In the early agricultural society in Taiwan‚ people used to host catered banquets by the roadside‚ in the courtyard of their houses‚ or in the yards used for drying rice. Family members and friends gathered on such occasions‚ with sumptuous dishes filling the tables and joyous laughter permeating the air. Roadside banquets have their rich cultural implications deeply rooted in Taiwan’s history. The dishes served in these banquets also clearly symbolize people’s expectations for their lives and the future.
 Roadside Banquets (Image Source and Archiving Institute: Ryori.Taiwan 2013 no.7.p.32 ) What Are Roadside Banquets?
“Roadside banquet” (banzhou in Mandarin; pān-toh in Taiwanese Hokkien) is an expression in Taiwanese Hokkien‚ where “ban” means “to prepare” and “zhou” refers to the dishes served on the table. The host prepares the dishes‚ and guests are invited to dine at the table. From a business management point of view‚ roadside banquet is a part of the catering industry‚ as it provides professional and comprehensive food service at banquets by dispatching qualified chefs to specific locations appointed by the client. Typically‚ roadside banquet is characterized by the uncertainty of time‚ location‚ and staff. The chef in charge of a roadside banquet is called tsóng-phòo-sai in Taiwanese Hokkien‚ or alternatively to-tsú sai-hū in Southern Taiwan. The history of roadside banquet in Taiwan dates back to the 17th century. When Taiwan was under the rule of Koxinga (Kingdom of Tungning) and the Qing Dynasty‚ Han Chinese immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong provinces brought this distinctive banquet culture with them to Taiwan. Due to the labor intensive nature of land cultivation‚ as well as the perilous environment that often caused diseases in Taiwan during this period‚ immigrants customarily offered animal sacrifices‚ wine‚ and fine dishes to deities and spirits on traditional holidays‚ hoping to receive physical protection or pecuniary reward in return[1]. These activities of worship normally involved the preparation of sumptuous food in the form of roadside banquets. The “Miscellaneous Customs” entry in A History of Taiwan County (Taiwan Xianzhi) published in 1720 already contained descriptions of the sumptuousness and lavishness of the dishes in roadside banquets. Catered banquets hosted by the roadside | Photo by Chang Yu-Hsin Roadside banquets are held on different occasions. Cao Mingzong (1993) had provided some of the names frequently used by people in Taiwan. For instance‚ tsia̍h-ti-kong-bah (Taiwanese Hokkien‚ literally meaning “eating the meat of the grand pig”) refers to banquets held for joyous celebrations; tsia̍h-nuā-bah (Taiwanese Hokkien‚ literally meaning “eating well-stewed meat”) refers to banquets held for funerals; tsia̍h-înn-á-thng (Taiwanese Hokkien‚ literally meaning “eating sweet rice ball soup”) refers to banquets held for moving into a new house. While roadside banquets are most commonly known to take place at weddings or funerals‚ there are in fact a wide variety of them. Some are held for religious purposes in honor of deities and spirits. For instance‚ the “Son-of-Heaven banquet” is held by the Jade Emperor for the deities; the “Taoist sacrificial ritual banquet” is held to pray for peace and prosperity; the “universal salvation banquet” is held during the Ghost Festival to treat the roaming spirits. Other take place on important rites of passage in a person’s life‚ including wedding‚ a newborn child’s first month celebration‚ birthday celebrations for the elderly‚ funeral‚ etc; in addition‚ special occasions‚ including moving into a new house‚ year-end party‚ or spring party‚ are also celebrated with roadside banquets. Therefore‚ roadside banquets not only serve to convey the cultural meanings of these traditional customs‚ they are also important social occasions. Dishes and Rules in Roadside Banquets Taiwan’s distinctive roadside banquet culture gradually took form around the end of the Japanese rule. At the beginning‚ the chef in charge (tsóng-phòo-sai) was mainly responsible for designing the menu and preparing the dishes‚ while the hosting family and their relatives and friends who lived nearby or in the same village provided the dining tables and chairs‚ usually from their houses‚ and arranged them for the guests. In other words‚ it was often a grand occasion involving the entire village. Banquet equipment rental businesses for tents‚ tables‚ chairs‚ and eating utensils did not appear until the 1970s. Today‚ most of the roadside banquets rely on these professional rental services[2]. While the variety and sumptuousness of the dishes in roadside banquets have received much attention in recent years‚ the deceased master Chef Lin Tiensheng had once stressed the importance of “understanding folk customs.” He said‚ “Traditionally‚ in addition to knowing how to cook well‚ the tsóng-phòo-sai must understand the folk customs for different occasions such as weddings and funerals. Different dishes have their respective cultural implications‚ and the order by which the dishes are served also follows an established procedure.” For instance‚ very strict restrictions exist for hosting the “Son-of-Heaven banquet‚” where all male staff must perform ablution three days before the banquet‚ while female staff must not be in their menstruation cycle. Therefore‚ chefs in charge of the “Son-of-Heaven banquet” must perform the task with all the respect and caution. A divine decree from the gods is required for the hosting of the “Son-of-Heaven banquet.”[3]The dishes served in a roadside banquet are determined by the purpose of banquet. For instance‚ for weddings or celebrations of moving into a new house‚ the first dish must be whole chicken‚ which symbolizes the establishment of new home (khí-ke in Taiwanese Hokkien; the second word‚ ke‚ which means “home‚” is homophonic in Taiwanese Hokkien with chicken). Stewed pork legs which symbolizes future promotions. | Photo by Chang Yu-Hsin Chef Lin Ruizhang from Neimen‚ a township in Kaohsiung City‚ explains: “Stewed pork is an important dish in roadside banquets because pork legs are used‚ which symbolizes future promotions. In the past‚ this dish must be brought to the guest by the chef himself; the chef was expected to say something auspicious‚ such as ‘best wishes for your promotion and becoming a high-ranking official‚’ and the guest was expected to put a red envelope in return under the plate. However‚ on occasions of funerals‚ the stewed pork must be sliced into the shape of a triangle; this is because normally‚ a house has four corners‚ and someone passing away in the family symbolizes a missing corner. This is the reason for the triangular shape”[4]. In Neimen‚ traditionally the last dish in a wedding banquet used to be fish ball soup‚ which symbolized harmony and perfection. Nevertheless‚ nowadays fish ball soup is a low-priced dish‚ so it is rarely seen on the tables of roadside banquets today. Conclusion The promotional slogan for the 2015 Neimen Roadside Banquet Festival is “Roadside Banquets: A Taste of Taiwan’s Warm Friendliness.” Indeed‚ the culture of roadside banquets is deeply rooted in Taiwan’s traditional customs and folk events‚ and is a local culture that best represents the distinctively Taiwanese culinary culture. While it may lack the splendor and magnificence of high-end restaurants‚ its most profound cultural value lies in a tradition that has lasted for over a century‚ enriched by the people’s real life experiences.
[1] Tseng Pintsang. “From Farm to Table: Agricultural Production and Food Consumption of the Taiwanese Han during the Qing Dynasty.” Diss. National Taiwan University‚ 2006. [2] Chen Kaui-Hwang and Huang Di-Hua. “Eat‚ Eat Well‚ Eat Cleverly‚ and Eat Healthily—Study on the Development of Menu Items in Taiwanese Banto.” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 4.2 (2011): 97-126. [3] Chang Yu-Hsin. “Taiwan’s Roadside Banquet Culture.” Traditional Arts (2005): 57 | 
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