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Many shops along Tamsui Old Street sell fish floss, among them Weixiang Fish Ball Shop—the original store that created Tamsui fish floss—packages its product under the name of its proprietor, Hsu Yi. Tamsui fish floss is famous island-wide, yet its origin is rather amusing: originally it was not so crisp. One day, after Hsu Yi had finished frying a batch, he accidentally dropped it back into the oil; to his surprise, customers loved the result. Locals once ate it with congee, while today’s visitors enjoy it with beer or as a casual snack. To make fish floss, yellow croaker or shark meat and bones are ground, mixed with sweet-potato starch, deep-fried until crunchy, then sealed in plastic bags—Tamsui’s renowned “fish floss.”