Where to buy fresh mahuar (麻花儿) in Shanghai?

[koreth]

I'm addicted to these fried bread twists, especially the ones with red bean paste filling, and I want to bring some fresh ones back to the US with me to share with my friends. But I understand they're kind of a northern thing, and I'll be spending the last few days of my time in China in Shanghai. Anyone know if there's a place to get them there? I figure it's a big enough city there must be someone making them.

[bloove]

Fried bread twists/sticks(麻花) is very popular in China,Not only in the northern but also in the southern you can easily find it.

It has plenty of different shapes and flavours,I think you can find it in the big Supermarket,even though packaging with plastic, or a snack bar with kinds of fried food which provide breakfast in the every morning.

[simonlaing]

Hi Bloove,

When I first read this I thought you meant Marijuana, or Hashish the tobacco Chinese variety which made me think of a story my friend Rob once told me. I doubt he will ever study Chinese though he's taught here for like 5 years so he won't find out.

He was coming back from Thailand where he had some pot that he hadn't finished smoking. He had two relatively small tabs and decided to put it under his tongue going through Pudong customs. If they stopped him he could just swallow it if not he could smoke it later. Anyway he get through customs with out a hitch.

The next day he is walking around south of Nanjing Road in Shanghai, looking around books and DVD merchants. He passed a few xinjiang Musilim restaurants, and a guy calls out to him Hashish Hashish. Rob thinks hey I got through customs why not get some more before he comes back to Nanjing. He nods and they go down an alley to do the transaction. Rob buys a small bag and everything seems fine until they walk out the alley and are stopped by the police. The police grab the dealer and ask Rob for the Hashish. They then take the two of them to the police station. They handcuff the dealer to the bench along with some other criminals who are handcuffed there. Rob is told to sit on the bench about 5 meters from an open door. He has to wait there four 2 hours, near the open door that hecould walk right out of. They haven't asked for his passport or name or anything yet really. As he's waiting there occassionally police people come in and out of the station as they pass the handcuffed criminal some of them slapped them around an yell them. The criminals are handcuffed so can't do much. Rob is feeling really nervous and wonders if they will slap him around before he is deported.

After about 2 or 3 hours the police come and tell him they are not interested in arresting him for drug possession but want him to give evidence on the drug dealer. He gives his name and signs a sheet giving evidence on the dealer. The they let Rob go. (They don't let him keep the hashish.)

I sometimes stay in hotels far south of Nanjing Rd and the French Consulate is near there. Last year there were still people offering hashish for sale, though I am not sure at the moment. A random story. They do have Naan bread too if you're so inclined.

Anyway, Have fun,

Simon:)

p.s. In Yunan pot is much easier to come by.

[AprilJiWoo]

u can find it in yu garden(豫园)

brand 十八街,made in TianJin,

it's famous.

i perfer the smaller size to the bigger size.

but it depends:D

[Howitzer]

Simon, that's a pretty crazy story. From what I'd heard (as someone who's studied Chinese society and speaks Mandarin relatively poorly but has never been there) drug policy is a lot less strict than you'd actually think - and that only seems to comfirm the story. How common is it for Chinese people to smoke it, or is it just mostly Chinese dealers dealing to foreigners living and traveling there?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised about the Yunnan bit owing to it's geographical position..

Sorry for derailing the topic a bit!

[koreth]

I went on my mahuar hunt today and came up empty. I tried a couple big grocery stores and a bunch of bakeries, and asked random Chinese on the street about it. Their responses fell into three categories: some had never heard of the stuff, some knew what it was but didn't know of any place nearby to get it, and some, the worst, knew what it was and thought they knew where to get it -- but the places they pointed me to didn't actually have it. I should have checked this thread again before heading out; I hadn't seen the message about Yu Garden. Oh well.

Next time I'm doing Shanghai before Dalian -- in the part of Dalian where I was staying (near 马兰广场), you would find it hard to go two or three blocks without finding at least one vendor selling the stuff. I've been wandering various streets of Shanghai for nearly a week and have yet to see it even once.

On the other hand, Shanghai has much better xiaolongbao!

[simonlaing]

Yeah when I lived in Suzhou I used to love Xiaolong bao, They also have a big version of it called tang baozi. This one is so big you have to suck the juice out before you eat the meat bun .

Yeah, sorry about the pot side story. Yunnan is the place to go for easy access. You can get it other places in China, but like every thing you have to know someone. I heard Xinjiang you can get it as well though not as easily as Yunnan.

Good luck on the Ma huar.

Does anyone like Xiao mai, the little flavored rice wraped in edible bag? Delicious.

have fun,

Simon:)