 am while drunk," said Cost, whose favorite dishes now include Peking Duck, braised pork, xiaolongbao (Shanghai-style dumplings) and even "cobra hotpot."

In sprawling Shanghai, the foreigners have come to realize that different parts of the city celebrate Spring Festival differently, with some upscale neighborhoods preferring to dine out while traditional districts do their own home cooking.

"I live near an old town south of the Bund. Here, the preparations begin early; air-dried meats and unique sweets start to appear in January. The banks are all very busy with people getting their hongbao (red envelope) money," said Malvone. "The streets are joyful and buzzing, but then suddenly get quiet. It's both eerie and calm."

Foreigner foodies in Shanghai learn how to make dumplings to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Photo: Courtesy of the organizers

 
Newspaper headline: Season of the spring roll