In China they eat…hotdogs

25-year-old Copenhagen hotdog stand opens in Shanghai

Humphrey Lau, an engineer working for a Danish company in China has imported and opened a Danish hotdog stand in Shanghai.

Lau opened his project as part of a ‘Concept Store’ which different enterprises in Shanghai use to exhibit products to explain a little about their company’s corporate and national cultures.

Lau is a big fan of the Danish hotdog, saying in a blog in Ingeniøren that he often skips the last in-flight meal on a trip to Denmark to hit a hotdog stand as soon as he lands. He sees the classic Danish hotdog stand as one of the most recognisable symbols of Danish culture.

He believed a hotdog stand and the Concept Store in Shanghai were a perfect fit. As he called it – “heartfelt storytelling”. He found a 25-year-old stand with the help of some collectors in Denmark and set about importing it to Shanghai. That process proved to be a bit more difficult than he had anticipated.

Compared to…what?
In order for Chinese authorities to approve the Danish model, the specifications needed to be compared to Chinese standards; and there are no hotdog stands in China to compare the Danish model with. It took nearly a year to get the approval, during which some involved with the project nearly despaired and built a mock stand, but Lau felt that would “take the heart” out of the whole idea.

READ MORE: Queen and government team up for China visit

They persevered and finally managed to get an authentic Danish 'pølsevogn' wagon opened in Shanghai.

“Much to the joy of all of our guests; Customers, suppliers, partners, university professors, technical advisors and even competitors,” wrote Lau.




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