Nankunshen Wu's Mijiu Snail Introduction
The small shaijo snail stall, run from a tiny cart, has been selling for half a century. Besides supporting a family, it has nurtured seven children, all of whom have attained higher education. Now, all seven children are married and established in their own careers, while this shaijo snail stall continues to attract tourists from all over Taiwan. This is the legend of Wu's Shaijo Snail in Nankunshen. Wu Chen Jin Mang was originally a housewife, and seeing the high number of family expenses, she started selling shaijo snails at the Datian Temple Wan Shun Tang in Nankunshen to alleviate the financial burden. In the 1980s, as the Datian Temple expanded to include a vending area in front of Wan Shun Tang, she moved to continue selling in front of the large archway under the stone lion. In 2015, due to temple regulations preventing vendors from setting up stalls within the temple area, she relocated south to sell beside the road at the traffic lights. The small shaijo snail requires a labor-intensive preparation process. The snails are purchased, cleaned thoroughly, and poor-quality ones are discarded. The tails of each shell are cut off, then cleaned and blanched for use. A large pot is heated with oil, and after fragrant garlic is sautéed, ingredients like shacha sauce, chili, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, salt, and Thai basil are added and stir-fried. Finally, the blanched snails are added and stir-fried until well seasoned...
