From the Mixed-Up Files of a Reluctant Foreign Cook in China: Mr. Cen and his Woks: Finding the perfect wok in Zhabei district, Shanghai

I have been freaking out a little lately, with all the food safety scandals in China recently. I am eating mostly vegetarian and cooking at home. But then I started to freak out about the pan I use at home.

I bought my old wok in the market where I buy my fresh produce and it's a cheap piece of $#@% to be honest, and I wouldn't care if I didn't get to thinking that it might be poisoning me. Who knows what's in the lining? The paint? What kind of metal it's made of? I always think it smells funny when it gets really hot, like it's emitting some chemical fumes...

"Where can I get a good, affordable wok in Shanghai?" I thought. "Carrefour might be a good bet but it's far and can I really trust what I get there?" I thought of Lemon Zest but the thought of paying hundreds of Yuan for an imported wok when I LIVE IN CHINA really bugged me.

Thankfully, some online research quickly led me to Mr. Cen, the number one wok man in Shanghai.

Mr. Cen has made woks in his little workshop for more than 50 years!

Mr. Cen was featured in a CNN Travel article back in 2009, and I couldn't find anything more recent to confirm that he was still there, working in the same place. I decided to go investigate!

I ended up finding Mr. Cen hard at work pounding iron at the very same address described by CNN, 214 Baoyuan Lu, near Baotong Lu (宝源路214号，近宝通路). He had the cotton plugs in his ears and everything, just like they described in the article!

Mr. Cen is not the type for small talk. He was kind in letting me take his picture though!

Mr. Cen has worked out of this little shop for more than 50 years, doing the hard work of pounding sheets of iron into woks with just a hammer and some moulds to help him. It is really hard work! He is said to be one of the last such artisans in Shanghai.

There are woks of many sizes in the shop but they are all basically the same shape and type, with handles on two sides. (Wok fun-fact: This type of shallow wok is typical of Shanghainese cuisine, whereas the deep woks are used more in Guangdong.) I got my handcrafted wok for just 110RMB (under $20 USD!!)

I am the proud owner of this handcrafted wok, with all the cute little dents made by Mr. Chen's hard work!

Getting there:

Take Metro Line 10 to Sichuan Bei Lu station (四川北路) and go out at Exit 2. Walk north on Sichuan Bei Lu, crossing over to the other side of the street. Take a left at the Bank of China -- it looks like you are walking into a dead end but there's a small lane there called Xin Guang Lu (新光路) where you can take a right. This lane will cut all the way through to Baoyuan Lu (宝源路), where Mr. Cen's shop is located.

Once you arrive at Baoyuan Lu just take a right. If you have headphones on, take them off and you will soon hear the clanging of Mr. Cen's hammer!

The field-trip to Zhabei was a treat in and of itself, exploring an old part of Shanghai that I seldom have reason to visit. Lane life there is alive and kicking! Keep going for some pics I took of the lanes around Xin Guang Lu!