The so-called Tea Houses in Shanghai are such a disgrace when it comes to serving up genuine Guangdong cuisine.
Hailing from Guangzhou, there are times I yearn for the taste of home. But lately, I’ve noticed that these tea houses are all cut from the same cloth. They’ve got a dodgy business model, throwing heaps of cash at expansion and luring in customers, but somehow forgetting to up their game when it comes to the food.
In a way, these Guangdong Tea Houses in Shanghai are kind of like Panda Express in the U.S. or a local McDonald’s in China. They’re like odd creatures that have sprung up, almost disrespecting the roots of the original cuisine, at least some of them. Let me vent my frustrations to you for a moment.
First off, they’re all a bunch of copycats, pretending to be something they’re not - authentic Guangdong. They’ve got the same tired decor trying to mimic the vibe of 1990s Guangdong with bold fonts, retro designs, and kitschy plates and knick-knacks that seem like they were bought on some budget online store. And in the background, you’ll hear the same old Cantonese tunes playing on a loop. It’s a bit of a farce. Real Guangdong restaurants are the result of years of hard work, often run by family businesses where a skilled chef takes the helm for decades. The items that adorn these establishments have been collected over time, menus tend to stay the same for years, reflecting the dedication, choices, time, and history of everyone who built the place - the chef, the waitstaff, and the local community. You can’t replicate the genuine Guangdong experience without putting in the effort. Like,
now i finally emphasize with at least one BP song, and understand when the economists who claim that market needs regulations. when it’s spoiled by fierce competition towards a bad outcome and ruined your favourite cuisine, you want someone to bring things back on track.
Bunch of wannabes that wanna be me.
Who do you think you are???
Now, let’s talk about the food - and, to be blunt, it’s nothing to write home about. The menus are all cookie-cutter, offering the same ol’ stuff. You can bet they’ve got the standard drinks - Hong Kong milk tea, iced lemon black tea, and the usual suspects. They dish out the same mundane weekday lunch options like Cha-Shao with rice and curry pork rice. And for dessert, it’s always the usual suspects like “Lou Nai Hua,” or ’leaked milk’ French toast, pineapple bun with butter, and the like. Some places might add a little twist, but it’s essentially the same simple fare that doesn’t demand a seasoned chef - made with cheap, storable ingredients. Their beef is frozen, the chicken isn’t exactly fresh, and they don’t even bother with soups because they require a bit more time and effort. In a nutshell, the menu at these Shanghai-Hong Kong lookalikes is a carefully selected mix of items that are easy to cook and rake in the cash.
FRUSTRATING.
And here’s the kicker. These so-called Tea Houses are sprouting up everywhere, especially near my college in Shanghai, which is like a hub of consumer culture. It’s clear that they’re spreading like wildfire and trying to take over the Guangdong cuisine market in a sly way. These Tea Houses are aggressive - they splurge on advertising to attract customers and end up leaving the truly authentic Guangdong restaurants in the dust. And we, the customers, have to foot the bill for their flashy ads and ambiance. It’s a bad equilibrium when the capital behind those restaurants just want to make money, with excessive demands in a very large and thick consumer-culture poisoned market, crowed majority aiming for acceptable food with a tight budget and sinking demand to lower level buying.
Now, I’m spending more on mediocre food and have no better alternatives in sight. This is how the market fails. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.