Longdu Ice Dessert Parlor (龍都冰果專業家) is no stranger to weathering outbreaks.
Nearly 60 years before COVID-19 forced the Wanhua District (萬華) store to shut down in May, it was banned from selling frozen treats during Taipei’s last major cholera epidemic in 1962.
The shop turned to serving soda to survive, devising a way to beat the competition by pouring drinks over large chunks of ice which made the fizz and flavor last longer. This was just one of the myriad adjustments the shop has gone through since current owner Lee Ming-tan’s (李明潭) grandfather started selling iced sweet rice noodles in