and not unlike yao minxi, a 30-year-old shanghai native educated in the usa at wellesley, currently aghai daily." she may be the picture of modern china but this is minxi's favorite restaurant. chun. china and shanghai in particular might be transforming fast, but this place stays resolutely the same. mrs. shu runs the place, serving classic home-style shanghainese. there's no menu, no waiting list. and you only get a seat if she likes you. >> i ordered too much. sorry. >> oh, fantastic. no. very happy. >> we're joined by her friends, lu xing an artist, and matthew, a restaurateur. >> this looks fantastic. how do you eat these? whole? >> i eat them whole, because i really like this. >> that works. mm! oh, they're good. >> yeah. i think they cook it a few seconds. that's the secret. >> yoba sha are tiny little shrimp, deep fried first, then quickly tossed in the wok with garlic, ginger, salt, and soy. what is classic shanghainese food? what's distinctive about it? well, this, for instance. it's often black or dark and heavily inflected with oil, soy and sugar. shanghai is and has been