When you make a trip to Suao don't forget to get a bowl of piping hot mi fen soup, a thick soup containing thin noodles made of rice flour, alongside the entrance to the temple.
Mi fen soup is not a special product of Suao and is not as well known as other local specialties like the seafood or the canned fish. The people of Suao, however, consider mi fen soup a tasty treat, and travelers away from home usually consider it a kind of nostalgia.
When the elementary and middle school students of Suao go on an outing they usually like to cook up mi fen soup. It's easy to prepare and can be served with many different types of food. Another reason why mi fen soup is such a favorite is that the people of Suao learn to cook it at a very young age.
On an outing, everyone helps out by combining carrots, dried shrimp, freshly made fish balls, and other delicious foods into a colorful array of red, yellow, and white. After the mi fen has been seasoned and softened in water over the fire it's ready to be served.
When the mi fen soup is served on the table your effort may only be considered half successful. You see, tasty mi fen soup depends on how well you season it with celery, parsley flakes, soy sauce, hot peppers, and more. Actually, the various spices that are added differ from person to person. The people of Suao usually like to add sour, hot, bitter, and spicy flavorings; it's even more delicious than sweet and sour soup.
Starting from about seven in the morning, students and workers frequent the stands next to the entrance of the Chang Kung Temple for a quick bowl of mi fen soup. Later on in the day, about three o'clock or so, you'll see older men, housewives, and children eating mi fen soup. Some ask for a large bowl while others ask for a small bowl, or even half a bowl more. Some sit, stand, or squat as they eat their mi fen near the crowded entrance of the temple. This is a popular sight in Suao.
There's a food stand which sells mi fen soup by the temple. It doesn't have a sign, nor does anyone know what to call it. The boss is a woman in her forties. Her three children help out with the business by calling out to others and welcoming them with smiles on their faces.
How long has this stand that everyone is so familiar with been open? A young person at the stand made a guess saying, "It's been open since I was small, more than twenty years. . . ." An elderly man to the side remarked, "This place opened up before you were born! The boss's mother used to run this place. It's been open for at least forty years."
The people of Suao suggest that if you get a chance to visit, besides trying the sea food and the canned fish, don't forget to try a bowl of piping hot mi fen soup.
There have been many changes in Suao over the years, yet it still is able to maintain its unique characteristic of a simple fishing village.