Traditional Meat Zongzi

A while ago, someone told me, "Tainan people seem to have a real ritual for breakfast." I smiled and replied, "For true Tainan locals, this isn't a ritual, it's just a very ordinary part of daily life." My dad used to say when I was little, "Because we were 'doers' (台語, meaning farmers), we had to go to the fields before dawn, so we needed a filling breakfast to have the energy to work." For his generation, there wasn't brunch or fancy cafes back then. A breakfast full of carbs that could fill you up was the most solid start to the day. This eating habit has continued to this day, and Tainan people have a unique persistence about breakfast compared to other places. Some eat savory porridge (鹹粥), some eat simple noodles (陽春麵), some eat rice cakes (碗粿), and some people absolutely need a zongzi (粽) with a bowl of hot miso soup every morning to truly start their day. This time, I visited '老店肉粽、菜粽' (Old Shop Zongzi, Vegetable Zongzi) next to Liren Elementary School. It's been open for over forty years, selling only vegetable zongzi, meat zongzi, and miso soup. Yet, it's a breakfast spot many Tainan locals have grown up with. There's no fancy decor or exaggerated plating, but with the fresh scent of the betel leaf, creamy peanuts, and a bowl of flavorful miso soup, it has accompanied generations as they grew up.