Beimen Wuwang Bridge Roasted Sweet Potato Introduction
Tu Zhushan (born in 1947) is from Ke-liao. He worked in fish farms and also dried salt. After the salt fields stopped operations, he went to Fengshan, Kaohsiung to learn sweet potato roasting techniques from his brother Tu Zhuqing (born in 1943). After mastering the skills, his brother gifted him a roasting oven. Tu Zhushan initially sold sweet potatoes in front of Yong'an Temple in Ke-liao, but later thought of selling in more distant places. He began riding a "li zi ka" (a type of small vehicle) to Xiejia Vegetable Market in the morning, and then to the current site of Wuwang Bridge in the afternoon. As he got older, he stopped going to Xiejia and began selling regularly at the northern end of Wuwang Bridge instead. Tu Zhushan has lunch at 10 AM, and after eating, he heads to the market. At home, he roasts a batch of sweet potatoes first, and when he arrives at the market, he roasts one or two more batches while selling. Once he sells out, he closes up and heads home, sometimes around 2 PM, sometimes around 3 PM. His selling schedule is not fixed; he doesn't sell on rainy days, when the sweet potatoes are not good, or when he has other matters to attend to. To taste Tu Zhushan's roasted sweet potatoes, one really has to take a chance. A lone "li zi ka" stands at the Wuwang Bridge head, without any shelter. In the hot summer, it can be very hot; in the cold winter, it can be very cold. However, Tu Zhushan does not consider it a hardship. As long as conditions permit, he will continue to sell in the blazing sun or against the cold winds, hoping that his loyal customers will...
