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New "Barbecue" Bars

On a summer's evening, more and more barbecue stalls can be found on the streets of Beijing. Residents enjoy eating roasted lamb on skewers while gulping beers.

This year, a new type of restaurant featuring different types of barbecue, "barbecue bars," have quietly appeared on the scene and report a sharp rise in customers. Barbecue bars with up to ten tables can sell 800 skewers of fried chicken wings in two hours.

Barbecue bars, as the name suggests, offer various types of barbecued food, accompanied by cold, pickled vegetables and other simple dishes. Business hours are usually as late as 3-4 a.m.

After checking out a couple of such barbecue bars, it was discovered that the old standard roasted mutton fare has evolved. Now, a multiplicity of barbecued foods such as oysters, scallops, shrimp and other seafood is served, along with fruit and vegetables such as garlic, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, bananas and pineapple.

"Compared to roasting meats, barbecued seafood has flavour closer to its original aroma, very fresh tasting." one customer said.

While enjoying the same price advantages as other barbecue stalls, the barbecue bars are in no way inferior in their decor to other restaurants; some even have special theme or colours. Young people, in particular, like patronizing barbecue bars.

Industry insiders said that the rise of these bars is in accordance with the consumption preferences of the masses. In particular, the atmosphere of young people getting together to barbecue their food is in line with the modern taste for leisure, casualness, health and wealth.