Beimen Wuqiao Roasted Sweet Potato Introduction
Tu Zhushan (born in 1947), a native of Ouliao, worked various jobs in fish ponds and also dried salt. After the salt fields ceased production, he learned the art of roasting sweet potatoes from his brother Tu Zhuqing (born in 1943) in Fengshan, Kaohsiung. After mastering the skill, his brother gifted him a roasting oven. Tu Zhushan set up a stall in front of Yong'an Temple in Ouliao. Later, he thought of selling in more distant places and rode his scooter to Xuejia vegetable market in the morning and then to the site of Wuwang Bridge in the afternoon. As he grew older, he stopped going to Xuejia and began regularly selling at the north end of Wuwang Bridge. He has lunch at 10 AM and heads to the market afterward. At home, he first roasts a batch of sweet potatoes, and upon arriving at the market, he roasts one or two batches while selling. He packs up for the day and heads home after selling out, sometimes as late as 2 PM or 3 PM. His selling hours vary; he doesn't sell on rainy days, when the sweet potatoes are not good, or if he has other matters to attend to. If you want to enjoy Tu Zhushan’s roasted sweet potatoes, you really have to take a chance. A lone scooter stands at the Wuwang Bridge head, with no shelter, hot in the scorching summer and cold in the frigid winter, but Tu Zhushan does not complain. As long as conditions permit, he will brave the blazing sun and the cold winds to sell, hoping that his regular customers...
