Xitou Ice City Introduction
~Signature Shaved Ice~ A heritage of nearly half a century of great taste~ ~Memories~ are not just the nostalgia of pictures but also the emotional impact on taste buds~ "Xitou Ice City" is the first ice shop established in the Xin Shi Street. Why is it called "Xitou"? It turns out that the Zhongxing Road, which traversed Xin Shi Street, was the most bustling and vibrant street in Xin Shi. The locals habitually referred to the eastern section as "Dongtou" and the western section as "Xitou." The illiterate owner, not understanding the aesthetics of signboards, simply named the shop "Xitou Ice City" since it was established in the western section. The founder was Pan Da-Jian (born in 1933), who was tall and strong, and everyone called him "Big Man." Coming from a poor family, he rode a bicycle to the mountainous areas to carry bananas, sweet potatoes, and other grains for sale or sold popsicles and taro ice to exchange for sweet potatoes to dry and eat. After marriage, he and his wife Pan Chen-Guo (born in 1933) raised four children. As the children grew, the burdens of living expenses and tuition fees became heavier, leading him to think about starting his own business. In 1966, he established "Xitou Ice Fruit Shop" at No. 142, Zhongxing Street, in Tainan's Xin Shi District, selling shaved ice, ice pops, juices, and other frozen treats, making it the first ice fruit shop in Xin Shi. The signature product of "Xitou Ice City" is "shaved ice," which the new affluent residents of the Southern Science Park and visitors have little understanding or interest in, until the owner...
