Heartbreaking: 80-Year-Old Grandma in Kaohsiung Runs a Oden Stall to Support Her Injured Son

▲ Grandma’s unnamed oden stall can’t be found in any online food reviews—it has been at this intersection for many years.

Reported and photographed by Reporter Yu Rou / Kaohsiung

A mother’s love is the most beautiful seasoning for this little stall. Under the old arcade in Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, there's a small oden stand quietly tucked in the corner,where an over-80-year-old grandma sets up her stall at her doorstep every day to support her son who was disabled in a car accident.She heads to the market early in the morning to carry pork bones and stew them for the oden. Each skewer is only sold for NT$10, and the rich bone broth—simmered for hours—is refillable as much as you want. It’s so cheap it breaks your heart.


▲ Grandma says she feels shy about being photographed because she doesn’t look good, so she only let us take pictures of the stall from afar. But actually, she’s really pretty, isn’t she?

“Eat more, don’t go hungry. Here, have two more.” Afraid that the young man might not have enough to eat, Grandma Tsai often picks extra oden skewers from the pot to give to customers. “No need to pay me—that’s embarrassing.” Grandma’s oden stall attracts many young patrons, and she sometimes gives out “special treats.” With just 7 or 8 types of oden ingredients and pork blood soup, thin skewers are NT$10, thick ones NT$20—you can eat your fill for less than NT$50. Paired with the bone broth that Grandma boils early in the morning, it’s a Taiwanese street snack you can enjoy all year round.

This unnamed “Grandma’s Oden” started after Grandma’s son was in a serious car accident. “When the accident happened, the doctor said even if he woke up, he might be in a vegetative state. I was really worried back then.” Though her son luckily regained consciousness, he couldn’t fully take care of himself. So Grandma moved the small stall she used to run elsewhere to her home’s doorstep, making and selling oden to take care of him. The two live in the house behind the stall.


▲ The bone broth and oden in the stall may not have many options, but all the ingredients are hand-picked by Grandma from the market.

At the crack of dawn, Grandma goes to the market alone to carry oden ingredients and pork bones back home to cook. The bone broth simmered in the big pot takes at least two hours to make. Adding each carefully prepared oden skewer and her homemade garlic sauce, the simple taste attracts many nearby students. Her son sits quietly inside, occasionally chatting with customers.

Last year, Grandma had a fall and hurt her foot, causing the oden stall to close irregularly. Regulars passing by would always ask about her well-being, and when the stall was open, they’d stop to buy a couple of skewers, hoping to help her earn a bit more for living expenses. Locals say, “She really works hard—it’s heartbreaking.” Some customers, after receiving Grandma’s warm care along with the oden, ended up crying on their way home. “Because we just can’t bear to see Grandma like this.” This oden stall, filled with deep maternal love, may not be a fancy meal, but it offers a taste of the hardworking spirit of Taiwan—something truly touching.




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Grandma’s Oden
Address: Intersection of Bixin Street and Lainan Street, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City
Business Hours: 10:00–19:00 (Closed Mondays, and Grandma may also close irregularly if she has foot pain or discomfort)