HEFEI, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- For passionate foodies, a good meal is the best comfort. Many will drive or queue for hours just for a few fleeting forkfuls. And when they cannot go out, they cook by themselves.
Required to stay at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus amid the epidemic, many Chinese are rolling up their sleeves and starting a new career in the kitchen. A report by Meituan Dianping, an online food delivery and ticketing services platform, showed that searches for baking materials rose 100 times recently on its platform, with sales of yeast and dumpling wrappers up nearly 40 times and sevenfold, respectively.
Zhang Qin of Hefei, capital city of east China's Anhui Province, began cooking pasta under the guidance of his mother this month.
"I had no time for this before," she said. "It's a good chance to learn baking."
Zhang makes a range of Chinese pastry like steamed stuffed buns, thoroughly enjoying her new culinary pursuits. "My mother said the amount of yeast we used this month would have been enough to feed the family for about half a year before," said Zhang.
A Xinhua reporter visited two major supermarkets in Hefei and found yeast had completely sold out. "It should be restocked in a few days," said staff at the supermarket.
Ms. Feng, in the city of Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, turned into a "baking expert" this month. "Baking has become my hobby in my spare time, and I bought five small bags of yeast in advance," she said.
