Guogou Temple Oyster Omelette Introduction
Travelers from Guokou, daughters who married out, or villagers who work abroad, are eager to visit the "Temple Mouth Oyster Cake" stand at the Zhuangmiao Jiande Temple courtyard as soon as they return to their hometown. They order oyster cakes, meat cakes, or fried pastries to satisfy their nostalgia for the flavors of home that they yearn for while living away. Some even have a piece or two of fried pastries or oyster cakes at the temple before carrying their luggage through the front door. "Temple Mouth Oyster Cake" has become a symbol of nostalgia for the people of Guokou. The local residents still habitually refer to oyster cakes and meat cakes as "Bitter Cakes," which originated from the stand's founder, Tsai Wu Hsiu Chun. When she first started the stand, the economy in Taiwan was generally poor, and both oysters and pork were scarce and considered expensive ingredients that most people could not afford. Therefore, the fried batter made of flour mixed with soybean flour only contained fillings of cabbage, chives, and ginger, without oysters or meat, leading to the name "Vegetable Cake." Tsai Wu Hsiu Chun had a habit of frying the "Vegetable Cakes" longer, using lard at that time without changing the oil, resulting in a "Vegetable Cake" that was crispy, crunchy, and black, with a bitter taste, which led everyone to call it "Bitter Cake." This name has persisted to this day, despite the fact that lard is no longer common and the frying time is not as long; the oil is changed daily. Nevertheless, the older generation still affectionately refers to it as "Bitter Cake." As Taiwan's economy gradually...
