¡@Throughout Taiwan, traditional snacks can be found in marketplaces and temples. These snacks are often called Miaokou snacks (snacks sold in front of temples). The snacks sold in front of Dianji Temple in Keelung have become popular among tourists and the Miaokou area has attracted more gourmets than pilgrims. Hence, this area has become a worldwide tourist attraction for tasty snacks.
¡@Nobody knows when snack vendors started to gather in front of Dianji Temple. Vendors naturally saw this site as good for business. During important festivals, puppet shows and Taiwanese operas are performed in front of the temple to express their gratitude to the gods and goddesses worshipped in the temple. These were good moments for food vendors to sell food.
¡@According to older Keelung residents, vendors began to sell food in front of the temple on a regular basis as early as the late Japanese occupation period. Some even built simple shelters there even though police would arrest those selling food on today's Ren 3rd Road. Keelung¡¦s population at that time was only fifty to sixty thousand and the temple area was the business center of urban Keelung. This city developed rapidly in the postwar period, and that area prospered quickly following the expansion of the local population. As there were so many vendors, this ¡§food market¡¨ expanded to Ren 3rd Road. Finally, the entire road became a food corridor. Later, some vendors started selling food on Ai 4th Road.
¡@The unique historical background of Taiwan enriches its food culture. In addition to Fukienese and Cantonese food, there is aboriginal, Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese food. When the Nationalist government came to Taiwan in 1949, they brought with them the food culture of mainland China. After Taiwan¡¦s economic takeoff, food came into this island from all parts of the world. The local people developed new culinary styles from these different cuisines and now, Taiwanese snacks combines the local, Western, and Chinese styles plus more.
