Guiyang snacks are varied, some old Guiyang must remember that before the liberation there was such a song about Guiyang snacks "Shunkou Slip": "Tofu Dumplings Intestinal Wang Noodles, Lotus Leaf Dumpling Cake Shop; a large bag of brush handles, dumpling wontons taishi companions..." And the tofu dumplings referred to in this "Shunkou Slip" are the Tofu Dumplings founded in 1874. After more than 130 years of baptism, today, in the streets and alleys of Guiyang, you can still see the "Lei family tofu dumplings" shop. After many inquiries, the reporter finally found the current head of the Lei family tofu dumplings in an inconspicuous small façade of the traffic street snack city———— the fifth generation of Lei Shi, who opened up a long-sealed past for us.
Tongzhi died tofu dumplings came out
The time goes back to the thirteenth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1874). After the death of the Tongzhi Emperor, the imperial court issued a nationwide "ban on slaughter" (no slaughter of pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, etc.) for three days, and officials and people were not allowed to eat meat. Guiyang, located on the southwestern border, is no exception.
As soon as the "ban on slaughter" came out, the business of tofu workshops became prosperous. At this time, Lei Duanzao, whose ancestral home was Guiyang and made a living by opening tofu workshops, and his wife "Lei Santai" saw that this was a good time to expand their business. They thought that since the government did not allow the people to eat meat dumplings, they would simply take tofu to make dumplings. So, when making tofu, they tried to add an appropriate amount of salt, alkali and spices, green onions and other spices, mix well, knead into walnut-sized balls, and then fry them in a vegetable oil pot and sell them.
Surprisingly, this small fried tofu ball was loved by the people of Guiyang as soon as it came out. The shrewd "Lei Santai" clearly defines the division of production and management, and the business is becoming more and more prosperous. It was also at that time that "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings" became a well-known snack in Guiyang.
The little tofu dumplings have gone through three ups and downs
The shop of "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings", from the first generation to the third generation, has always been located in the Three Arches (now Zhonghua South Road) in Guiyang. Due to the strict material selection principles and production processes set by "Lei Santai", until the early liberation period, the business was very good. After the public-private partnership in 1956, due to the needs of work, the third generation of the Lei family, Lei Congxing and his wife, were transferred by the government to different units to work, and this family-style shop was not opened.
In 1960, the government called for the development of Guiyang's famous snacks, and taking this opportunity, Lei Congxing and his wife returned to their old business and restored the old store number of "Lei Family Tofu Dumplings". However, due to the demolition of the original shop due to road reconstruction, Lei Congxing and his wife had to operate at No. 102 Zhonghua South Road at that time. Although the reopening is in a narrow alley, it really confirms the old saying——— "wine is not afraid of deep alleys", after opening, it is still a customer surplus. It is worth mentioning that in 1960, when the premier came to Guizhou to inspect, he tasted the "Lei family tofu dumplings" and praised it.
In the 1980s, due to the death of the third generation of the Lei family's manager, his children did not continue to open the store. It was not until 1991, with the encouragement of the government and relatives and friends, that the Lei family - Lei Shanxiang brothers resumed operations at the old site of Zhonghua South Road.
In 1995, due to road reconstruction, the "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings" storefront once again faced demolition. After that, due to the failure to find a suitable façade, "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings" has been in a state of suspension. In 2000, the descendants of the Lei family found a façade of about 20 square meters on Yangming Road and began to operate again. At this time, the "Lei Family Tofu Dumplings" has been passed to the hands of the fifth generation of Lei Shi.
The fifth generation of people in the small door face of the future
Recalling the glory of the past, Lei Shi, who was already in his inception, was still full of pride: "Not to mention my father's generation, that is, when we operated on Yangming Road, although each tofu ball only sold for 2 dimes at that time, but every day from 3 pm to 6 or 7 pm, just a few hours, you can sell more than 1,000 yuan ..."
In the traffic street snack city, the sign of "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings" is not very conspicuous, and the storefront is only a few square meters. Lei Shi told reporters with some regret that due to the influence of factors such as the site and terrain, the Lei family has not made his own tofu now, but he does not dare to be sloppy in the process handed down for a hundred years, and he has to go through several hours of careful ingredients every day.
Although the current business is far less than before, Lei Shi is full of confidence in the future of "Lei Jia Tofu Dumplings": "Now I am looking for a good façade in a location, hoping to make this century-old brand a food culture group based on tofu dumplings, open branches in the streets and alleys of Guiyang, and rebuild the glory of the past." ”