Beimen Wuwangqiao Roasted Sweet Potato Introduction
Tu Zhushan (born in 1947), a native of Oliao, worked various jobs in fish ponds and also dried salt. After the salt fields stopped drying, he learned sweet potato roasting techniques from his brother Tu Zhuqing (born in 1943) in Fengshan, Kaohsiung. After mastering the skills, his brother gifted him a roasting oven. Tu Zhushan set up a stall in front of Yong'an Temple in Oliao to sell sweet potatoes. Later, he thought about selling in farther places and began riding a "Lai Zi Ka" to Xuejia vegetable market in the morning and then to the site of Wuwang Bridge in the afternoon. As he got older, he stopped going to Xuejia and regularly sold at the north end of Wuwang Bridge instead. Tu Zhushan eats lunch at 10 o'clock and sets out to the market afterward. While at home, he would roast a batch of sweet potatoes first, and when he arrives at the market, he continues to roast one or two more batches while selling. After selling everything, he would pack up and return home, sometimes around 2 PM, sometimes around 3 PM. His selling schedule is irregular; he doesn't sell on rainy days, when sweet potatoes are bad, or when he has errands to run. To enjoy Tu Zhushan's roasted sweet potatoes, it's really a matter of luck. An isolated "Lai Zi Ka" stall stands at Wuwang Bridge, lacking cover, making it very hot in the scorching summer and...
