Corn needs to be sold, farmers become chefs, and the sea cucumber canteen uses good cooking to support agriculture.

As night falls, the dim yellow lights of Haishen Canteen in Huwei, Yunlin flicker in the alleyways. The pots on the stove are bubbling away, and it is only about 7:30, yet the small canteen is already packed with no empty seats. At one table sit three or four male university students, a couple with three children have already taken their seats, and at the door several customers who look like nearby neighbors are waiting for a table.

Looking up, the canteen's small blackboard is decorated with illustrations of asparagus, corn, sweet potato and leafy greens, labeled with Yunlin place names such as Tuku, Huwei and Xiluo. "That asparagus, for example, is Lin Ruixiang's asparagus from Tuku." Stepping inside, you see the cabinets filled with eggplants and all kinds of leafy greens, and the transparent door panels even list the prices of these vegetables.

As a green canteen that links farmland to the dining table, Haishen Canteen gives the agricultural products grown by local small farmers a sales channel and fills the stomachs of local residents. "Our main customer base is small families; couples come with small children, especially at noon, when it is almost always mothers bringing their children, and the place is full of small children." Haishen Canteen owners Wang Jianhao and Zhuo Xieshan say with a laugh, adding that there are also many regulars from the neighborhood.