Halal Food Guide Taiwan: Muslim-Friendly Restaurants and Halal Dining Memories (Part 2)
Reposted from the web
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Taiwan - Halal Restaurants Across the Island is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Taiwan, Halal Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I am sharing an article from the 300th issue of China Islam magazine titled 'Remembering Brother Mu Huaijia’s Passing—Reflections on the History of Halal Restaurants in Taiwan.' Today I am transcribing the second part, which recalls various halal restaurants in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei.
In the southern city of Kaohsiung, Elder Zhao Ming (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) founded the restaurant Meat Pie and Porridge (xianbing zhou), which was popular with both Muslims and the general public. It only operated for a few years before closing when Elder Ming moved north to the Taipei Mosque. Later, people like Xiao Sang and Song Mingcai opened halal restaurants near the Guangfu Theater, which provided convenience for fellow Muslims.
Two elderly people also ran a snack shop that was very helpful to Muslims in the south. It was located in Kaohsiung on Qiuting Road in Dagangpu, behind the wall of the Telecommunications Bureau. It was in a row of makeshift buildings and the place was very simple. The elderly couple’s shop had no name, just a hanging sign with a water pitcher (tangping) symbol.
The owner was a fellow Muslim named Ma Renshan (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise), who was from Baoding, Hebei. They mainly served steamed buns (baozi) and beef noodles, and when they had time, they would also fry large scallion pancakes (cong you bing). People who know about it always stop by the old man's place when they visit Kaohsiung. Old Mr. Ma liked me because I learned wrestling as a child, and he was a top-tier wrestling master in North and Northwest China. Everyone knows Chang Dongsheng was a national wrestling champion and a fellow Muslim, but few know Old Mr. Ma was also an expert who once challenged Chang Zhi (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) to a match, though Chang did not accept.
Old Mr. Ma once served as a guard battalion commander for General Yan Xishan, and he lived a quiet, retired life after coming to Taiwan. In his later years, he ran this small snack shop to make a living. After Old Mr. Ming closed his shop, Old Mr. Ma's snack shop provided a lot of convenience for the local Muslims.
In the Tainan market, several enthusiastic Muslims including Wang Peijie (now known as Liu Zhi'an) and Hui Wanju pooled their money to open a halal restaurant. Business was good, but it closed after a few years due to a fire. Later, Wang Peijie opened another halal restaurant on Wufu 4th Road in Kaohsiung, and I even held my engagement party there. Wang Laohe later came to Taipei to seek opportunities and even ran a restaurant in Saudi Arabia for a time.
In Taichung, fellow Muslims like Hui Wanjuju, Mu Huaijia, and Chai Menglin (now named Chai Jin) once opened a halal restaurant, but business was hard to sustain and they closed the shop after a few years. Later, Song Mingcai ran a restaurant called Ende Yuan across from Taichung Park for many years, but it closed when Song immigrated abroad.
In Taichung, a fellow Muslim from Henan named Ma Yukun ran a specialty dumpling shop for many years, which also closed when he immigrated. There is a small halal restaurant on Jingwu Road in Taichung City that focuses on noodle dishes; they have a wide variety with good flavors that suit the general public. The owner was surnamed Sun, a man from Henan, and he eventually closed the shop as well.
Looking at Taipei, there were several large-scale halal restaurants that could serve full-course halal banquets and were quite popular for a time. The most prominent was the Donglaishun Halal Restaurant, located on Zhonghua Road across from Ende Yuan, which was run by fellow Muslim Yang Zhongbao. Xiao Ahong (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) planned a forty-table wedding banquet at Donglaishun. He had just arrived in Taiwan and did not know many fellow Hui Muslims yet. When he went to book the tables, the owner, Mr. Yang, asked for a deposit. Since National Assembly representatives were not yet receiving their salaries, Xiao Ahong could not pay the deposit at that time. He eventually found a fellow Hui Muslim named Hui Wanju to act as a guarantor, which allowed the wedding to go ahead. This happened half a century ago.
Hui Wanju was born in 1913 and is now ninety-seven years old. He is from Fenghuangcheng in Andong, is still alive, and often comes to the mosque for Friday namaz. He is single and currently lives at the Guangci Care Home in Taipei. When he was young, he was very skilled at catering for both weddings and funerals and trained many apprentices in Taiwan. He worked in various halal restaurants and also opened restaurants in partnership with others. When he first arrived in Taiwan, beef was hard to find because the local people did not eat beef and would not slaughter cows. Hui Wanju started slaughtering cows in the north, central, and southern parts of the island to supply beef to various halal restaurants. In his later years, he partnered with Fengji Dim Sum Shop on Jinshan South Road to make snacks. He was famous for his sesame flatbread (shaobing) and brown sugar baked rolls (huoshao), and he also supplied mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Summary: Halal Food Guide: Taiwan - Halal Restaurants Across the Island is presented here as a firsthand travel account in clear, natural English. The account focuses on Taiwan, Halal Food, Muslim Travel while preserving the names, places, food, photos, and historical details from the Chinese source.
I am sharing an article from the 300th issue of China Islam magazine titled 'Remembering Brother Mu Huaijia’s Passing—Reflections on the History of Halal Restaurants in Taiwan.' Today I am transcribing the second part, which recalls various halal restaurants in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei.
In the southern city of Kaohsiung, Elder Zhao Ming (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) founded the restaurant Meat Pie and Porridge (xianbing zhou), which was popular with both Muslims and the general public. It only operated for a few years before closing when Elder Ming moved north to the Taipei Mosque. Later, people like Xiao Sang and Song Mingcai opened halal restaurants near the Guangfu Theater, which provided convenience for fellow Muslims.
Two elderly people also ran a snack shop that was very helpful to Muslims in the south. It was located in Kaohsiung on Qiuting Road in Dagangpu, behind the wall of the Telecommunications Bureau. It was in a row of makeshift buildings and the place was very simple. The elderly couple’s shop had no name, just a hanging sign with a water pitcher (tangping) symbol.
The owner was a fellow Muslim named Ma Renshan (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise), who was from Baoding, Hebei. They mainly served steamed buns (baozi) and beef noodles, and when they had time, they would also fry large scallion pancakes (cong you bing). People who know about it always stop by the old man's place when they visit Kaohsiung. Old Mr. Ma liked me because I learned wrestling as a child, and he was a top-tier wrestling master in North and Northwest China. Everyone knows Chang Dongsheng was a national wrestling champion and a fellow Muslim, but few know Old Mr. Ma was also an expert who once challenged Chang Zhi (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) to a match, though Chang did not accept.
Old Mr. Ma once served as a guard battalion commander for General Yan Xishan, and he lived a quiet, retired life after coming to Taiwan. In his later years, he ran this small snack shop to make a living. After Old Mr. Ming closed his shop, Old Mr. Ma's snack shop provided a lot of convenience for the local Muslims.
In the Tainan market, several enthusiastic Muslims including Wang Peijie (now known as Liu Zhi'an) and Hui Wanju pooled their money to open a halal restaurant. Business was good, but it closed after a few years due to a fire. Later, Wang Peijie opened another halal restaurant on Wufu 4th Road in Kaohsiung, and I even held my engagement party there. Wang Laohe later came to Taipei to seek opportunities and even ran a restaurant in Saudi Arabia for a time.
In Taichung, fellow Muslims like Hui Wanjuju, Mu Huaijia, and Chai Menglin (now named Chai Jin) once opened a halal restaurant, but business was hard to sustain and they closed the shop after a few years. Later, Song Mingcai ran a restaurant called Ende Yuan across from Taichung Park for many years, but it closed when Song immigrated abroad.
In Taichung, a fellow Muslim from Henan named Ma Yukun ran a specialty dumpling shop for many years, which also closed when he immigrated. There is a small halal restaurant on Jingwu Road in Taichung City that focuses on noodle dishes; they have a wide variety with good flavors that suit the general public. The owner was surnamed Sun, a man from Henan, and he eventually closed the shop as well.
Looking at Taipei, there were several large-scale halal restaurants that could serve full-course halal banquets and were quite popular for a time. The most prominent was the Donglaishun Halal Restaurant, located on Zhonghua Road across from Ende Yuan, which was run by fellow Muslim Yang Zhongbao. Xiao Ahong (may Allah grant him a high place in Paradise) planned a forty-table wedding banquet at Donglaishun. He had just arrived in Taiwan and did not know many fellow Hui Muslims yet. When he went to book the tables, the owner, Mr. Yang, asked for a deposit. Since National Assembly representatives were not yet receiving their salaries, Xiao Ahong could not pay the deposit at that time. He eventually found a fellow Hui Muslim named Hui Wanju to act as a guarantor, which allowed the wedding to go ahead. This happened half a century ago.
Hui Wanju was born in 1913 and is now ninety-seven years old. He is from Fenghuangcheng in Andong, is still alive, and often comes to the mosque for Friday namaz. He is single and currently lives at the Guangci Care Home in Taipei. When he was young, he was very skilled at catering for both weddings and funerals and trained many apprentices in Taiwan. He worked in various halal restaurants and also opened restaurants in partnership with others. When he first arrived in Taiwan, beef was hard to find because the local people did not eat beef and would not slaughter cows. Hui Wanju started slaughtering cows in the north, central, and southern parts of the island to supply beef to various halal restaurants. In his later years, he partnered with Fengji Dim Sum Shop on Jinshan South Road to make snacks. He was famous for his sesame flatbread (shaobing) and brown sugar baked rolls (huoshao), and he also supplied mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
