At noon, the Tongxin Cafeteria near the Jing'an Temple downtown has a queue that exemplifies its multi-generational popularity.中午时分，上海静安寺附近的同心自助餐厅门前的长队，体现了它在年轻人和老年人中的流行程度。The menu, with over 60 dishes rotated daily, caters to a spectrum of tastes.菜单上每天轮换60多道菜，迎合了各种口味。
"Compared with food ordered for lunch online, this place is much better," said Chen Luo, an accountant from a nearby office building.附近一栋办公楼的会计陈洛（音）说：“和外卖餐相比，这个地方好多了。”
Chen, who lives alone, formerly depended heavily on delivered meals ordered online until her parents raised concerns about the nutritional value and what they called "stale ingredients."独居的陈洛以前严重依赖外卖，但她的父母担心总吃外卖没有营养、 “食材不新鲜”。
Cooking for herself is too time-consuming, she said.她说，自己做饭太耗时了。
"I used to spend two hours cooking and washing dishes, only to eat for 10 minutes," Chen said.“以前我要花两个小时做饭和洗碗，吃饭只需要10分钟。”
The nearby community canteen is a perfect solution. 附近的社区食堂是一个完美的解决方案。
These cafeterias, once known as "senior canteens," were originally established to provide healthy meals at affordable prices to older folks who might not be getting enough nutrition at home. From 2019 to 2021, the Shanghai government set a goal of building 200 new community canteens, bringing the total at the end of last year to 1,608.这些自助餐厅曾被称为“老年食堂”，最初是为了缺乏营养的老年人可以吃上健康、便宜的餐食而成立的。从2019年到2021年，上海政府制定了新建200家社区食堂的目标，2022年年底的总数达到1608家。
A basic meal with one meat dish and two vegetables costs less than 20 yuan (US$2.70), far cheaper than prices in mainstream downtown restaurants. And all meals are prepared on site with fresh ingredients.一顿一荤两素的基础餐价格不到20元，远低于市中心主流餐厅的价格。所有的饭菜都是新鲜烹饪。
The government supports these cafeterias – sometimes with rent-free space; sometimes with reduced water and electricity charges.政府为这些食堂提供扶持政策，或提供免费空间、或降低水电费。
Li Jiajun, the manager of a local community canteen, said the prices of the dishes are 20 percent lower than prevailing market rates because of the government assistance.上海一家社区食堂的经理李家军（音）说，由于政府扶持，社区食堂的价格比市价低了20%。
Li said cafeteria managers are required to maintain detailed records, including 48-hour food samples and daily uploads to food safety platforms. This approach ensures the traceability of all ingredients.李家军说，食堂管理人员需要保存详细的记录，包括48小时的食品样本和每天上传到食品安全平台的信息。这种方法可确保所有成分的可追溯性。
Some community cafeterias have become so popular that they appear on WeChat and other lifestyle sharing platforms.随着社区食堂走红，一些社区食堂甚至出现在微信和其他生活方式分享平台上。
At the community canteen in the Youyi Road Subdistrict in Baoshan, diners can use their smartphones to choose dishes and pay their bills. The cost is based on the weight of the food to avoid waste.在宝山友谊路街道的社区食堂，食客们可以用智能手机选菜买单。费用是根据食物的重量计算的，以免浪费。In the Community AI Canteen in the Hongqiao Subdistrict, Shanghai's first staff-free community canteen uses robots to cook and serve meals, while an artificial intelligence system offers diet advice. The site serves about 300 customers a day.在虹桥街道的社区智能食堂，上海第一家无员工社区食堂使用机器人做饭和送餐，而人工智能系统则提供饮食建议。该食堂每天接待大约300名顾客。
The West Bund community canteen, located in a core area on the west bank of the Huangpu River, serves over 1,000 people daily, with weekends reaching up to 3,000 customers.西外滩社区食堂位于黄浦江西岸的核心区域，每天为1000多人提供服务，周末可接待3000多名顾客。
Perched amid the riverside scenery, the site opened in July. Patrons include local residents, tourists, joggers and delivery staff, said the director Xia Rui.该食堂坐落在黄浦江边，于7月开放。负责人夏锐（音）说，顾客包括当地居民、游客、慢跑者和送餐员。
Li, a delivery rider who frequently dines at the community cafeteria, volunteers to deliver meals to vulnerable people in the community.李先生是一名经常在社区自助餐厅用餐的外卖骑手，他自愿为社区中的弱势群体送餐。
"I've always enjoyed the public services provided by the community, so I thought I would show my gratitude and give something back," Li said.李先生说：“我一直享受着社区提供的公共服务，所以我想表达我的感激之情，并付出回报。”
"We are pleased to have younger people dining here," said a 90-year-old patron surnamed Qu. "They give an 'elderly canteen' a feeling of youthful vigor."一位90岁的曲姓顾客表示：“我们很高兴有年轻人在这里用餐，他们给‘老年食堂’带来了年轻活力。”
来源：Shine
编辑：董静