Traditional Meat Zongzi

A while ago, someone told me, "People from Tainan seem to have a sense of ritual when they eat breakfast." I smiled and said, "For true Tainan locals, this isn't a ritual, it's just a very ordinary part of daily life." My dad used to say, "Because we were 'doers' (台語, referring to 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 packed with carbs that could fill you up was the most solid start to the day. This eating habit has continued to this day, and Tainan locals have a unique persistence about breakfast that differs from other places. Some eat savory porridge (鹹粥), some eat Yangchun noodles (陽春麵) or rice dumplings (碗粿), and some people just need a zongzi (粽子) every morning, paired with a steaming bowl of miso soup (味噌湯), to truly start their day. This time, I visited "Lao Dian Rou Zong, Cai Zong" located next to Liren Elementary School. It has been in business for over forty years, selling only Cai Zong (vegetable zongzi), Rou Zong (meat zongzi), and miso soup. Yet, it's a breakfast spot many Tainan locals have grown up eating at. 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.