On the afternoon of April 7, “Bai’s Home”, which was brought to Zhang Garden in the limited-time pop-up store of Jing’an Modern Drama Valley x the musical “B for Busy”, welcomed a group of special guests. These guests included actors from the musical and the audience. They followed the master chef to make and taste the butterfly pastries that featured in the musical, experiencing the exquisite hospitality of Shanghai people and the allure of the Haipai culture.
“Adding butter to the dough can make the butterfly pastries more fragrant and crispier. We need to fully blend the butter into the dough through rolling,” the master chef explained in detail the steps for making butterfly pastries while rolling the dough skillfully in “Bai’s Home”. Observing the master chef’s effortless and adept operation, Jing Yanqiao, an actor in the musical, was eager to have a try. After trying for a while, he said with a smile, “I might not have mastered the correct technique and it still took a lot of effort to do it.”
Talking about milk-flavored butterfly pastry, Jing Yanqiao said, “I like it very much! Butterfly pastry is a name card of Shanghai and a carrier of Haipai culture. Whenever we come to Shanghai, we make sure to taste this flavor. Many people would rather wait in long lines for this flavor.”
Under the instruction of the master chef, Feng Difei, an actress in the musical, evenly spread sugar powder on the dough, then folded both ends towards the center, folded it again into a long strip, and finally cut it into slices with a thickness of about eight millimeters. “This thickness is just right. If it is too thick, the shape will not turn out well,” the master chef offered friendly tips from time to time until everyone completed the final slicing process.
Soon, the butterfly pastries handmade by everyone were ready. While eating the hot butterfly pastries, Feng Difei said happily, “It tastes so good.” The audience participating in this DIY activity added that being involved in the whole process of making butterfly pastries at “Bai’s Home” made them get closer to the musical “B for Busy” and allowed them to savor a distinctive “Shanghai flavor”.
It is reported that “Bai’s Home” will be open until April 14 (11:00-20:00 every day) in Building 8, Zhang Garden (188 Lane, North Maoming Road, Jing’an District). On the afternoon of April 13, actors from the musical “B for Busy” will visit “Bai’s Home” and share their gains and inspirations about the creative process around the stories on and off the musical stage. On the afternoon of April 14, the co-branded pastry workshop will resume operations, inviting the audience to experience the making of butterfly pastries. Citizens who love life and drama are welcome to come here for a playful adventure.