Winter Food House in Chengdu

On the west side of Chengdu is a quiet little alley lined with ginkgo trees.

In the alley is a canteen called Winter.

Its owner is Ran Xiaodong, born and raised in Chengdu.

The winter she was born, Chengdu had an unusually heavy snowfall.

Her grandmother thought that winter was special, so she named her Dong, meaning “winter.”

Three years ago, her grandmother passed away for good.

After taking care of her grandmother’s funeral, Xiaodong quit her well-paid job at a Fortune Global 500 company and opened this canteen, Winter.

Her grandmother had once told her before she died:

“Xiaodong, remember to use our ‘ability’ to help more people...”

What exactly was the “ability” her grandmother spoke of?

Xiaodong had never told anyone outside the family.

Those she had “helped” seemed to share an unspoken understanding, and rarely mentioned her “ability.”

But when you help enough people, word is bound to get out sooner or later.

Luckily, Xiaodong didn’t mind. She still welcomed guests with a smile.

She simply rarely talked with customers about her “abilities.”

The customers were tactful, too. After asking out of curiosity and getting no answer, they didn’t press her again.

Winter Canteen has a few “rules” of its own:

1. Drinking water is free for sanitation workers. In winter, they can have hot red tea to warm them up; in summer, they can have cool honeysuckle tea. Refills are unlimited.

2. Winter Canteen offers no delivery and isn’t listed on any review platform. As for why customers still come in an endless stream, the place has its own charm and secrets...

This is the story of Winter Canteen.

If you visit Chengdu, you’re welcome to stop by Winter Canteen.

Come try a Happiness Bento and have a chat with Xiaodong.