Yin Yin Grass Jelly / You Tou Egg Cake / Pin Hua Douhua Introduction
The Legend of Xian Cao Bo in Chiayi. The story of the bagged grass jelly ice and the phrase "Xian Cao Bo is still waiting for customers at the original spot after retirement" is often pieced together from local narratives. What does the next generation have to say? Eric recalls that when he was selling egg cakes at Yi Yin, Xian Cao Bo had already closed shop for ten years. Initially, he wasn't pleased that someone occupied his original spot. Eric called him "grandpa," and Xian Cao Bo was quite old; after retirement, he would walk from home to Yi Yin every day, seemingly "waiting for customers," but in reality, he was reflecting his loneliness. Here, he could chat with people and be accompanied by noisy young folks... As time passed, one day grandpa asked Eric, "Do you want to learn how to make grass jelly?" Thus, the story continued. Grandpa insisted on using the comparatively troublesome sweet potato starch to set the grass jelly, and the young man practiced hard for a long time before earning his approval to start selling. When they opened the store under the name "Yi Yin Xian Cao," grandpa was still alive and would come by occasionally for "quality control," also to assure old customers that this shop was taught by him personally. The cross-generational friendship between the young man and grandpa became a heartwarming tale. A few years ago, Xian Cao Bo passed away, and Eric regretted not capturing grandpa's image and smile, leaving him with no choice but to ask a friend to paint a portrait in remembrance. They also recreated the original bagged grass jelly ice as a tribute! Photo source: Chiayi City Government Tourism Office | Photographer: Margot
