Chinese noodles for the soul

Zhang Peijun's noodle stall is a favorite hangout among many of the elderly people in Pujiang town. [Photo by Xu Junqian / China Daily]

Although he has always been confident of his skills in the kitchen, the 43-year-old Shanghai native found little luck in the business world until two years ago when a friend sensed a business opportunity in Pujiang and urged him to move over.

As it turned out, this friend's foresight was rather accurate as business has seen steady growth since Zhang opened his stall. Together with his eight staff and two stoves, the eatery churns out between 400 to 500 bowls of noodles every day, triple the amount sold when he first started.

Another factor behind the brisk business is the fact that there's still little competition in the neighborhood. There are only a few small restaurants located in this town and food chains like KFC or Starbucks have yet to set up shop.

"Most of my regulars are old people. Some would come every day for two meals. The young people would also come and eat, but they have alternatives," says Zhang, in a stained white chef's jacket that has the name of a Japanese restaurant.

"It's from my former employer. I'm using it to save money," he jokes.

Zhang has about 12 loyal customers who dine at his shop daily. They usually show up before or after the peak meal hours as this means they get to hang around for a longer duration. Zhang often offers them yellow rice wine while they exchange opinions about the rocketing property prices in Shanghai and how much the city has changed.

"Shanghai has undergone very radical changes over the years. But my noodles don't change," says Zhang.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn