It was almost noon. In the old Caojing mutton shop on Zhifu Street, Caojing Town, Jinshan District, diners scanned the "place code", clicked on an mutton hotpot , and started to enjoy the good time. The owner Hu Wei was busy in the kitchen, cutting the mutton into the pot according to the needs of customers.
This store has a history of more than 30 years. When it comes to eating mutton, the first thing that comes to mind among Caojing people is this old store. This store is currently run by Hu Wei and her husband Jinbiao. The ones who work together are all their own siblings, and many of them come here are old customers. When the couple is busy, the customers take the side dishes and drinks themselves, just like friends. Some customers even laughed and said they grew up eating this mutton.
In the chat room, a pot of steaming hot and thick mutton was put on the pot. The fragrance comes to your face. If you take a bite, it will be smooth but not greasy, and the smell of sheep is not heavy, and it also has a slight milky aroma.
Hu Wei said that the key to whether the mutton is delicious or not mutton lies in the quality of the sheep. The store uses local goats, and the meat is tender and glutinous. Every day, after getting the fresh mutton, the couple started to get busy. Shave the wool, get out sheep blood , turn the sheep liver, sheep belly... Make sure to handle every step cleanly so that customers can eat with confidence. Not long ago, this store was also rated as the first "Four-Star Merchant" in Caojing Town.
In addition to local customers in Caojing, many of them come from outside and urban areas. Some have seen online reviews, while others have passed on word of mouth through friends and came here to see the reputation. In addition to eating in the store, many customers will pack them and take them home.
"Once, a customer brought a friend from the city. This customer from the city said that he did not eat mutton normally. After trying this time, he thought it was delicious. After eating it, he bought some and went back." Hu Wei said proudly, "We mainly rely on reputation. If the customer eats well, he will come naturally." Customer Mr. Wang has been eating in this restaurant for more than 20 years. He said: "What I eat is this authentic flavor and a warm human touch, which has not changed for so many years."
It is worth mentioning that this mutton shop is also a fundraising point for the "Shanghai Suishu Charity Foundation". Eight years ago, by chance, Jinbiao learned about "Shanghai Suitable Charity", so he joined the charity volunteer work and donated the clothes, books and other items collected from the collection site to left-behind children and the elderly in remote areas. Four years ago, he also helped a child from Malipo, Yunnan Province. Now, this child is in high school. Jinbiao said: "Every time a certain amount is raised, charity volunteers will gather these items together and package them for shipping. Everyone is voluntary to do this job, and I am very happy. I hope more and more people can join this team to help more people in need."
is the season for eating mutton now, but due to the impact of the epidemic, there are not as many customers in dine-in as before. Hu Wei said that he believed that the epidemic would get better after it improves, and the trust of customers is their motivation to persevere.
Caojing mutton store address: No. 45 Zhifu Street, Caojing Town (near the intersection of Caolang Highway)
Written by | Xu Fengqin
Edited by | Pan Ting
Editor | Shen Yanfei
