Getting food delivered nowadays is quicker than ever. Just a few taps on your smartphone and presto, your food is on the way to your door. But efficiency and speed don’t always mean that delivered food will be healthy. There are people who still opt for the good, old-fashioned way of food preparation – from shopping for the best-quality ingredients and products, to cooking them at home – for many lifestyle reasons: to save costs, reduce waste consumption, and to be more active in an age of convenience.

I regularly do market runs because of those reasons. There are a couple of local supermarkets in my neighborhood, but getting what I need can be a challenge because of the language barrier. So more often than not, I source out my cooking essentials at Jenny Lou’s, where I can get imported items that I’m familiar with or have used back home. I can get hard-to-find ingredients for my Christmas fruit salad recipe there, like premium and unprocessed cheddar cheese and condensed milk (which always go out of stock at local stores).

This popular grocery chain has been a go-to for expats since 1993. And just in time for their 25th anniversary this year, they’ve launched Jenny Lou’s Green, their concept store that integrates a cafe, healthy bakery and make-to-order food area into their sprawling supermarket. The first such concept, nestled in the embassy district in Liangmaqiao, was opened in late October 2018.

Jenny Lou’s Green store on Tiangze Road in Liangmaqiao

“[It] promotes a green lifestyle, so some of the goods and ready-to-eat food are specially selected and healthy,” says Lu Qi, CEO and son of founders Lu Xudong and Wang Jianping. “I want to make customers feel at ease. You can take some snacks here, do mobile work, chat with friends or just enjoy a cup of coffee.”

Longtime Beijing resident Hwa Wu, who’s been a patron since the 2000’s, said Jenny Lou’s has been attuned to customer interests ever since it opened. While almost anything, including last-minute Christmas items, can be bought on Taobao, Wu said Jenny Lou’s is a “tried, true, and convenient resource.”

“Over the years, they have increased and changed their offerings to match customer demands. During holiday seasons, there are a lot of specialty items such as candies and decorations but certain items can run out. When I am busy baking or hosting, I run to Jenny’s to pick up last-minute items,” Wu added.

The Jenny Lou’s Green concept store includes a cafe and bakery where you can buy made-to-order food.

For Beijing expat, Pearl Ling, who considers Jenny Lou’s stores to be shopping comfort zones, the Green concept is a welcome development. “I’ve been a longtime customer of Jenny Lou’s, and their new store gives me a feeling that they’re taking care of their patrons.”

This expat-popular brand has also attracted many Chinese who are pursuing higher living standards, so Lu Qi says they will embrace modern lifestyles and offer more services for both their foreign and local customers in the form of other sub-concepts: the Jenny Lou’s Express convenience store and the Jenny Lou’s Lifestyle comprehensive leisure zone, both of which will be launched in the next few years.

Jenny Lou’s Green (World Profit Center)
Building 3, World Profit Center, 16 Tianze Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区天泽路16号院润世中心3座婕妮璐（润世中心）店 (6413 1959)

Photos: Courtesy of Jenny Lou’s

There are a lot of things from home I miss here in Beijing, decent skincare, “normal” toilets, and of course my friends and family. But MOST of all, I miss my home cuisine, and the ingredients that are easy to buy in Western supermarkets. I want to recreate some food that my family miss, share my recipes, and know where to get the ingredients. If you see a blonde lady on a bike with a toddler and bags of groceries, that’s me, on the hunt for little pieces of home.

Fish fingers are one of my daughter’s most missed culinary delights from England. Two chef parents and she still misses the good ol’ orange fish fingers from the frozen section of the supermarket. I got ecstatic when I found a box at Jenny Lou’s but when I learned it was RMB 60 for 10 fish fingers, I had to put it back. My daughter had a major supermarket meltdown, and felt like I had broken my child’s heart.

Fish fingers always come to my rescue when I’m too tired to make “real” dinner in England. The promise of some Omega-3 always made it a bit less cheeky. In Beijing I will be the domestic goddess mother I always wanted to be, and make them myself. The fish fingers will not look exactly like the orange ones from the freezer isle, but that might be a good thing. The best fish to make fish fingers with is cod (just like the image below) that you can get from Sanyuanli market.

Ingredients
2 eggs, beaten
200 grams panco breadcrumbs
100 grams flour
500 grams cod, cut into finger size pieces
Salt and pepper
Steps
1. Put all the flour, the panco breadcrumbs, and beaten eggs in 3 separate bowls.
2. Season all the ingredients in the bowls with salt and pepper.
3. Dip the cod strips in the flour.
4. Then dip the fish in the eggs mixture.
5. End with dipping the fish in the panco breadcrumbs.
6. Bake on a 180 degree preheated oven on a baking paper for around 15 minutes.

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

There are a lot of things I miss here in Beijing, decent skincare, “normal” toilets, and my friends and family of course. But MOST of all I miss my home cuisine, and the ingredients that are easy to buy in Western supermarkets. I wanted to recreate some foods that my family in Beijing misses, share my recipes, and where to get the ingredients. If you see a blonde lady on a bike with a toddler and bags of groceries, that’s me, on the hunt for little pieces of home.

Hummus was the first recipe last week, this dip got lots of discussions going. I have been asking around for what kinds of foods and dishes people missed from home. Chai tea is something that came up quite a few times. My colleague drinks a Chai masala tea mix in the morning, and it makes the office smell “happy.” I have to admit that I have asked for a Chai tea latte at the Starbucks a few times in Beijing, but no such luck. When Chai tea latte is available at Starbucks, I ask on hot summer days for a “frappuccino Chai tea.” It will blow your minds! Of course Starbucks Chai tea latte has got nothing on homemade Chai tea.

Masala Chai literally means “mixed spice tea.” It is a flavored tea beverage with a mixture of Indian spices and herbs. The way families make Chai can differ widely per region and country. There has been a growth in interest in Chai all over the world, and I have tried many recipes myself. It warms the soul, and the house will smell delicious. I did not invent Chai tea myself (though I wish I did), but did put together this recipe. Different spices can be used. Not everybody will agree with my way but hopefully we can have some exchange of recipes. If you like an ingredient, add extra, if you dislike an ingredient, omit it.

Where and how to find the ingredients in Beijing: fresh ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and black peppercorns are all available at Carrefour supermarkets. They have scoop it yourself bins with all kinds of dried spices, so you can pick exactly how much you need. Cardamom pods can be found at the Sanyuanli market, as stall 77 sells little bags of pods. A sweet Chinese lady explained to me when I arrived in Beijing that I should always use the same vendor on a market. They will get to know you and give a sweeter price. Vanilla extract can be found at Jenny Lou’s. I use the extra strong tea bags from Mark’s & Spencers, because I like my Chai with an extra bit of kick, but any kind of black tea will do. Before I add the tea bags, I keep some of the liquid aside so I can offer some to my toddler with milk.

Chai Tea

1 liter water

1\2 liter milk

3 cardamom pods

10 cloves

4 black peppercorns

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 star anise

1 sliced piece of fresh ginger root

1/3 cup honey

1. Bring the water to a boil. Add all the dried spices and fresh ginger. Turn down to a simmer and let simmer for 30 min. Boiling the spices will turn the liquid bitter.
2. Add the milk and bring back up to a boil, and immediately turn off the heat.
3. Add the tea bags and let steep to whichever strength desired.
4. Strain the mixture.
5. Add honey to taste.
6. Drink warm or over ice.

Pauline van Hasselt has just started working for Beijing Kids. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

There are a lot of things I miss here in Beijing, decent skincare, “normal” toilets, and my friends and family of course. But MOST of all I miss my home cuisine, and the ingredients that are easy to buy in Western supermarkets. I wanted to recreate some foods that my family in Beijing misses, share my recipes, and where to get the ingredients. If you see a blond lady on a bike with a toddler and bags of groceries, that’s me, on the hunt for little pieces of home.

I will start with an easy recipe that I really miss made from the supermarket. Hummus is a simple recipe and the ingredients are easy to find in Beijing. A great recipe to teach the ayi, and can be made together with the kids. Hummus is an old time favorite with our 3-year-old daughter, served with carrot sticks and pita chips. I like to give my toddler a simple version with less salt, but I made a variation at a ladies night and it was received well. Chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste) are easy to find at the international stores like jenny Lou’s and April Gourmet. Fresh basil, pine nuts, and pitta bread are available at the Sanyuanli Market. If worse comes to worse buy a jar of pesto, just don’t tell anybody. If the children are scared of green food, omit the basil and see how they devour this healthy snack.

Beijing Basil Hummus with Pitta Chips (serves 4)

1 can chickpeas, drained, keep some of the juice aside.

1 table spoon tahini.

1 table spoon lemon juice.

4 table spoons olive oil.

2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts.

1 bag fresh basil.

4 slices pita bread

1. Blend the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, basil, pine nuts and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a food processor.
2. Season with salt and pepper and add some of the chickpea juice if its not creamy enough.
3. Cut the pita bread in triangles and toss in the rest of the olive oil and salt.
4. Roast the pita triangles in the oven on 180, for around 8 min or until golden brown turning them after 4 minutes.
5. Serve and dip

Pauline van Hasselt has just started working for Beijing Kids. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of this year. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I set out to find my own delights for a Beijing Thanksgiving. After spending four years in Texas, I came to appreciate the culinary delight of a great Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday from the US; I think it’s one of the most well balanced menus a holiday can have. Sorry England, but the mince pie just does not do anything for me.

Living in Beijing has lots of fun factors, stepping on the bike and looking for groceries is one of them. Grocery shopping is almost like a puzzle, and it is so rewarding to find something I need, and get it for a reasonable price. Normal household items might not be so normal in China. So expats have to be creative if they don’t want to break the bank. I bike around Beijing, sourcing my groceries in Chinese supermarkets, import stores and markets. Moving to Beijing this summer from London broke the bank, and this made me worry about Thanksgiving.

This feast  is always at the end of the month, so I set myself a goal of creating a magical first Thanksgiving here in Beijing on a budget, with a wonderful menu inspired by my time in Texas. Even though we had the most horrible experience moving to China, we still have lots to be thankful for. I armed myself with a list and pollution masks then stepped out on my bike with my daughter (3 years old). We searched for the hardest things to find on a budget, a whole turkey, rosemary, pasta, cheese, butter, bacon, cranberries, and pecans. I will add a few recipes underneath that I created with ingredients that will help you fake a Thanksgiving dinner like a Chinese pro. Remember a few things when grocery shopping in China: you have to be creative, have time, and most importantly, be able to settle.

Our Menu This Year:

Main Course: Brown Sugar Rosemary Turkey, Baked Mac and cheese, Corn Bread Stuffing, Oat and Corn Muffins,  Green Beans with Bacon, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

Our Desserts: Pecan Pie, and Pumpkin Pie

I looked online for a turkey but was a bit disheartened, so we went to the Sanyuanli market to do some bargaining. Unfortunately, the cheapest turkey I could find was still RMB 400. So we had to settle, do the unthinkable and buy a chicken for RMB 2.23 instead. We will brine it to make it taste like a turkey. Underneath,  find a recipe for chicken or turkey brine. It can be used for both, it just depends if you want to spend your money on a dodgy, expensive turkey or stay cheap and get a few chickens instead. All is not lost, we still have all the sides to make it taste like real thanksgiving feast for my family. We found a bag of pecans at 250 grams for RMB 35 this was a pretty sweet deal as I can make a seven person pie out of it. I calculated the total cost of the pie. It will be around RMB 50 bringing a budget price of around RMB 8 per person.

We continued through the masses of shopping people in the market looking for fresh rosemary and found a spicy deal of RMB 5 per bag. That’s cheap, even for European standards. After the market, we biked over to Jenny Lou”s in Sanlitun. We were still looking for fresh cranberries, cheese, pasta, and butter. We found a cheesy discount of two bags of  grated cheddar for RMB 30.60 and a pound of butter for RMB 25.80. These are the small things that make me jump with joy. We found some pasta shells on sale for RMB 9.90, so the baked mac and cheese is sorted. Unfortunately, the cranberries seem harder to find, I didn’t fret when I found a can of cranberry sauce for RMB 19.90. This is where we had to settle. I added a recipe underneath to personalize your cranberry sauce. Nobody will suspect that it’s from the canned section.

We continued our shopping spree to the local Chinese supermarket called Jingkelong . With the help of my 3 year old, we tackled the hustle and bustle of this supermarket. Lots of ladies were screaming to sell their products and on another occasion an old lady walked away with my daughter in her stroller! Hold on to your blond children and get ready to do some cheap shopping. We were on the lookout for some pumpkins for the pie. I did find canned pumpkin pie filling but it was very expensive at RMB 35. Already cut pumpkins were only RMB 1.85, so making it yourself is much cheaper. Below is a recipe. Then we found some bacon for only RMB 9.90. That’s the best price I found anywhere, so I’ll be back for more to put in the freezer. Bags of milk are also a steal at only RMB 2.20 per bag. For the rest of the sides, we found green beans for RMB 4 for a big bag full and six enormous sweet potatoes for RMB 5. This will be a typical Texan thanksgiving feast with a taste of Chinese “fake it ’till you make it.”

Locations where I got the delightful ingredients:

Jenny Lou’s:  http://www.jennylou.com.cn/

You cannot be an expat in Beijing without eventually hearing of Jenny Lou’s grocery stores.  You might not shop there, but you will at the very least hear the name.  And if you pay any attention to various online chats and coffee shop gossip, you will find that people have firm opinions about the stores – prices, quality, service, and even owners.

I recently noticed that the sign above our nearby location (Pinnacle Plaza) now says Jenny Wang.  It used to read Jenny’s.   While I can honestly say I don’t care who owns which shop, curiosity got the best of me and I started to do a little digging on the topic.  Having done so, I’m still not clear on who is who, or which stores are best. 

I read the recent beijingkids blog post and link about the “original” Jenny Lou’s proprietors – Wang Jianping (Jenny) and Lu Xudong (Lou), a married couple who began the business together many years ago.The store name came from their combined names, and looking at the picture I thought I recognized her as the Jenny I see in my shop.  I read the story and was satisfied that this was, indeed, the original.  I was also certain that it was the better of the two – the first is the best, right?  I went to the highlighted website and was further convinced.

Then I looked up the “other” Jenny’s.  It’s not Jenny Lou’s, but Jenny’s, or sometimes Jenny’s Shop (proprietor being Wang Jianping’s sister, Wang Jianying).  That story, too, sounded very convincing.  The only part that seemed odd to me about this one being the “original”was how the store name was created.  Like Jenny Lou’s, this Jenny claims that the original name (Jenny Lou’s) was created using her first name and her brother-in-law’s surname.  That just didn’t sound right, especially if the sister (and wife) was also in the business.  Jenny’s website says that the original store name was Jenny Lou’s, but that this Jenny had changed it for her locations only, which are not the same as those downtown.  Lo and behold, I see pictures on that site and it’s the Jenny I recognize!  I guess the photo in the online article was the sister after all, simple familial resemblance.

Next I resorted to plenty of online messages from people who seemed to “know” who is who, by personal association or just by assumption.  No clarity there.  Some say the original Jenny is Jenny’s and not Jenny Lou’s; others say the opposite.  There are stories about poor customer service at the Lido location as well as the Chaoyang location, but it appears that one sister owns Lido; the other owns Chaoyang.  Some of the more recent posts indicate that the Jenny over by Pinnacle is actually the “real” Jenny Lou’s proprietor (with her brother-in-law), but she changed her store name because her sister refused to do so.  Now, in order to further distance herself from the bad reputation some stores are getting (Jenny Lou’s?), she wants to change the name once again, to Jenny Wang.

Neither sister will discuss the family rift, and even if they did, I’m not sure we’d ever really know the truth.  Nor would we need to, I suppose.

I’m still confused.  To me, there’s now a third Jenny’s and I still don’t know who is who or which is best.  I just know that I’ll call it Jenny’s and Jenny Lou’s interchangeably, and I’ll shop wherever I happen to be no matter who owns it.  Sometimes service is good, sometimes it’s not; no different from when I shop at home.  I’ll still pay more money than I’d like to for imported cereals and other familiar family favorites, but that’s my choice.  I can get the foods that I want if I choose to buy them, an option that I realize wasn’t available to expats before Jenny’s – or Jenny Lou’s – existed.  Now it appears we have Jenny Wang.  I’m sure the attempt is to make it less confusing, but I’m afraid that for the time being – even if they change the colors, logos and uniforms – everyone will refer to the store as either Jenny’s or Jenny Lou’s, and not too many will know there is a difference. Loyalty aside, if you have any, I’m not sure that it will change our shopping habits at any Jenny’s location at all.

Still, I’d kind of like to know the true story here…

Tune into the beijingkids blog each Thursday as we take you on a quick tour of interesting and relevant items from around the web, all relating (however tangentially) to parenthood and family life in Beijing.

1. If you’ve never heard of author Yang Hongying, you probably should pay more attention. This Beijing-based author of children’s books is the country’s highest-earning writer and Harper Collins is making a new push for her recognition in English-language markets. The China Daily has this interesting profile of "China’s JK Rowling" as well as a brief synopsis of her works here. English versions of Yang’s "Mo’s Mischief" series can be purchased on Amazon.com and Amazon.cn

2. Speaking of writers in China, you might be interested to know that the top 3 richest authors in China write children’s books (and the top 2 foreign authors in China write children’s books as well — JK Rowling and Thomas Brezina).

3. Ever wonder if you are making the right decision raising your kids in Beijing? Well you might like to know that 40 million people around the globe are learning Chinese these days, according to the Confucian Institute. Meanwhile, in the US, Chinese is the 7th most popular foreign language studied, according to data released last month by the US Modern Language Association … here’s the top 10, plus change in enrollment since 2006:
1. Spanish (864,986) +5.1%
2. French (216,419) +4.8%
3. German (96,349) +2.2%
4. ASL (91,763) +16.4%
5. Italian (80,752) +3.0%
6. Japanese (73,434) +10.3%
7. Chinese (60,976) +18.2%
8. Arabic (35,083) +46.3%
9. Latin (32,606) +1.3%
10. Russian (26,883) +8.2%

4. Here’s a nice little love story that residents and visitors to the Lido area can watch unfold: The love story of two swans that call Lido’s Side Park their home.

5. More and more Chinese kids raised overseas are coming to the mother country for a look-see. Xinhua gives us this story of a few Chinese-American tweens that visited China for the first time over Christmas.

The couple behind Jenny Lou’s: Wang Jianping (aka Jenny, left) and her husband Lu Xudong. Picture by Guo Yingguang of Global Times

6. So just who is this person Jenny Lou that feeds all of us expats here in Beijing? Newer residents would be surprised to read the rags-to-riches story of Wang Jianping and Lu Xudong, who got their start with a vegetable stand in Sanlitun 20 years ago. The Global Times‘ Vera Peneda has this excellent profile of the couple here.

7. Another gem from Kickstarter, a website that enables aspiring artists to get funding for their projects. Here’s a documentary worth tossing a few dollars at: Xmas Without China. I’ll leave it to the filmmakers themselves to describe this project: "Tom Xia, a Chinese-American immigrant challenges his neighbors, the Jones Family, to spend the entire month leading up to Christmas with no Chinese products in their home and without purchasing any Chinese products for the holiday … As the Joneses struggle to figure out how to have a simpler Christmas in a time when "we don’t make anything anymore," they also begin to think about just how related they are to China. Fed up with the mudslinging between the two countries, Tom finds himself on an unlikely journey to break down stereotypes between China and America, and find his own place between these worlds."

8. Practical advice for teachers: Don’t take any bribes from parents this year. Oh yes, and refrain from punishing the students with hot irons to the face, please.

9. The Chinese Red Cross has published its first-ever Chinese-English bilingual Family First Aid Manual and allegedly distributed it to 30,000 foreigners in Beijing. Anyone seen a copy?

10. Finally, the minimum wage in Beijing was just raised to RMB 1,160 a month for 2011 … meanwhile, one hospital is offering RMB 3000 for a sperm donation. Is it any wonder college students aren’t studying hard these days?