Xitow Ice City Introduction
~Signature Shaved Ice~ Inheriting nearly half a century of good taste~ ~Memories~ are not just visual longing~ but also a touch of the taste buds~ "Xitoudong Ice City" is the first ice shop established on Xinshi Street. Why is it called "Xitoudong"? It turns out that the Zhongsing Road, which runs through Xinshi Street, was once the most bustling and prosperous street in Xinshi. The locals would refer to the eastern half as "Dongtou" and the western half as "Xitoudong." The illiterate owner didn't understand the aesthetics of shop signage and simply named it after the fact that the ice shop was located in the western section. The founder, Pan Dajian (born in 1933), was tall and strong, and everyone called him "Big Man." Coming from a poor family, he rode a bicycle to the mountains to sell bananas, sweet potatoes, and other grains, or peddled popsicles and taro ice to make a living, using the earnings to buy sweet potatoes to dry and eat. After getting married to his wife Pan Chen (born in 1933), they raised four children. As the children grew, the burdens of living expenses and tuition became heavier, prompting him to start his own business. In 1966, he established "Xitoudong Ice Fruit Shop" at No. 142, Zhongsing Street, Xinshi District, Tainan City, selling shaved ice, popsicles, juice, and other frozen treats, making it the first ice fruit shop in Xinshi. The signature item at "Xitoudong Ice City" is the "shaved ice." The newcomers from Nanke and tourists have little understanding or interest in "shaved ice," and it requires the owner's...
