Shanghaiist: Journey to the Friday Muslim Market

Gubei

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:57:09 +0700

I've been to this a few times, pretty cool and a nice change of pace when you feel like Shanghai is just one big monotonous shopping mall with food court. The meat dumplings are good, ask for some spicy sauce. Also a nice variety of breads on offer there. I bought some almonds but they weren't that good - suggest you ask to try before you buy. The beggars are very annoying, preying on the muslim tradition of giving alms to the poor, they are just old Chinese ladies who've tied scarves on their heads.

santochino

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:38:42 +0700

You're both a bit right, and a bit wrong. The food is predominately from Xinjiang: pulao, lamb and lamb liver skewers, the lung-tripe-rice sausage dish called opka hesip, chipped ice with yoghurt and honey, pumpkin-stuffed dumplings. Sometimes there's an old Hui lady (from Shaanxi, I think), selling soy-braised chickens. But the people are from all over. There are Hui at the market. There are also Uighurs. And Sala, from Qinghai. And Pakistanis. And Shanghainese Muslims. And traveling Malaysian businessmen. And, and, and... The relatively small community makes the crowd fairly diverse. Super688 is right in that it's just a collection of streetside stalls. It's not Xian's Muslim Quarter. You *could* walk around the whole thing in two minutes, but you'd miss the point. With a plate of food as an excuse to linger and peoplewatch, it's a great, convenient reminder that there's more to China than the omnipresent Han. And I don't know where else in the city you'd find tables of henna, knives, sweet dried tomatoes, Uighur-language DVDs, skullcaps, large dried chilies, etc., parked next to sheep strung up on metal frames.

santochino

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:28:44 +0700

quantumcooney

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:34:19 +0700

They're not Hui, they're Uighur. Maybe you went to the wrong market.

super688

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:15:55 +0700

The pictures aren't bad, but give the wrong impression. It's like a half-dozen stalls selling the same sort of Hui stuff that Huis sell all over town. With the recent construction, it's maybe a 15 minute walk from Zhenping Lu. Definitely not worth it, unless you happen to be in the area anyway, which is incredibly unlikely.

Rebekah Pothaar

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:09:48 +0700

Still have yet to visit! Thanks for reminding me.

Micah Sittig

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:40:33 +0700

The closest metro station is Line 3/4's Zhenping Rd, then cross the river and walk south for a few blocks. (On Google Maps)

James Creegan

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:40:42 +0700

Can't have too much information about this kind of thing- I'd forgotten it existed, and still haven't been. Guess it's too late to call in sick today.

Flashback

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:51:53 +0700

SH (RIP) did an article on this place last year - http://shmag.cn/feature/bazaar_shanghai

Josh

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:20:00 +0700

Now that sounds like a good place to be headed on a Friday, although I'd be careful of the meat during the hot summer months. Anybody know if they serve the famous Uyghur ice cream there? If so, you ought to try that out. I highly recommend the pulao, rice pilaf dish. Amazing.