Xitou Ice City Introduction
~Signature Shaved Ice~ Heritage ~Half a century of good taste~ ~Memories~ are not just visual longing~ but emotional sensations for the taste buds~ "Xitou Ice City" is the first ice shop established on Xinshi Street. Why is it called "Xitou"? It turns out that the road Zhongxing Road, which runs through Xinshi Street, used to be the busiest and most prosperous street in Xinshi. The locals habitually referred to the eastern half as "Dongtou" and the western half as "Xitou." The illiterate owner did not understand the aesthetics of the shop sign, so since the ice shop was located in the western section, he simply named it "Xitou Ice City." The founder, Pan Dajian (born in 1933), was tall and big, and everyone called him "Daren." Coming from a poor family, he rode a bicycle to the mountains to bring back bananas, sweet potatoes, and other grains for sale, or sold ice pops and taro ice around, earning sweet potatoes to dry and eat. After marrying his wife Pan Chen Guo (also born in 1933), they raised four children. As the children grew up, the burden of living and education expenses became heavier, prompting them to consider starting their own business. In 1966, they established "Xitou Ice Fruit Room" at No. 142 Zhongxing Street in Xinshi District, Tainan City, selling "shaved ice," ice pops, juices, and other frozen treats, making it the first ice fruit room in Xinshi. The signature dessert of "Xitou Ice City" is "shaved ice," but the newcomers in Nankang and visitors often have no concept of "shaved ice" and lack interest, needing the owner to...
