Ex-inmate makes new life selling grandmother’s rice soup
Ex-inmate makes new life selling grandmother’s rice soup
2026-09-29
A food stand from Yunlin is bringing the old-fashioned taste of Donggang all around Taiwan. Behind the stand’s bowl of rice soup is an inspiring story of second chances. The owner went to prison young, and after he got out, he and his wife used NT$100,000 in savings and a small truck to turn a family recipe into a fresh start in life.
A long line of people wait at a food stand, all for this remarkable dish.
The chef adds a generous amount of shrimp, scallops, squid, and oysters to the boiling pot. The layer of red oil on top is natural shrimp oil from Pingtung’s Donggang, and the scallions, fried in port fat, add a distinct flavor to this traditional seafood rice soup from Pingtung.
Member of public
Likes the food
It smells so great. I watched from there and saw him put a lot of ingredients in. I’ve never seen it made fresh like this. It’s really rare.
This nourishing soup, which is convenient to take away, was a traditional dish for farmers during the rice harvest. The stand’s owner, Watermelon, travels all over Taiwan. He sets up his stand rain or shine, because a little rain is nothing to him.
Watermelon
Food stand owner
I’m a former inmate and when I was getting out, my grandmother passed away. It’s tough when you get out of prison. You don’t know what to do and feel like society has changed so much that you can’t keep up. I actually hated rice soup when I was growing up, but now it’s saved me.
Watermelon was imprisoned twice when he was younger and missed saying goodbye to his grandmother. After his release, he struggled to reintegrate with society. Now it’s his grandmother’s rice soup that is giving him a second chance.
Watermelon
Food stand owner
When I was young, rice soup was the only thing I knew how to make. I didn’t really have any other skills. So I decided to keep my grandmother’s recipe alive. It was even harder when I first started out because no one came. People didn’t know me.
Watermelon drives his food stand around Taiwan, sourcing quality ingredients and impressing countless customers with his grandmother’s dish.
Watermelon
Food stand owner
The goal is for every person in Taiwan to taste my family’s rice soup.
For his customers, this bowl of rice soup is a warm, delicious meal. For Watermelon, it’s the taste of his childhood and savior of his adulthood.
#foodstand #ricesoup #seafood #seafoodsoup #Pingtung #Donggang #redemption #secondchance
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浪子回頭! 更生人開餐車全台巡迴 "阿嬤古早味"藏洋蔥
2026-09-29
來自雲林的飯湯餐車，全台巡迴擺攤，賣的是充滿屏東東港的古早味，而這碗湯飯，背後藏著一段浪子回頭的故事，因為老闆年輕時入獄，甚至錯過了撫養他長大的奶奶最後一面，直到出獄後遇見妻子，兩人靠著十萬元積蓄，與一台小貨車，用阿嬤的古早味，翻轉人生。
餐車前排滿等待民眾，為的就是這一鍋。
蝦子、干貝、章魚、蚵仔，用料不手軟，蒸騰熱氣中，上演料理大秀，表面那層紅油，是東港蝦紅的天然蝦油，這塊豬油炒的濕油蔥，更是精髓，各種海味濃縮一鍋，這是來自屏東傳統的"割稻飯湯"。
[[民眾]]
“對，有香味，我就在那邊看，看到很多他放很多東西進去。我都沒看過現場煮的，真的很少”
以湯拌飯，方便攜帶，又能補充體力，是早期農忙割稻的古早味，餐車主人西瓜，全台巡迴擺攤，風雨無阻，因為跟前半段人生相比，這點風雨，不算什麼。
[[飯湯老闆 西瓜]]
“我是更生人嘛，然後我阿嬤，那時候我關完回來的時候，我阿嬤就去世了，很辛苦啊，那出來的時候，你不知道幹嘛，你會覺得這個社會好像就是變很多，跟不上這個時代的進步，靠飯湯，小時候也蠻討厭的啦，可是結果現在是飯湯在救我”
過去少不更事、兩度入獄，甚至錯過送奶奶最後一程，出獄後，社會的疏離，與更生人標籤，是靠著傳承自奶奶的飯湯，點亮了轉機。
[[飯湯老闆 西瓜]]
“小時候好像就只會(煮)飯湯，不然我好像也沒什麼一技之長，就繼續傳承阿嬤的味道。起家那時候更辛苦，都沒有人要來吃啊，人家不認識我”
開著餐車，環島現煮，用苦幹實幹和真材實料，打動無數饕客的味蕾，也要將阿嬤的手藝，介紹給更多消費者。
[[飯湯老闆 西瓜]]
“目標就是讓全台灣的每一個人，都吃過我們家的飯湯”
煮到渾身是汗也甘之如飴，一碗熱飯湯，不只溫暖了饕客的胃，也見證了，東港浪子，重生的故事。
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