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A prominent plaque hangs in the first-floor dining room of Meinong Lou, proclaiming it a century-old establishment. When I asked who now runs the place, I learned it has indeed passed to the fifth generation. Whenever a crowd of us gather around a table, I always order the restaurant’s celebrated signature dishes: pig’s head meat and white-cut duck. Pig’s head meat can be found everywhere, but Meinong Lou prepares it so that it is exceptionally fresh, tender, and succulent; anyone who tastes it keeps murmuring about it long after. As for the white-cut duck, its surface is drizzled with a condiment of ground salt, wine, minced garlic, and basil—an unforgettable flavor. There’s also the unlisted house specialty, pig’s intestine, which is usually the first item to sell out. Many dishes are finished with fried shallot oil; I suspect that oil is the very soul of the restaurant.