Street Food (2019) s01e05 Episode Script
Chiayi, Taiwan
1 [in Mandarin.]
Look at the fish swimming around Swimming around I think of you I miss you These past years all my hard work Is for you Yeah, yeah The fish swim around Swimming around I'm thinking of you In the middle of the night [Grace humming.]
[Grace.]
Our customers say I'm a lot like my grandma.
[humming indistinctly.]
[Grace.]
Kind of round.
Wearing a smiling face with people.
Sweating like crazy to run the business.
[continues humming.]
[Grace.]
But we're also totally different.
Because I'm not a very good girl.
I'm a rebellious kid.
[in English.]
When the outside world hear about Taiwan, immediately, they think of Taipei because it's such a busy city.
[Joanna.]
But when you really want to look deeper into Taiwan's culture, Chiayi is the city to visit.
Chiayi is located in southwestern Taiwan surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Because of the secluded location, Chiayi has not been very influenced by foreign culture.
[sizzling.]
[Joanna.]
So, the traditional dishes that truly represent Taiwan are best in Chiayi.
[light music.]
[Joanna.]
Street food is the way to get to know our people.
We don't usually have a stove top at little apartments, so night markets serve very important to Taiwanese people.
[Joanna.]
We can get cheap food, but at the same time, very delicious dishes like tofu pudding, turkey rice, beef noodle soup, dumplings, oyster omelets.
You can have, like, 50 varieties of food that you can choose from every day.
And there's one very famous fish head stew, at a stall called Smart Fish.
Grace keeps the recipe the same way as the old days.
Her grandparents started with just one stall, sixty-five years ago, in this night market.
Expanding the business while keeping everything the old ways is very difficult to maintain.
But Grace has done it.
[upbeat music.]
[Grace, in Mandarin.]
Okay.
Morning, Auntie.
I'm riding this bike here today.
Yes, you're supposed to ride this kind of bike.
It's like a cool sports car.
Are these for me? [Grace.]
They are the most beautiful ones, right? Thank you.
You always keep the best ones for me.
[Grace.]
Auntie, my grandma used to come here to buy stuff, right? Yes.
[Grace.]
Did you eat her food back then? [woman 1.]
Yes.
I was a teenager at that time.
Your grandma was a very good person.
You're just like her.
- [Grace.]
Really? - Yes.
My grandma wasn't scolding people all the time? - She was easy to get along with.
- [laughs.]
- She's frank.
- [Grace.]
Right.
[woman 1.]
Business people like her have no scheming.
[Grace.]
Mm-hm.
It's easier to get along with people who are direct.
[Grace.]
I'm now the third generation making this Fish Head Stew.
Carrying on my grandfather's signature recipe.
[woman 1.]
When my grandchildren come, they always buy your food.
Thank you for your support.
And they place orders from the internet, too.
Thank you.
- [Grace.]
Thank you.
- [man 1.]
All right.
[Grace.]
Thank you.
[Grace.]
Continuing a tradition of a hundred years is not easy.
As a result, I hardly sleep.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
Before dawn, at 3 or 4 a.
m.
, I shop for the ingredients.
I go to the market to buy a lot of ingredients.
Actually, my ideas are also ingredients.
Ideas for how to bus tables, planning the route for bussing tables.
Thanks.
I'm off.
I have ideas for how to bring our family's tasty food to even more people.
[Grace.]
As a younger person taking over the family business, I'm going to do what I want.
At least there's someone who's willing to do the work of improving the business.
If we don't spend the time to do this, one day, no one will be selling fish head stew.
[lively music.]
[in English.]
When you come to Chiayi, the first thing you'll think of is the turkey rice.
[Joanna.]
There are 300 something stores of turkey rice in Chiayi.
Everybody eats turkey rice here, because it's such a warm and filling dish.
[Li-Hua, in Mandarin.]
I started selling turkey rice 50 years ago.
[Li-Hua.]
Now, I'm slowly letting the younger generation take over.
I don't give them any advice.
They will figure it out on their own.
[chuckles.]
[Zon-Huan.]
My mother was doing the business on her own in the past.
She was all alone.
That's why now, we want to help her.
[Zon-Yuan.]
We slow-cook our turkey over 12 hours for the broth.
[Li-Hua.]
We deep-fry our own pork fat and shallots.
We add them to the rice so it smells even better.
Our flavor hasn't changed since the beginning.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
When I was little, the arcade of our house was like my little world.
I would lie inside a cardboard box, watching my parents run the stall.
And I felt so happy.
[Grace.]
My parents only had six tables back then.
And even during typhoons, rains, or extreme heat, they would always come out and run the business.
I wished that when I grew up, a lot of people would come to our place.
By the age of five, I learned to wash the dishes and sweep the floor.
By the age of seven, I could serve food, use a kitchen knife, and settle the bills.
At twelve, I secretly learned how to ride a motorbike to buy ingredients at the grocery store.
All day, I'd work.
Then in the middle of the night, I'd start my homework.
Back then, people would call us "oily soup guys.
" That was considered not sanitary, or we lived in a bad environment.
[Grace.]
I remember my school days were really tough.
My whole class called me "fish head.
" I would ask them, "Can you stop calling me that?" But still, no one learned my name.
They just called me "fish head.
" I felt so awkward.
I didn't like being called that name.
But then, my dad told me, "Don't think of it as a bad name.
When I was young, they called me that, too.
" My dad told me to focus on the positive side of everything in life.
[Grace.]
So, even though many people looked down on us back then, I hoped one day that would change.
[lively music playing in distance.]
[indistinct chatter.]
[engine rumbling.]
[in English.]
In today's culture, street food has slowly evolved to look more fusion and duplicable.
[Joanna.]
When traditional craftsmanship is not being valued enough, that's a threat to our Taiwanese flavor.
But in Chiayi, people are very passionate about preserving tradition.
[in Mandarin.]
Hello.
- I would like a peanut tofu pudding - Take out? - No, for here.
- [Tsui-Eh.]
Okay.
[Joanna, in English.]
Douhua, also known as tofu pudding, has been called "the dessert of Taiwan.
" [Tsui-Eh, in Mandarin.]
Tofu Pudding was passed down from older generations, and ours is the real original, authentic version.
We've done 70 years of business.
I heard you need to make your soy milk for a long period of time, right? - Not that long.
- [Joanna.]
Not that long.
- The authentic taste is delicious.
- Delicious, it is.
[in English.]
Especially in Chiayi, they put it on top of wood fire, boil it for days.
[Joanna.]
It's often served with toppings like sweetened tapioca pearls, peanuts, and mung beans.
[Tsui-Eh, in Mandarin.]
There are many new things these days, everyone is coming up with new ingredients.
But I'm sticking to the traditional methods.
It's much better.
It's healthier.
[guitar playing.]
Dark sky, it's going to rain Grandpa takes a hoe to dig taro - Dig and dig, dig and dig - Dig and dig, dig and dig - Dig out a loach - Dig out a loach - Yeah, it's so fun - Yeah, it's so fun Your grandpa was a hardworking person.
Back in the day, he was always working in the streets.
He wasn't afraid of rain or wind.
[Grace.]
The story of our stall goes back more than 60 years.
My grandma was very good at business, and my grandpa loved to fish.
One time, my grandpa caught too many fish.
He decided to deep fry them so they wouldn't spoil as quickly.
He covered them in yam flour batter, and fried the fish until they were crispy and golden brown.
And with that, he created a new signature dish and called it fish head stew.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
It has wood ear mushrooms, pork, onions, garlic, hot peppers for spice, tofu.
The secret that makes the food so delicious is that we use a lot of Napa cabbage.
This is our southern flavor.
[in English.]
Mountain.
[Tsong Min, in Mandarin.]
When you reheat the overnight cabbage, it will produce a sour and sweet taste, and Taiwanese people love this sweetness.
[Grace.]
Everyone loved eating the fish head stew.
They asked him to keep cooking it.
So my grandparents thought, "Ah, let's start a street stall.
" They were some of the first people to set up a Wenhua Road street stand.
Wenhua Road wasn't even a night market back then.
[Grace.]
My grandparents felt such joy from selling their signature dish.
[Joanna gasps.]
Thank you! It's so big.
Wow.
Let's have some tea.
[Joanna.]
Which part of the fish head should I start eating? - The fish head? - Yes.
- [Joanna.]
You open it from here? - [Grace.]
Yes.
This part of the fish head that ping-pong-sized piece is the tastiest part.
- This is your masterpiece.
- [Grace.]
Yes.
[Joanna.]
I could eat this every day.
[rooster crowing.]
[Uncle Goat.]
This goat stew is from Sui Dynasty in China.
This dish is for the emperor 1,500 years ago hoping for immortality.
After that, it slowly disappeared.
Until I brought it back again today, to restore its former glory in Taiwan.
[Uncle Goat.]
In this pot of medicinal wine contains suberect spatholobus stem, root of moghania, and Formosan buckthorn.
So many costumers tell me that this goat stew really is a magical elixir passed down to us, because this recipe can cure many illnesses.
But to make this stew, you really need to endure some suffering.
[eerie music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
Eight years ago, I started using a gas mask.
But every night, it takes me over three hours to clear the phlegm.
[suspenseful music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
You have to dig a hole and bury the pot into the ground, smoking it for three days and three nights.
The straw absorbs the earth's Chi and infrared heat waves.
But, actually, this whole space is terrible for quality of life.
That's why you can't get this anywhere else.
[birds chirping.]
[Grace.]
When I was 18, I got into a university in Taipei to study tourism, because I wanted to gain more experience from the outside world.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
That year was the first time I left Chiayi.
Taipei is totally different from Chiayi.
So many taxis, motorbikes.
It feels like such an advanced city.
I wasn't used to it.
But I felt so happy and curious.
The year that I graduated, I didn't want to return home.
[Grace.]
I wanted to stay in Taipei to gain more experience.
But my parents' food stall was understaffed.
Help was badly needed.
[calm music.]
[Grace.]
So my parents asked me to come home and help.
Actually, I wanted to stay in Taipei, but I couldn't tell them that.
I couldn't show the insistence on what my heart really wanted.
[Grace.]
So, the year I graduated, I moved back to Chiayi.
Riding the train home, I really wanted to cry.
But then I thought, "This is my path, my way home.
" [calm music.]
[Grace.]
When I came back after college, I poured my heart into helping my parents.
And I thought I'd try out some new ideas.
For example, we used to put coins into a copper jar.
So I suggested we get a cash register with POS system installed.
But my mom thought it was too modern.
I suggested we get a dishwashing machine.
My parents would say, "It's expensive, don't buy it.
" Meanwhile, I had to hire five or six people to wash dishes every day.
I even had to join in.
Many customers asked me, "You're a college graduate, why did you come back just to wash dishes?" Mom, could you tie them up? [Grace's mom.]
Okay.
[Grace.]
I was angry.
I believed improving the stall was important, but my parents wouldn't take it seriously.
We had so many disagreements and fights.
[Grace.]
When I tried to add online ordering, my parents didn't even understand computers.
So I did everything on my own.
I froze and packaged our food, and they had to arrive within one week of shipping.
When I first started, I was in a hurry to prep online orders.
I kept packing, and packing, and packing, and my mom kept selling them off to the customers in the store.
[Grace.]
I spent so much time finishing 100 packs, and she sold half of them to the customers right away.
I stayed several nights to redo them until the final day, I just lost it.
I smashed a pot.
And she started throwing things, too.
"Bang, bang, bang.
" [Grace.]
I really couldn't take it anymore.
I even considered going back to Taipei and do my own thing.
Why be at home fighting like this? Nothing ever gets resolved.
[Grace.]
The customer wants a takeout.
You can put more in here.
- That's enough.
- [Grace.]
Okay.
[Grace.]
At least there's someone who's willing to do the work of improving the business.
But I was just exhausted.
[Uncle Goat.]
Honestly, making the stew, it's ruining the health of all of us, young and old.
It feels like there's no way out.
That's why I don't want my children to carry on the business.
[Uncle Goat.]
Their bodies cannot withstand it.
Since they were infants, they've been inhaling smoke.
Because smoke was accumulating in the house.
Before their lungs fully developed, they had already been damaged.
[Uncle Goat.]
Making stew is an act of love.
Even though my kids won't continue on with it, I'm happy because this wonderful product still exists.
[calm music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
As soon as you take one sip, you'll think, "Oh.
" You'll feel your Chi flow in a loop around your body.
[light music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
Since this recipe is so good, I hope I won't be the last one who knows how to make it.
[raindrops pattering.]
[thunder rumbling.]
[Grace.]
Whenever facing difficulties, I pray for guidance on what to do.
I had ideas that could be helpful.
But my parents just don't like changes.
I was very disappointed.
[Grace.]
It doesn't matter what religion you are.
Connecting with a higher power is a way to calm the heart.
And it can inspire new ideas.
While I was praying, I realized if my parents are busy doing something [rattles.]
they can't fuss that much.
I can concentrate on what I'm doing.
[Grace.]
So, I gradually began working this way.
When my parents left for vacation, I would keep making changes to make our stall better.
I installed an air conditioner, introduced a cashier system, and a food delivery service.
I also made a website, and trained our employees.
[Grace.]
And I started opening new Smart Fish branches.
But I never changed our family's signature flavor.
She always waits for us to go on vacations to change everything around.
[chuckles.]
[Lin Tsong.]
So I can't do anything about it.
But in the end, I realized that what she does is good.
Her improvements are actually great.
Year by year, these changes take place.
With every improvement, customers naturally keep coming in.
[Grace.]
Word of mouth spread and even tourists in Chiayi got to know about our place.
Suddenly, we were preparing 5,000 servings a day.
One time, I asked someone in line how long she had been waiting.
She said, "Two and a half hours.
But it's okay because the food here is delicious.
" [Grace.]
My grandparents in heaven must be so happy.
Now, so many people know our family's fish head stew.
People still call me "fish head.
" But they call me that way with affection.
[lively music.]
[Joanna, in English.]
All over Chiayi, you can find a lot of traditional Taiwanese food.
But some traditional dishes that truly represent Taiwan will eventually disappear.
[Uncle Goat, in Mandarin.]
Nobody else does what I do, because it's too difficult.
If you choked on the smoke even once or twice, you'd rather give up the income and never want to be in this business.
[upbeat music.]
[Tsui-Eh.]
We're now the third generation stall.
But I really don't know if it will continue.
If I retire, maybe I'll travel and enjoy myself.
Gardening would be great, as well.
[laughing.]
[Zon-Yuan.]
These days, some people prefer eating lighter.
But the most important thing is that the recipe of my parents' turkey rice can be kept and passed down.
[Joanna, in English.]
Hopefully, the new generation can embrace our past and make it work for the next generation.
[in Mandarin.]
When you work to an old age, it can be hard to change the way you work.
But my daughter found a way to convince me.
Grace is now in charge of almost everything.
And we are working together.
This is such a great feeling.
She's a very good boss.
[laughs.]
[Tsong Min.]
It's great to be her employee.
[uplifting music.]
Being her dad isn't bad either.
[Grace.]
I hope I can pass our family's food to the next generation.
A hundred years from now when people think of Taiwan, I hope they will remember the flavor of Chiayi.
That's my heart's dream.
[Grace.]
Swimming around [both.]
Swimming here and there I think of you I think of you So I think, and I also swim When you go out, swimming further away, and I'll be here thinking of ideas.
[Tsong Min.]
While the elders are gone, you can do what you want.
When you get back, you'll accept things.
Yes, people are like that.
We keep squeezing and shaking.
In the end, everything loosens up.
Have things changed that much? [laughs.]
Well, at least, it's an improvement.
It's all about improving.
[light music.]
When are you traveling abroad again? - If you let me go, I'll go.
- [Grace chuckles.]
You can go anytime.
[phone ringing.]
[chuckles.]
[in English.]
Sorry.
[in Mandarin.]
Hello? [female voice.]
Hello? Sorry, can I call you back later? I'm doing a TV shoot right now.
- [female voice.]
Okay.
- I'll call you back in a bit.
Sorry.
Wow, much cooler.
[chuckles.]
Subtitle translation by Cheng Yi-Chun
Look at the fish swimming around Swimming around I think of you I miss you These past years all my hard work Is for you Yeah, yeah The fish swim around Swimming around I'm thinking of you In the middle of the night [Grace humming.]
[Grace.]
Our customers say I'm a lot like my grandma.
[humming indistinctly.]
[Grace.]
Kind of round.
Wearing a smiling face with people.
Sweating like crazy to run the business.
[continues humming.]
[Grace.]
But we're also totally different.
Because I'm not a very good girl.
I'm a rebellious kid.
[in English.]
When the outside world hear about Taiwan, immediately, they think of Taipei because it's such a busy city.
[Joanna.]
But when you really want to look deeper into Taiwan's culture, Chiayi is the city to visit.
Chiayi is located in southwestern Taiwan surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Because of the secluded location, Chiayi has not been very influenced by foreign culture.
[sizzling.]
[Joanna.]
So, the traditional dishes that truly represent Taiwan are best in Chiayi.
[light music.]
[Joanna.]
Street food is the way to get to know our people.
We don't usually have a stove top at little apartments, so night markets serve very important to Taiwanese people.
[Joanna.]
We can get cheap food, but at the same time, very delicious dishes like tofu pudding, turkey rice, beef noodle soup, dumplings, oyster omelets.
You can have, like, 50 varieties of food that you can choose from every day.
And there's one very famous fish head stew, at a stall called Smart Fish.
Grace keeps the recipe the same way as the old days.
Her grandparents started with just one stall, sixty-five years ago, in this night market.
Expanding the business while keeping everything the old ways is very difficult to maintain.
But Grace has done it.
[upbeat music.]
[Grace, in Mandarin.]
Okay.
Morning, Auntie.
I'm riding this bike here today.
Yes, you're supposed to ride this kind of bike.
It's like a cool sports car.
Are these for me? [Grace.]
They are the most beautiful ones, right? Thank you.
You always keep the best ones for me.
[Grace.]
Auntie, my grandma used to come here to buy stuff, right? Yes.
[Grace.]
Did you eat her food back then? [woman 1.]
Yes.
I was a teenager at that time.
Your grandma was a very good person.
You're just like her.
- [Grace.]
Really? - Yes.
My grandma wasn't scolding people all the time? - She was easy to get along with.
- [laughs.]
- She's frank.
- [Grace.]
Right.
[woman 1.]
Business people like her have no scheming.
[Grace.]
Mm-hm.
It's easier to get along with people who are direct.
[Grace.]
I'm now the third generation making this Fish Head Stew.
Carrying on my grandfather's signature recipe.
[woman 1.]
When my grandchildren come, they always buy your food.
Thank you for your support.
And they place orders from the internet, too.
Thank you.
- [Grace.]
Thank you.
- [man 1.]
All right.
[Grace.]
Thank you.
[Grace.]
Continuing a tradition of a hundred years is not easy.
As a result, I hardly sleep.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
Before dawn, at 3 or 4 a.
m.
, I shop for the ingredients.
I go to the market to buy a lot of ingredients.
Actually, my ideas are also ingredients.
Ideas for how to bus tables, planning the route for bussing tables.
Thanks.
I'm off.
I have ideas for how to bring our family's tasty food to even more people.
[Grace.]
As a younger person taking over the family business, I'm going to do what I want.
At least there's someone who's willing to do the work of improving the business.
If we don't spend the time to do this, one day, no one will be selling fish head stew.
[lively music.]
[in English.]
When you come to Chiayi, the first thing you'll think of is the turkey rice.
[Joanna.]
There are 300 something stores of turkey rice in Chiayi.
Everybody eats turkey rice here, because it's such a warm and filling dish.
[Li-Hua, in Mandarin.]
I started selling turkey rice 50 years ago.
[Li-Hua.]
Now, I'm slowly letting the younger generation take over.
I don't give them any advice.
They will figure it out on their own.
[chuckles.]
[Zon-Huan.]
My mother was doing the business on her own in the past.
She was all alone.
That's why now, we want to help her.
[Zon-Yuan.]
We slow-cook our turkey over 12 hours for the broth.
[Li-Hua.]
We deep-fry our own pork fat and shallots.
We add them to the rice so it smells even better.
Our flavor hasn't changed since the beginning.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
When I was little, the arcade of our house was like my little world.
I would lie inside a cardboard box, watching my parents run the stall.
And I felt so happy.
[Grace.]
My parents only had six tables back then.
And even during typhoons, rains, or extreme heat, they would always come out and run the business.
I wished that when I grew up, a lot of people would come to our place.
By the age of five, I learned to wash the dishes and sweep the floor.
By the age of seven, I could serve food, use a kitchen knife, and settle the bills.
At twelve, I secretly learned how to ride a motorbike to buy ingredients at the grocery store.
All day, I'd work.
Then in the middle of the night, I'd start my homework.
Back then, people would call us "oily soup guys.
" That was considered not sanitary, or we lived in a bad environment.
[Grace.]
I remember my school days were really tough.
My whole class called me "fish head.
" I would ask them, "Can you stop calling me that?" But still, no one learned my name.
They just called me "fish head.
" I felt so awkward.
I didn't like being called that name.
But then, my dad told me, "Don't think of it as a bad name.
When I was young, they called me that, too.
" My dad told me to focus on the positive side of everything in life.
[Grace.]
So, even though many people looked down on us back then, I hoped one day that would change.
[lively music playing in distance.]
[indistinct chatter.]
[engine rumbling.]
[in English.]
In today's culture, street food has slowly evolved to look more fusion and duplicable.
[Joanna.]
When traditional craftsmanship is not being valued enough, that's a threat to our Taiwanese flavor.
But in Chiayi, people are very passionate about preserving tradition.
[in Mandarin.]
Hello.
- I would like a peanut tofu pudding - Take out? - No, for here.
- [Tsui-Eh.]
Okay.
[Joanna, in English.]
Douhua, also known as tofu pudding, has been called "the dessert of Taiwan.
" [Tsui-Eh, in Mandarin.]
Tofu Pudding was passed down from older generations, and ours is the real original, authentic version.
We've done 70 years of business.
I heard you need to make your soy milk for a long period of time, right? - Not that long.
- [Joanna.]
Not that long.
- The authentic taste is delicious.
- Delicious, it is.
[in English.]
Especially in Chiayi, they put it on top of wood fire, boil it for days.
[Joanna.]
It's often served with toppings like sweetened tapioca pearls, peanuts, and mung beans.
[Tsui-Eh, in Mandarin.]
There are many new things these days, everyone is coming up with new ingredients.
But I'm sticking to the traditional methods.
It's much better.
It's healthier.
[guitar playing.]
Dark sky, it's going to rain Grandpa takes a hoe to dig taro - Dig and dig, dig and dig - Dig and dig, dig and dig - Dig out a loach - Dig out a loach - Yeah, it's so fun - Yeah, it's so fun Your grandpa was a hardworking person.
Back in the day, he was always working in the streets.
He wasn't afraid of rain or wind.
[Grace.]
The story of our stall goes back more than 60 years.
My grandma was very good at business, and my grandpa loved to fish.
One time, my grandpa caught too many fish.
He decided to deep fry them so they wouldn't spoil as quickly.
He covered them in yam flour batter, and fried the fish until they were crispy and golden brown.
And with that, he created a new signature dish and called it fish head stew.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
It has wood ear mushrooms, pork, onions, garlic, hot peppers for spice, tofu.
The secret that makes the food so delicious is that we use a lot of Napa cabbage.
This is our southern flavor.
[in English.]
Mountain.
[Tsong Min, in Mandarin.]
When you reheat the overnight cabbage, it will produce a sour and sweet taste, and Taiwanese people love this sweetness.
[Grace.]
Everyone loved eating the fish head stew.
They asked him to keep cooking it.
So my grandparents thought, "Ah, let's start a street stall.
" They were some of the first people to set up a Wenhua Road street stand.
Wenhua Road wasn't even a night market back then.
[Grace.]
My grandparents felt such joy from selling their signature dish.
[Joanna gasps.]
Thank you! It's so big.
Wow.
Let's have some tea.
[Joanna.]
Which part of the fish head should I start eating? - The fish head? - Yes.
- [Joanna.]
You open it from here? - [Grace.]
Yes.
This part of the fish head that ping-pong-sized piece is the tastiest part.
- This is your masterpiece.
- [Grace.]
Yes.
[Joanna.]
I could eat this every day.
[rooster crowing.]
[Uncle Goat.]
This goat stew is from Sui Dynasty in China.
This dish is for the emperor 1,500 years ago hoping for immortality.
After that, it slowly disappeared.
Until I brought it back again today, to restore its former glory in Taiwan.
[Uncle Goat.]
In this pot of medicinal wine contains suberect spatholobus stem, root of moghania, and Formosan buckthorn.
So many costumers tell me that this goat stew really is a magical elixir passed down to us, because this recipe can cure many illnesses.
But to make this stew, you really need to endure some suffering.
[eerie music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
Eight years ago, I started using a gas mask.
But every night, it takes me over three hours to clear the phlegm.
[suspenseful music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
You have to dig a hole and bury the pot into the ground, smoking it for three days and three nights.
The straw absorbs the earth's Chi and infrared heat waves.
But, actually, this whole space is terrible for quality of life.
That's why you can't get this anywhere else.
[birds chirping.]
[Grace.]
When I was 18, I got into a university in Taipei to study tourism, because I wanted to gain more experience from the outside world.
[light music.]
[Grace.]
That year was the first time I left Chiayi.
Taipei is totally different from Chiayi.
So many taxis, motorbikes.
It feels like such an advanced city.
I wasn't used to it.
But I felt so happy and curious.
The year that I graduated, I didn't want to return home.
[Grace.]
I wanted to stay in Taipei to gain more experience.
But my parents' food stall was understaffed.
Help was badly needed.
[calm music.]
[Grace.]
So my parents asked me to come home and help.
Actually, I wanted to stay in Taipei, but I couldn't tell them that.
I couldn't show the insistence on what my heart really wanted.
[Grace.]
So, the year I graduated, I moved back to Chiayi.
Riding the train home, I really wanted to cry.
But then I thought, "This is my path, my way home.
" [calm music.]
[Grace.]
When I came back after college, I poured my heart into helping my parents.
And I thought I'd try out some new ideas.
For example, we used to put coins into a copper jar.
So I suggested we get a cash register with POS system installed.
But my mom thought it was too modern.
I suggested we get a dishwashing machine.
My parents would say, "It's expensive, don't buy it.
" Meanwhile, I had to hire five or six people to wash dishes every day.
I even had to join in.
Many customers asked me, "You're a college graduate, why did you come back just to wash dishes?" Mom, could you tie them up? [Grace's mom.]
Okay.
[Grace.]
I was angry.
I believed improving the stall was important, but my parents wouldn't take it seriously.
We had so many disagreements and fights.
[Grace.]
When I tried to add online ordering, my parents didn't even understand computers.
So I did everything on my own.
I froze and packaged our food, and they had to arrive within one week of shipping.
When I first started, I was in a hurry to prep online orders.
I kept packing, and packing, and packing, and my mom kept selling them off to the customers in the store.
[Grace.]
I spent so much time finishing 100 packs, and she sold half of them to the customers right away.
I stayed several nights to redo them until the final day, I just lost it.
I smashed a pot.
And she started throwing things, too.
"Bang, bang, bang.
" [Grace.]
I really couldn't take it anymore.
I even considered going back to Taipei and do my own thing.
Why be at home fighting like this? Nothing ever gets resolved.
[Grace.]
The customer wants a takeout.
You can put more in here.
- That's enough.
- [Grace.]
Okay.
[Grace.]
At least there's someone who's willing to do the work of improving the business.
But I was just exhausted.
[Uncle Goat.]
Honestly, making the stew, it's ruining the health of all of us, young and old.
It feels like there's no way out.
That's why I don't want my children to carry on the business.
[Uncle Goat.]
Their bodies cannot withstand it.
Since they were infants, they've been inhaling smoke.
Because smoke was accumulating in the house.
Before their lungs fully developed, they had already been damaged.
[Uncle Goat.]
Making stew is an act of love.
Even though my kids won't continue on with it, I'm happy because this wonderful product still exists.
[calm music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
As soon as you take one sip, you'll think, "Oh.
" You'll feel your Chi flow in a loop around your body.
[light music.]
[Uncle Goat.]
Since this recipe is so good, I hope I won't be the last one who knows how to make it.
[raindrops pattering.]
[thunder rumbling.]
[Grace.]
Whenever facing difficulties, I pray for guidance on what to do.
I had ideas that could be helpful.
But my parents just don't like changes.
I was very disappointed.
[Grace.]
It doesn't matter what religion you are.
Connecting with a higher power is a way to calm the heart.
And it can inspire new ideas.
While I was praying, I realized if my parents are busy doing something [rattles.]
they can't fuss that much.
I can concentrate on what I'm doing.
[Grace.]
So, I gradually began working this way.
When my parents left for vacation, I would keep making changes to make our stall better.
I installed an air conditioner, introduced a cashier system, and a food delivery service.
I also made a website, and trained our employees.
[Grace.]
And I started opening new Smart Fish branches.
But I never changed our family's signature flavor.
She always waits for us to go on vacations to change everything around.
[chuckles.]
[Lin Tsong.]
So I can't do anything about it.
But in the end, I realized that what she does is good.
Her improvements are actually great.
Year by year, these changes take place.
With every improvement, customers naturally keep coming in.
[Grace.]
Word of mouth spread and even tourists in Chiayi got to know about our place.
Suddenly, we were preparing 5,000 servings a day.
One time, I asked someone in line how long she had been waiting.
She said, "Two and a half hours.
But it's okay because the food here is delicious.
" [Grace.]
My grandparents in heaven must be so happy.
Now, so many people know our family's fish head stew.
People still call me "fish head.
" But they call me that way with affection.
[lively music.]
[Joanna, in English.]
All over Chiayi, you can find a lot of traditional Taiwanese food.
But some traditional dishes that truly represent Taiwan will eventually disappear.
[Uncle Goat, in Mandarin.]
Nobody else does what I do, because it's too difficult.
If you choked on the smoke even once or twice, you'd rather give up the income and never want to be in this business.
[upbeat music.]
[Tsui-Eh.]
We're now the third generation stall.
But I really don't know if it will continue.
If I retire, maybe I'll travel and enjoy myself.
Gardening would be great, as well.
[laughing.]
[Zon-Yuan.]
These days, some people prefer eating lighter.
But the most important thing is that the recipe of my parents' turkey rice can be kept and passed down.
[Joanna, in English.]
Hopefully, the new generation can embrace our past and make it work for the next generation.
[in Mandarin.]
When you work to an old age, it can be hard to change the way you work.
But my daughter found a way to convince me.
Grace is now in charge of almost everything.
And we are working together.
This is such a great feeling.
She's a very good boss.
[laughs.]
[Tsong Min.]
It's great to be her employee.
[uplifting music.]
Being her dad isn't bad either.
[Grace.]
I hope I can pass our family's food to the next generation.
A hundred years from now when people think of Taiwan, I hope they will remember the flavor of Chiayi.
That's my heart's dream.
[Grace.]
Swimming around [both.]
Swimming here and there I think of you I think of you So I think, and I also swim When you go out, swimming further away, and I'll be here thinking of ideas.
[Tsong Min.]
While the elders are gone, you can do what you want.
When you get back, you'll accept things.
Yes, people are like that.
We keep squeezing and shaking.
In the end, everything loosens up.
Have things changed that much? [laughs.]
Well, at least, it's an improvement.
It's all about improving.
[light music.]
When are you traveling abroad again? - If you let me go, I'll go.
- [Grace chuckles.]
You can go anytime.
[phone ringing.]
[chuckles.]
[in English.]
Sorry.
[in Mandarin.]
Hello? [female voice.]
Hello? Sorry, can I call you back later? I'm doing a TV shoot right now.
- [female voice.]
Okay.
- I'll call you back in a bit.
Sorry.
Wow, much cooler.
[chuckles.]
Subtitle translation by Cheng Yi-Chun