Zhu Meihong uses food to preserve the flavors of the countryside, interpreting her attitude toward life
Text and photography / Ouyang Huiru (Homemakers United Foundation Consumer Cooperative, Sixth-Term Delegate of the Hsinchu Branch)
On one of those rare days at the end of March when the sun showed its face, I arrived at a small shop of about twenty ping in Shengou Village, Yuanshan Township, Yilan -- Meihong's Kitchen. Its predecessor, Miss Cat's Canteen, closed in 2015, and the following year Zhu Meihong took it over; after half a year of slow, careful renovation, it officially opened on January 21, 2017. Although she has a husband who is very well known, she cannot be defined merely as the wife of Lai Qingsong, head of the Gudong Club; "practitioner of everyday life" describes her far more aptly.
Meihong's Kitchen Important Announcement~~
Besides being the host of Meihong's Kitchen, Meihong is also one of the key driving forces behind the Gudong Club. As the mistress of a farming household, at spring plowing time, and as the wife of Brother Qingsong of the so-called Shengou 90-point field district, Sister Meihong still cannot set aside much of the field-management work, and with the Yilan area about to enter pickling season, much of the prep work also awaits Sister Meihong. Unable to be in two places at once, Sister Meihong has had to adjust the operating format and hours of Meihong's Kitchen from May to September.
From May to September, Meihong's Kitchen will accept only phone reservations for parties of 6 or more, with opening hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week. Once the first rice of September is out and the fermented bean curd and soy sauce are all made, normal operations will resume in October. We ask for everyone's understanding of the necessary trade-offs a farming household must make by putting field management first, and we welcome everyone to make ample use of phone reservations. In addition, if you have needs for a private dining buyout or an event, you are also welcome to call and inquire~
Meihong's Kitchen reservation phone, via Xiaojian Shucai booking agent: 03-922-0781 (every Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00~17:30)
The original article was published in Green Proposition Monthly, May 2017, issue 163 https://www.hucc-coop.tw/29636