Text/Mengzhi
As early as before going to Hainan, we heard that the Arcade is a characteristic scenic spot building in Haikou, which is also the embodiment of the architectural culture related to Hainan Island and the inland, because there are also many Arcade buildings in the Chaoshan area. Standing in the corridor of the Arcade Snack Street, looking at the red lanterns in the 6-story high patio, I felt that something was wrong, and my impression of the arcade building should be a street with a series of pillars and long corridors, rather than a courtyard-like building area. Later, when we walked to the old arcade snack street, I verified my guess.
However, the snack street that covers an area of nearly 10,000 square meters, is 6 stories high, and can accommodate 30,000 people to eat together at the same time, although it is not a arcade building that has similarities with the inland Chaoshan region, but it is a building with Hainan regional culture specially built by the local government for tourism. Here, although you can't see qilou Street with twists and turns, pillars and shops next to each other, you can see Qiong opera, Li Jin, Huanghuali and so on with Hainan's unique cultural characteristics. And most crucially, there are almost all the traditional local cuisines of Haikou City. They are rich in variety and flavor, and they are the best place for foodies to "catch the net" of Haikou's specialties.
Looking at the people who were having a good time, our interest was aroused again, so we turned around and continued to wander between the snack bars. Even if those delicacies are not eaten, just looking at the name is already appetizing: durian puff pastry, pandan cake, papaya crisp, qilou shrimp dumplings and so on.
We wandered through various snack bars and finally came to the stalls of Hainan specialty snack bars. The stall was filled with Hainanese flour, papaya puff pastry, and so on, and the two brothers pointed out the papaya pastry, while I was attracted by the six plates neatly arranged next to it. Each dish holds three long strips of food, like bean paste, but the full moisture makes them look more textured than bean paste.
The owner of the shop, a middle-aged man in his fifties, looked at me with a smile and saw that I kept looking at the plates of food, so he greeted me warmly: "Come here, eat a plate of anti-sand taro." Guaranteed delicious. ”
"Anti-sand taro? It's anti-sand taro! My eyes widened instantly, and there was a surprise that "the crowd looked for him a thousand times, and suddenly looked back, but it was in the middle of the lights."
You know, I've heard of anti-sand taro for a long time, and I often think of it over the years, and I regret that I haven't seen and eaten it. I didn't expect to meet here like this, but I didn't recognize it at first glance.
Looking at the anti-sand taro on the plate, I couldn't help but think of a Hainan grandmother I knew. When I first came to Hainan eight years ago, there was a kind-hearted grandmother downstairs where I lived, and she often greeted me, and we became familiar with each other. One day I went downstairs to play by the beach and happened to see her washing taro. I love to eat taro, and I am curious about how Hainanese people will eat taro, so I stopped and chatted with grandma.
Grandma told me that it was to be made of anti-sand taro, that her children who worked outside would bring their children home for a reunion today, and that the little grandchildren loved to eat the dish, so she had to make it before they came back. Curious, I asked, "What is anti-sand taro?" ”
Grandma said, "Anti-sand taro is the food made of taro." I tell you, this anti-sand taro has a lot of history. In ancient times, our Hainan Island was still a fishing village, and people lived and worked in peace and contentment and lived a leisurely life. Later, out of nowhere, many large boats were driven, all of them young and strong men, who took advantage of the men of the fishing village to go out to fish and occupy the fishing village, and forced the villagers to provide for them. They run amok and do nothing wrong with burning, killing, plundering. When the fishermen returned from fishing in the sea, they were very angry when they learned about it. They banded together to kill all these invading bullies. The angry fishermen treat the taro as the heads of bullies, cut them into strips and fry them in a frying pan and eat them. ”
I was very surprised to hear this story. Because I remembered that once when I went to Huishan Ancient Town, a local grandmother made a bowl of sugar taro for me to eat, and the legend of sugar taro she told was the same as this anti-sand taro: during the Yuan Dynasty, the rulers in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, were very cruel, and the people were not happy. Everyone gathered to discuss rebellion, so during the taro harvest season, the ruler and his soldiers were killed in the name of digging taro. The taro was then made into a round, bright red shape, like the heads of rulers and soldiers, and then eaten in one bite to celebrate the victory.
I told the story of sugar taro to Grandma Hainan, and the old man who had been living in the center of the sea also felt very magical. She said she couldn't imagine that there would be a dish in the inland that has the same legend as anti-sand taro. She also said that she wanted to invite me to eat anti-sand taro, but I had something to go out that afternoon, and not only did I not eat anti-sand taro, but I didn't even see what anti-sand taro looked like. Later, as soon as I saw taro, I would think of anti-sand taro and this past.