When Ice Monster, the famous shaved ice purveyor on Yongkang Street (永康街) shut down last winter as a result of the owners’ divorce dispute, it seemed like the entire country — if not the world — mourned. Tourists were left holding their guidebooks in confusion, including the two Japanese women I saw staring at the “closed” signs forlornly.
The space reopened last month under the name of Yongkang 15 (永康15). Some customers wondered if the mango portions, which were famed for putting the “monster” in “Ice Monster,” had shrunk under the new management, but owner FnB Gourmet Group reported that the store reached its revenue target of NT$100,000 per day less than a week after its official opening.
So how are the ices? Nearly every dish has mango in it and prices range from NT$130 to NT$160. I ordered a fantastic mix freeze (NT$160) with strawberry, kiwi and mango. The latter two were tart, juicy and sweet, but the out-of-season strawberries were lackluster. The heap of fruit, sorbet and ice was as large as I remember Ice Monster’s portions were, but overall it tasted less sweet. If you want to slip into a sugar coma, however, make sure to ask for extra condensed milk and syrup — staffers with squirt bottles are happy to oblige.
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
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