Meet the 19-Year-Old Fried Rice Sensation: How a Suit-Wearing Chef is Dominating Chinese Night Markets

Translation result

A teenage cook who wears a suit and stages theatrical wok performances while making fried rice at a night market in China has become an online sensation. His distinctive look and steady work ethic have captured the attention of local social media users.

On May 15, the South China Morning Post reported that 19-year-old student Lu, who works in Yantai in Shandong province, has drawn large audiences with videos of him cooking fried rice at a night market.

In the clips, Lu wears a crisp suit and boots and handles the wok with practiced ease, tossing and stirring as he cooks. He even flips his hair and gives the camera a wink as part of the routine. Posts tagged #sanjifriedrice have attracted roughly 190,000 likes. The name “Sanji” refers to a popular character from the Japanese manga One Piece.

Lu works the stall every day from 5 p.m. until around midnight. He says it takes about three minutes to prepare a plate, and he typically sells more than 200 servings a day.

Local reports estimate his monthly sales at about 50,000 yuan (approximately 9,500,000 KRW (about $7,125)), with net profit after ingredients and operating costs around 20,000 yuan (approximately 3,800,000 KRW (about $2,850)) a month.

While viewers are drawn to the showmanship, Lu’s hands tell a different story: repeated wok work has left his palms covered in calluses and blisters. He has been supporting his family since he was 17 and has continued running the stall ever since.

Online, people praised both his style and his dedication. Some compared him to the One Piece character Sanji, calling him a “real-life Sanji,” while others described his cooking as “a work of art.”

Several users said they clicked initially because of the suit but stayed for his effort and skill. One commenter wrote that the scene was “so captivating I can’t tell if it’s the fried rice or the cook’s face,” and said they wanted to visit the stall in person.