Global flavors meet festive cheer at Spring Festival fair in Shanghai

Shanghai kicked off its three-day "Global Taste in Shanghai · Global Chinese New Year Fair" on Feb 6 at The Bund · City Hall Plaza in Huangpu district, showcasing a fusion of international cuisines and cultures.

The fair, a collaborative effort by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, features over 50 businesses, including both local favorites and international brands from more than 10 countries and regions.

The event offers a wide array of goods, from Shanghai-themed gifts and food hampers to wines, teas, artisanal crafts, and imported delicacies. Diplomats from various consulates in Shanghai visited the market to promote products from their respective countries.

Teresa Bauer, acting consul general of Austria in Shanghai, said, "Shanghai brings together so many different kinds of food and flavors. It's kind of a hub of food culture in China."

She recommended Austrian chocolate from Zotter, an organic chocolate maker, and Viennese coffee from Julius Meinl, a company established in 1862 with a long tradition of Austrian coffee.

Bauer, who has lived in Shanghai for four years, said, "I am very happy to have learned about all the important cultures, not only the Chinese New Year we are celebrating soon. I love the Chinese kitchen, the Chinese food, and it's so different from the food we have in Austria, and I'm very happy to experience all these new things here in Shanghai."