Old Friend Taro Balls Introduction
Lao You Hao Taro Balls was founded in 1990 by the first generation owners Lin Rong-Chi and Xia A-Mei, who hoped to make the shop a good friend to everyone, hence the name "Lao You Hao." The owner Xia A-Mei is skilled in making snacks, including cookies, buns, cakes, taro balls, radish cakes, and草仔粿 (tsaozaicui). Neighbors in Jiufen praised her creations, and with strong encouragement from the community and the rise of the Jiufen business district, they decided to close the original rice store in 1990 and open the taro ball shop. Initially, besides selling taro balls and sweet potato balls, they also offered soup dumplings and other snacks, but as the taro ball business grew, they could no longer produce other snacks, and thus it became a specialty store focusing on taro balls and sweet potato balls.
