雪王的一些老照片和報導

1994的中國時報

2005年的報導

雪王另類口味 挑戰78種鹹甜苦辣
報導/吳淑華 攝影/焦正德

店裡目前有78種鹹甜口味的冰淇淋。

位在中山堂旁的雪王冰淇淋，之所以聲名遠播，

除了是間年過百半的老店外，更重要的是，
提供了坊間少有的鹹口味冰淇淋。

「小時候家裡很窮，根本吃不起冰淇淋，

卻對滑順腴口的冰淇淋無法忘懷，從小便下定決心，
長大後一定要學做冰淇淋。因緣際會下，有機會前往日本學藝，同時取得技術；民國36年，便開了這間店。」80歲的第一代老闆高日星，說了一口流利的日文，侃侃而談當年與冰淇淋結緣的往事。

雖然高日星的日語說得比國語好，面對日本媒體來採訪，

卻堅持以不怎麼輪轉的中文回答。「我們老闆很愛國，幾年前，
曾有日本人要來採訪，高日星告訴對方，採訪過程只能說中文，如果不會說，就找翻譯人員。」掌店數十年的婆婆表示。

「小姐，給我一分肉鬆冰淇淋。」店長邊挖邊說，在鹹冰淇淋中，

就屬肉鬆口味的年代最久，推出已有20多年。
以新東陽肉鬆為食材，每吃一口，都嘗得到肉鬆。以黑麻油製成的麻油冰淇淋也很獨特，屬於鹹冰中的中級班；自認為高級班的人，可嘗豬腳冰淇淋，連骨帶肉燉熬而成，再瀝去豬骨後製成冰淇淋，富有濃厚的膠質營養素。

當初會製作鹹冰淇淋，

最主要是供應給想吃冰淇淋卻不能碰糖分的人；
為了讓這群人也能滿足口腹之欲，高日星才開始研究。「老闆，有沒有某某口味的冰淇淋？」每當有客人反應想吃什麼口味的冰淇淋，喜歡東嘗西吃的高日星就開始進入研發期，日積月累，才會有現今78種口味。有些像香菜、豆干、百草、蓮花豆、芹菜等口味，在反應不佳後，已經不做了。

大體而言，甜口味的冰淇淋較廣為人所接受，像是賣了超過50年的

綠豆冰淇淋，「我吃了數十年，都吃這一味。」
年約50歲的老伯伯說。喜歡吃水果類冰淇淋的人，最適合來這裡，超過20種的水果口味，讓人眼花撩亂。招牌水果冰淇淋為西瓜口味，選自台東的紅肉西瓜，顏色偏橘，吃得到西瓜籽；隨著時令還會推出荔枝、芒果口味；其他，還包括釋迦、芭樂、鳳梨、哈蜜瓜等。除此之外，店裡的冰淇淋還可約略分為能美顏的冰淇淋，像紅蘿蔔、蜂蜜口味；以芥末、咖哩、辣椒等香辛植物製成的冰淇淋；茶品類冰淇淋有烏龍茶、杭菊；九層塔、薑汁、玉米等蔬菜類冰淇淋；還有含有酒味的竹葉青、烏梅酒、台啤等酒類冰淇淋，酒精濃度最高的為58％金門高粱冰淇淋。（台北市武昌街一段65號，02-2331-8415，12:00﹣10:00）

Taipei Times  2008.9.3

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2008/09/03/2003422115

Still the King

Unusual flavors like beef and sesame oil chicken are a source of pride at Snow King, which has been serving fresh homemade ice cream in Ximending since 1947

By David Chen  /  STAFF REPORTER

Sesame oil chicken, beef, pig knuckle — not exactly the flavors to expect at an ice cream shop, let alone one that’s been in business since 1947.

Yet these are a few of the long-standing choices on the menu at Snow King (雪王), located near Zhongshan Hall (中山堂) in Ximending (西門町). The shop serves more than 70 flavors of fresh homemade ice cream (priced between NT$60 and NT$120 per scoop), which range from the classic to the bizarre.

At Snow King you get “the tastes that Taiwanese know,” says 28-year-old Kao Ching-feng (高慶豐), who recently took over as the third-generation owner of the shop. “Local flavors” and “old-fashioned style” keep customers and tourists coming for repeat visits, he says.

The regulars come for the house specialties, red bean and watermelon, while the tourists, mainly from Japan and Hong Kong, often go for the exotic flavors, according to Kao. He says the Japanese prefer lychee and peach; Hong Kongers like curry and wasabi.

The unusual flavors are a source of pride for Snow King. All of the shop’s recipes, now a family secret, were conceived by Kao’s grandfather, Kao Jih-hsing (高日星), who founded the business on savings from selling ice cream on the streets of Taipei.

“He liked to challenge himself,” says Kao Ching-feng of his grandfather, who would spend years tweaking a flavor to his satisfaction. One of the elder Kao’s more notable challenges: accommodating his older, diabetic customers. He came up with a selection of non-sugared, savory ice creams, which include tofu (NT$70) and rousong (dried meat flakes, 肉鬆), which remains a popular choice among customers, says Kao Ching-feng.

The elder Kao, 82, retired from running the shop 10 years ago and only visits occasionally, but his influence remains strong. Kao Ching-feng and his family continue to make all of Snow King’s ice cream with fresh, local produce. The wasabi is grown on Alishan (阿里山), the kaoliang liquor comes from Kinmen (金門), and savory flavors like the sesame oil chicken are cooked on the spot. Korean ginseng is the one exception to the shop’s exclusively Taiwanese ingredients.

SNOW KING: A QUICK REVIEW

On my first visit to Snow King, I had the beer ice cream (NT$100). It tasted strange and familiar all at once: there was the sour, malty flavor of its main ingredient, Taiwan Beer, but delivered in cold creamy morsels. The aftertaste of the beer grew stronger with each bite. Halfway through, I started to feel queasy (was it the alcohol or the taste?) and switched to a scoop of watermelon (NT$70), which was much more refreshing, and tasted, well, more like ice cream.

On a second visit the sesame oil chicken ice cream (NT$100) didn’t win me over despite its homemade quality, but I was impressed with how it tasted like the real dish. The Taiwanese basil ice cream (NT$90) was surprisingly good: its sharp, pungent taste blends nicely with the richness of the ice cream.

If you’re interested in trying many flavors at once, bring a group of friends. Each flavor of ice cream is sold only by the scoop. However, while it’s fairly common to see groups order as many strange items as they can and share them, shop proprietor Kao Ching-feng says that, ideally, each ice cream should be savored individually for its pure taste.

ADDRESS: 65, Wuchang St Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市武昌街一段65號)

TELEPHONE: (02) 2331-8415

OPENING HOURS:Daily from noon to 10pm

PRICES: NT$60 to NT$120 per scoop

How to get there: Snow King is near the corner of Wuchang Street (武昌街) and Yanping South Road (延平南路). If traveling by MRT, get off at Ximen MRT Station (西門捷運站), Exit 5, walk north, and turn right on Wuchang Street. The shop is close to a Family Mart convenience store

In contrast to its daring menu, the store’s appearance is modest, with its open storefront marked only by a large freezer with the Chinese characters for “Snow King” (雪王) painted on the front. The shop looks slightly unkempt under the glare of fluorescent lighting, but it’s clean and quiet, save for the television at low volume in the back kitchen, the occasional clang of pots and pans, and the hum of a mixing machine.

The elder Kao also left his mark in the shop’s interior, which has changed little from 27 years ago, when they moved from their original location on Hankou Street (漢口街). Customers sit at sturdy, solid wood countertops and matching stools, which the elder Kao had made to order. The simple furniture takes customers back to the old days, says Kao Ching-feng.

One other thing hasn’t changed: making the ice cream remains a labor-intensive job. Kao Ching-feng says that particularly time-consuming flavors are Buddha’s head fruit, which has to be peeled bit by bit, and pig knuckle, which requires lengthy cooking times.

With the long hours and never-ending schedule — Snow King is open 365 days a year — Kao Ching-feng admits that running the shop gives him less freedom than his previous job in insurance, and cuts into his favorite past times, mountaineering and biking.