Address：Near No.4 dinghuisi lane, Gusu District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province
Where is the most interesting place in a city? I believe many people will answer: it’s a vegetable market. The vegetable market is like a miniature city museum, which displays the local conditions and customs and contains all kinds of flavors of the world.
After more than five months of renovation, Shuangta market, which has always been the “paradise of delicious food” in the eyes of Suzhou people, has appeared in front of us with a new look. Through the transformation, the once slightly old Shuangta market has been transformed into a “Shuangta market”. No matter in design style or planning layout, the whole market has undergone earth shaking changes from the outside to the inside.
The transformation of the old vegetable market
In front of the Shuangta market, the retro Shuangta logo is very eye-catching. The inspiration of the logo comes from the ancient Chinese digital system – “Suzhou code”. Suzhou code, also known as grass code and flower code, was born in the Southern Song Dynasty. Because it was fast and easy to remember, it was widely used in all walks of life. In the late Qing Dynasty, Westerners set up missionary schools in China’s coastal areas. After Arabic numerals became the mainstream of society, “Suzhou code” gradually withdrew from the stage of history. In the market, the elements of “Suzhou code” can be seen everywhere, reflecting the history and charm of Suzhou in many details.
After the transformation, each area of the vegetable market has obvious signs. Vegetables, fresh meat, aquatic products, seafood, noodles, bean products, marinated flavor, etc. are divided into different categories and occupy their respective places, so that people can see at a glance and quickly find what they want to buy. In front of each stall, there is a short but emotional sentence: “nostalgia is the smell of the food cooked by my mother”, “going to the vegetable market together, from green years to white hair” These warm words, exude the flavor of life, let people stroll around, unconsciously think of the warm home.
Although the environment is brand new, the stall owners in the market are still familiar faces, and most of them are old customers who have been shopping for more than ten years. Five months later, on the first day of the reopening of Shuangta market, everyone was chatting with each other as if they were old friends, counting the changes inside and outside the market. Aunt fan has been selling fried gluten stuffed meat, large and small wontons, egg dumplings and Venetian meat in Shuangta vegetable farm for more than ten years. What impresses people most is her quick hand when she made small wontons. On the first business day of Shuangta market, my aunt came to her brand-new stall early. The wonton and egg dumplings packed in the morning filled the whole stall. The fillings were full and solid, and the size was uniform. Batch after batch of regular customers arrived one after another to bring home the familiar taste.
Between shopping, the grandfather told the editor that his basket had been used for 19 years, and the blue one on the side was repaired and reinforced by himself. In the past, he always brought this basket to Shuangta to buy vegetables. This time, when the Shuangta market reopened, he naturally had to bring his “baby” to the familiar stall owner to buy vegetables. As the winter solstice is approaching, old Suzhou people are busy preparing the most important winter solstice meal of the year. There was a long line in front of the time-honored pickle shop. Winter wine making, soup dumplings, eight treasures rice and so on were also very popular at this time. It’s a meaningful thing for many grandparents who live nearby to come to the new market together to buy food for the winter solstice. After all, this market has witnessed their family’s reunion night every year for decades.
What changes is appearance, what does not change is the taste.
Once upon a time, the most important thing people miss about Shuangta market is the Suzhou style breakfast that can make people eat for a month. Come hungry in the early morning and go to school or work contentedly after eating. Shuangta market is like a small life gas station, which gives people enough energy to start a busy life all day.
What’s gratifying is that the old taste of breakfast has all returned. In the original Minfang snack area of Gusu, although many small shops have “changed their face”, they can still be recognized in the vast crowd with the familiar face of the owner and the familiar smell of breakfast.
Egg cake with leek
When it comes to breakfast in Shuangta market, many people like “Lao Ke Man” the taste of pancakes . The shop’s signature is the egg cake with leeks. The boss and the landlady are skilled in beating eggs and salting leeks. They once sold more than 500 leek cakes every day.
Today, the name of “Lao Ke Man” has been changed to “You Fu”. The name has changed, but the popularity has not decreased. On the first day of opening, there is a long line. It’s really crispy and fragrant! With a bowl of salted bean curd, sit down and eat it slowly. This luxurious breakfast has not been eaten for a long time.
Fried raw in Suzhou
The source fried cake, which was once opened next to the“Lao Ke Man” pancakes also came back. A pot of raw frying out of the oven, Zizi risking oil, it took a few minutes to buy out. In the past, I bought fried meat in the market, and everyone used to take it home. If I came home late, fried meat might be cold. Nowadays, there are many seats in the dining area of Shuangta market, and the environment is much more spacious than before. Grandparents can sit down and enjoy it after they buy fried meat.
Begonia cake and plum cake
Suzhou’s famous Chen Laozi plum blossom cake and Haitang cake also opened in Shuangta market, named “tangyifang”.
Haitang cake and meihua cake wrapped in yellowing oil paper are hot in hand, which are unforgettable in the memory of many Suzhou people. The burnt yellow pastry was covered with red and green silk, kumquat, jujube, watermelon seed, raisin, black sesame Match it with a nice color. The entrance is soft, sweet and not greasy, as if with a kind of magic, which brings people back to the carefree and happy time when they were young.
Wonton dumplings
The residents around Zihao wonton restaurant, which has been eating for many years also come back to Shuangta market with wonton and tangtuan with signature flavor. Shepherd’s purse meat wonton, a big filling foot, is the store’s aunt early in the morning package. Su style soup dumplings with bean paste, sesame and fresh meat fillings, once nibbled, the soup fillings will rush out. Generally, after eating two or three, you can manage the whole morning. After eating a bowl of wonton or dumplings then you will feel warm all over and confident in the new day.
Coarse cereals pancake
Li Xingzhong’s coarse cereals pancake shop is located in the stall called “little hot meat”. Although coarse cereals pancakes do not belong to the traditional Suzhou flavor, they also firmly occupy a place in the breakfast arena of Shuangta vegetable market.
The semi liquid batter spreads out a round cake on the stove, sprinkles with various materials, and then gets involved in the crispness. People in line are looking forward to the delicious food coming out, and smell the dense fireworks in the dense heat.
Coffee Bookstore infuses new taste into life
Once upon a time, people went to the market to buy vegetables and have breakfast. Now, with the arrival of many new things, this double tower market shows more wonderful aspects.
How does it feel to have a cup of coffee in the market? This morihico coffee shop, which has come all the way from Japan, integrates the Chinese style double tower market, coffee and vegetable market, creating an alternative and harmonious picture. Order a latte, sit in an open-air seat, bask in the warm sun in winter and see people coming and going. Maybe, just sit here for a moment, and you will find the beautiful scenery you didn’t find before.
Next to the coffee shop is a Taiwan milk tea shop, youth spring. Although it is Taiwan’s milk tea, it also adds many Suzhou elements to do as the Romans do. On the first day of opening, many young people came to sit in front of the bright French windows and spend the afternoon with three or two friends.
Outside the market, there is also a new 1 / 9 bookstore, which is the first innovative 24-hour bookstore in Gusu district and the first mobile intelligent retail bookstore in China built in the community. Although the bookstore is small, the pure white design and floor glass make the whole space very transparent and bright. After buying vegetables, you might come here to read books for a while if you don’t rush home , and smell the fragrance of books that you haven’t seen for a long time.
Once upon a time, young people rarely wanted to step into the market. Today’s Shuangta market, while adhering to the tradition, attracts a new generation with new things and new elements, also naturally radiates new vitality.
Do you like this Shuangta market? How do you feel about this new generation vegetable market, which combines Suzhou’s fireworks and fashionable lifestyle? If you have already clocked out the Shuangta market, please share your feelings in the message. If you haven’t gone yet, it’s better to choose a sunny day to experience this multi-functional composite space with life service and life aesthetics!