The Old-Fashioned Girl's Shopping Route
Follow Hung Ai-Chu, an old-fashioned Taiwanese girl, as she weaves together stories of kitchens, markets, and the food that anchors her family’s legacy. Starting with her tiny 40cm-countertop apartment kitchen, she takes readers back to her grandmother’s open-air rural kitchen with a brick stove, her mother’s sleek Western-style kitchen filled with childhood treats, and the cherished kitchen tools passed down through generations—from a patched clay pot to a hand-forged brass ice spoon. She shares her pandemic-era grocery hacks for stocking up on durable ingredients, her go-to traditional markets in Luzhou and Taipei’s Dadaocheng, and the comfort of dishes like braised pork, rice congee, and family-style New Year’s meals. Alongside local tales, she recounts her travels to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, where familiar flavors and old friendships rekindle memories of her mother. This warm, vivid narrative celebrates the quiet joy of old-fashioned living, where every ingredient and recipe carries the weight of love and tradition.