A 26-year-old shop! Never do publicity, but the old Changsha people pass it on by word of mouth!

Original Xiaole Happy Changsha

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Mountains, rivers, lakes and seas have scenery, and ordinary alleys are life. Market culture has a long history in Changsha's food culture.

Today, Xiaole came to the depths of the streets and alleys of the wells in Changsha City to take you to visit the "stories of the years" related to food in the hearts of old Changsha people.

On Cai 'e North Road, we turned past the noisy residential vegetable market. In the alley next to the Traffic Police Detachment of Kaifu District, we saw the old shop hidden in the market. The destination of this visit-Hanchun Restaurant.

Due to the epidemic, the bustling small hall in the past seemed to be a little neglected. There are several pots of green plants planted at the entrance, which seem to be neglected, but they also add some greenery and vitality to the old alleys.

Walking forward, the door number of Hanchun Restaurant is not conspicuous, and the dilapidated courtyard retains the characteristics of the previous houses.

Post-it notes were used on both sides of the porch to cut out the words "Cheap and sanitary, Frugal and frugal". It can be seen that it has been some years. The facade has not been designed or advertised. When asked why the business is still booming for so many years, it is just because of the word of mouth from the nearby old shop and the customers who have come to eat.

Stepping into the doorsill, a slightly narrow space appeared in your line of sight, with low ceilings and slightly dim lights. The small space of more than ten square meters is divided into a round table and three square tables, which can accommodate about 30 diners to dine together during peak periods.

On the wall is a photo of the boss and former Olympic champion Li Jing when he was young. He probably frequented the store often.

We first met the boss's son, a tall and stocky middle-aged man. He was relatively quiet, a little shy when talking to people, and was not wary of unfamiliar visits.

After we stated our intention, he did not refuse, looked a little shy, and did not say anything, asking us to wait in the store for a while. After a while, he called the boss down from upstairs. Then we met the founder of Hanchun Restaurant. He said he was the founder, more like Changsha Tiai, who usually lives in a neighborhood in the community.

The father and son are very similar in character. They are both a little shy and have a kindness that will not refuse others. This boss, who wears a big gold chain around his neck and hands and looks a little "not to be trifled with", may be difficult to associate with him when he sits and chats with us, always smiling and coquettish.

The boss recommended to us the popular stir-fried beef, pickled cabbage and tender tofu pudding soup, etc. We then ordered the very popular ones in the reviews such as the preserved pepper preserved egg, eggplant pot and the special stir-fried fat sausage.

The dishes in the store are not expensive, with average prices ranging from 20 to 40 yuan. A good meal for two or three people will only cost about 100 yuan.

In the afternoon, it was not yet time for meal time, and there were only Xiao Le and his party in the store, so after the menu was posted, the kitchen quickly burst into flames. So while waiting for the dishes, we sat down and chatted with the boss amid the smoke of fireworks.

The boss's full name is Zhou Bingliang. He was born in a poor family in the rural area of Wangcheng, Changsha City. There are three brothers in the family, and he is the eldest. From a poor family, he dropped out of school after only two or three years of schooling. As the eldest brother of the family, he came out to make a living when he was very young, and the heavy burden of the family rested on his shoulders, which made him realize earlier than anyone his age that he had to shoulder the responsibilities of life.

Without a diploma or money, you have to learn a craft to support yourself. So, he remembered the feeling of cooking when he first picked a spoon when he was eight years old. Maybe he could use it to become a craft to support himself.

Speaking of this, the conversation started when the first dish was on the table-stir-fried beef. Cut the beef into fine pieces, stir-fry it with garlic leaves, and stir-fry the peppers to enhance the flavor. The meat is tender, the juice is delicate, and the chewiness is just right. A plate of red and green is full of color, aroma and flavor.

After two large mouthfuls of rice, the chili preserved egg and eggplant casserole were also served. Hanchun's preserved eggs are different from other cold sauces. The large screw peppers are cut into sections, put into the pan, and stir-fried in oil. At first glance, it is a dish similar to oil-dipped peppers. Because the addition of preserved eggs adds a unique flavor, making the taste subtle and keeping it spicy, refreshing and delicious.

Eggplant casserole is a dish that Xiao Le likes very much. The eggplant is stuffed in the pot, soft and glutinous, smooth on the entrance. It has spicy fresh peppers and a little aftertaste of the eggplant meat.

At the age of 19, through his connections, his uncle arranged for him to be placed in his mother-in-law's kitchen, and Zhou Bingliang officially became an apprentice. In the ten years since then, relying on his enthusiasm for cooking and under the pressure of his family and life, he has continued to improve in his studies. He was an apprentice and became a teacher, and he also became a master himself and accepted an apprentice. When mentioning this difficult time, I can still say with a smile, as if recalling it, but also like missing it,"Because I have loved cooking since I was a child." Boss Zhou thought about it many times, then smiled more firmly and said,"I really like cooking."

Time went back and forth, and the students who passed out of his hands gradually gained their own qualities. So he was thinking, why not open his own restaurant and cook for others? Just do what you say. So in 1995, 30-year-old Zhou Bingliang founded Hanchun Restaurant on Cai E North Road, not far from the master's home. It has been 26 years since it opened. On the porch, the sentence "Cheap and sanitary, frugality is the best way to go" may seem dilapidated, but it is also the principle that the boss has adhered to for 26 years since he opened the store.

Stir-fried pork sausage and pickled cabbage tender tofu soup are served at the right time. Stir fry large pieces of cleaned fat sausage with green peppers, red peppers and garlic over high heat until the surface is slightly burnt and delicious.

Sauerkraut tender tofu pudding soup, which uses tofu pudding to make soup. Compared with ordinary tofu, the taste is tender and smoother, and the taste is unique and novel. Sauerkraut is grown at home by the boss's mother, an aunt who is in her seventies.

The boss proudly said that although my father and mother are old, they still love to grow vegetables at home. They usually play mahjong. The peppers and sauerkraut in the store are grown at home and have a taste that cannot be bought outside.

Xiao Le asked the boss, after so many years, have you never thought about raising prices more, or opening a few more branches? The boss laughed and said that there were not enough manpower, and during peak periods, he couldn't handle a store. He was afraid that if he opened another store, he wouldn't be able to take care of it.

"Many people ate my store manager and kept eating it. I was embarrassed to raise the price too much, and that's it."

The hard days at that time left a deep impression on the boss. It was common for him to not have enough food and food. Later, I became capable, and through hard work, my life became better, but my simple original intention and love for the stove have never changed. Most of the time, the boss would recall and tell about some past events, but only when it came to "cooking", he would appear particularly happy and strongly affirm it.

In the boss, Xiaole seemed to see the shadows of his fathers and elders. Most of the older generation's fathers, like the owners of Hanchun Restaurant, have experienced the hardships of life and shouldered the heavy responsibilities of their families early, but they have never been maliciously or breathing for the hardships of life. Still live hard, crawl through the mud of life, and find a path to happiness. Use ordinary bodies to create stories of ordinary people who are not ordinary.

Perhaps Hanchun Restaurant is like a microcosm of an era, and the people here also connect the two eras, using time and food to precipitate the common memories of generations.

This is Happy Changsha, looking for and discovering exclusive memories of Changsha City.

I look forward to discovering more different Changsha with you.

Hanchun Restaurant

Address: Pushanli Lane, No. 324 Cai 'e North Road.

Per capita: 30 yuan