Hu Min / SHINE
One-click payment at the Youjia Community Canteen.
Hu Min / SHINE
The Hongde Community Canteen in Hongkou District is popular among the elderly group.
Yang Guohua’s lunch consisted of braised perch, scrambled egg with tomato, and some greens that cost him little more than 20 yuan.
“It was affordable, healthy, and delicious,” said Yang, 70, a patron of Youjia Community Canteen, which mostly serves the district’s senior citizens.
The canteen in Gaoling Wet Market has a home-like atmosphere. It’s bright and spacious, with dozens of dishes neatly arranged, offering a variety of selections for its elderly customers.
Meal plates embedded with microchips allow for one-click transactions, while e-labels for dishes display indexes like fat and cholesterol.
Hu Min / SHINE
An elderly citizen waits for his lunch at Youjia Community Canteen on Wednesday.
A large screen displays the food processing and cooking process in real time, ensuring a safe dining environment.
Seniors can choose half-size meals, and those with physical limitations have meals served on their tables with food smashed for easy swallowing.
In fact, such canteens serve more than just meals; they also provide a haven for the elderly to escape loneliness.
“It is very convenient as I only need to walk five minutes from my home to reach here, which is perfect in scorching summer weather when I don’t want to cook,” commented 68-year-old woman Xu.
“Moreover, I have made some friends here who come regularly, and we dine together,” she replied. “It’s feels like a ‘second home.'”
Hu Min / SHINE
A screen at Youjia Community Canteen reveals the real food processing process.
The Gaoling Wet Market, where the canteen is located, offers a glimpse into local life with shops selling fresh vegetables, fish, and a variety of regional cuisines. It is a popular check-in location for locals.
Beginning with the meal service, the canteen exemplifies Shanghai’s efforts to build a strong senior care network for one of its most vulnerable groups.
In recent years, the city has seen several such community canteens spring up, providing a diverse dining selection and a comfortable and convenient setting for older diners. These canteens also provide delivery services to senior folks in need.
In Minhang District’s Wujing Town, a community canteen serves over 20 different types of Shanghai-style dim sum and meals like fried rib with rice cake that have been passed down generations.
Hu Min / SHINE
The community canteen serves affordable, healthy, and delicious meals.
The dining area spans over 250 square meters and features a spacious interior. It serves dim sum, braised delicacies, takeout, and other services, making it a favored gathering spot for middle-aged and elderly residents.
Shen, who retired five years ago, said that she “is used to dining at the canteen and goes there several times a month.”
As one steps into the canteen, a photo wall showcases numerous joyful moments of elderly citizens.
The canteen has improved its hardware, including elderly-friendly tables with handles. It offers food reprocessing services to the elderly.
By the end of last year, the city had registered 1,926 community dining facilities for the elderly, including 346 canteens.
As of the end of last year, the city recorded 5.68 million elderly citizens aged 60 and above with Shanghai hukou, representing 37.4 percent of the total population, while those aged 80 and above comprised 5.4 percent.
Hu Min / SHINE
The Hongde Community Canteen in Hongkou District.
,https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2410101774/