Setting up a stall and selling traditional crepes outside Shanghai's Tongji University, two French students launching their small business on the city's "night food street" have attracted quite a number of customers, according to a report from Shanghai Daily.
Local reports said the pair's food stall created a stir in the city after witnesses uploaded pictures and web users traveled to the university to sample Gallic gastronomic delights.
Despite its popularity, the duo's culinary fame also came to the attention of police who called the university to put a stop to the business, officials told the Shanghai Daily Monday (May 23).
According to regulations, the two students were banned from conducting any business in China, authorities said.
The French students - identified as Benoit and Julien - are studying at Tongji University on an exchange program.
They launched their crepe empire on a white tricycle, complete with a wooden box and a large umbrella, on Chifeng Road, near the southern entrance of Tongji University's downtown campus, last weekend.
One cooked the crepes while the other applied sauces from a range offered to customers. Each crepe sold for 4 yuan (US$61 cents).
The French cuisine proved popular among locals, with Chinese students taking the opportunity to buy a tasty snack and practice their foreign language skills at the same time.
Benoit and Julien said they had tasted a lot of Chinese street food around the university and found it delicious, reported Youth Daily.
Inspired by that, they decided to give locals a taste of traditional French cuisine.
However, the duo seemed to have little idea about the urban management policies toward unlicensed stallholders.
Yang Kejie a customer at the stall, said the pair seemed oblivious to any legal problems until urban management officials appeared while they were making a crepe for him.
Yang and others urged the street chefs to make a run for it, and - once they'd finished making his crepe - the French students hopped on their tricycle and sped off.
The story of French guys selling crepes and tangling with local urban management officials soon became a big online news item.
The university on Monday was trying to contact the students to inform them that police had put an end to their French street food ambitions.
References
Tongji University 同濟大學
Source:China Watch Times.com & Internet
