Changhua Yuanlin's "10 Yuan Meat Rice Dumplings" has been standing for 40 years. Mazu's pilgrimage has become the busiest time

Everything is rising. In an era when lunch boxes can easily cost nearly 100 yuan, Changhua Yuan Lin still has a "10 yuan meat rice dumpling" that is still standing and has been sold for 40 years! "Yang Mama's Meat Zongzi" located on Boai Road has insisted on not raising prices for many years, and has captured the hearts of gourmets with its affordable taste priced at a copper plate. This year, it has set an unprecedented record of selling 100,000 pieces. Moreover, the busiest time every year is not the Dragon Boat Festival, but when Mazu goes around the country, making it a veritable copper plate gourmet legend.

Located on Boai Road, Yuanlin City, "Yang Mama Meat Zongzi" has been in business for more than 40 years and is famous for its bite-sized pearl meat rice dumplings, which cost only NT$10 each. Although the rice dumplings are small, the fillings are not sloppy. They are packed with three layers of meat, vegetarian shreds, vegetarian beans, preserved vegetables, snow lotus seeds and other ingredients. The ingredients are solid and popular among students, office workers and tourists. They have also become a popular snack for many pilgrims to replenish their energy during their journey around the country.

"You only earn 1 yuan a piece," the proprietress Shi Bilian said frankly. In order to keep the selling price of 10 yuan, "I used to wrap them bigger, but now I can only wrap them a little smaller." But the fillings will never be cut corners. However, as rice dumpling leaves, pork, gas and electricity bills continue to rise, the only way to control costs and maintain this meager profit is by reducing losses and improving rice dumpling wrapping efficiency.

Shi Bilian said that the busiest time of the year is not the Dragon Boat Festival, but the time when Mazu goes around the country. Especially this year, Baishatun Mazu and Dajia Mazu attract a large number of incense burners. The small and convenient rice dumplings have become the best supplies. Nearly 60,000 rice dumplings have been registered from all over Taiwan. With the return of regular customers during the Dragon Boat Festival, sales this year have exceeded 100,000, breaking the record since the store opened.

Shi Bilian's son Yang Changcheng said that he gets busy every morning at 4:30 a.m., and each batch of 500 meat dumplings is often sold out within a few minutes after being baked. Recently, there were even customers from Keelung who took a train south to buy Mazu because they couldn't forget it after eating it around the country. For them, customers’ words of “delicious” are the biggest motivation for the family to insist on not raising prices and continue selling the food for 40 years.