Statement 1:1In the mid-1980s, the clerk of a grocery store on Jiefang South Road was also a dry-cutter, and often took a handful of dry-cutter powder to the Apo snail stall next door after studying at around 9: 00 in the morning. Later, some people bought vegetables and cooked them together. Ji Wang's grandmother, who sells snail powder, also thinks this powder tastes good and sells snail powder. Statement 2: After the Cultural Revolution, commerce and trade began to resume, and Gubu Street food market became the largest distribution center for endophytic snails in Liuzhou. After leaving the nearby Workers' Cinema, the audience will wander around and form the Gubu Street Night Market. Liuzhou people always like to eat snails and rice noodles, and some night market owners also operate the business of boiling snails and rice noodles. People also like to add a lot of oily snail soup and rice noodles to enjoy together, forming the embryonic form of snail powder. Statement 3: One night in the early 1980s, several foreigners rushed to a rice noodle stall in Liuzhou, which was about to close, but there was no bone soup on the rice noodle, only a pot of snail soup was left. The stall owner put rice noodles in snail soup and added vegetables and peanuts. After eating, several foreigners shouted delicious food. Later, the stall owner gradually improved the ingredients and production, forming the prototype of snail powder. Statement 4: Liuzhou people have always liked to eat snails. In the sixties and seventies, the ingredients of the snail stalls in Liuzhou at that time were all snails, and the soup was sweet and delicious, unlike snail soup, which had a fishy smell. Therefore, snail soup is an important selling variety of snail stalls, and the price is 5 yuan per bowl. Due to the restriction of economic conditions at that time, snail soup was more popular than snail soup at that time. Liuzhou people often cook snails at home, and rice flour is also an important food in Liuzhou people's daily life. The mixture of them is snail powder. So before 1983, snail powder, a rice noodle variety, had already appeared in Liuzhou people's homes. After that, snail powder slowly rose in three important snack markets in Liuzhou at that time, namely Jiefang South Road, Qingyun Food Market and Gubu Street, among which Jiefang South Road had the most snail powder stalls. After different improvements and ingredients, snail powder has become a classic snack in Liuzhou.

During the transition from 1970s to 1980s, the focus of national and social development shifted to the economy, and the people of Liuzhou worked hard, the economy developed rapidly, and their living standards improved rapidly. The catering night market has developed from scratch and prospered. Because of the local food culture, snails were popular at that time (boiled snails, stewed snails with sour bamboo shoots and red peppers and other condiments), and stalls selling boiled snails were all over Liuzhou city. Later, rice noodles also entered the catering night market, and two popular snacks in Liuzhou presented their skills on the same stage. Soon, there will be stalls selling rice noodles and snails. I don't know if this is inevitable. Many diners like to add snail soup to rice noodles. After the passionate collision between them, it came into being. After that, the catering industry continued to improve and perfect, and an upgraded version of snail powder appeared, that is, snail powder with vegetables and other side dishes.

Development and unification

(Early 1980s to mid-1980s)

In the early 1980s, after the new thing "snail powder" became popular, many manufacturers set foot in this field. However, because it was in the primary stage of innovation at that time, there was no uniform standard recognized by the industry for each production method, especially in the soup, the essence of snail powder. Let's talk about boiled snails, stewed snail bone soup with sour bamboo shoots, red peppers and other condiments. Because it caters to the hot and sour tastes of Liuzhou people and combines the inherent characteristics of its main rice noodles and snails, the exploration direction of the industry is mainly divided into two directions:

A, some manufacturers have done enough articles on the word "fresh and sweet soup" on the basis of exploring and perfecting the work of snail powder, especially in the process of making its soup. Thus gradually gained strong recognition from local diners.

B, another part of the industry stick to the word "snail" of snail powder, thinking that snail powder must be the absolute protagonist, but everyone knows that it is difficult to achieve the effect of "sour, spicy, fresh, cool and hot" just by using snail soup.

C, some are popular, some are unpopular. Although the production technology and formula of food are trade secrets, at that time, everyone's awareness of protecting trade secrets was not very strong. Learning from each other or communicating with each other, the production technology and taste orientation of snail powder gradually unified in a greater breadth and depth in the mid-1980 s.

Therefore, through the investigation of the market and diners and the continuous efforts of related industries, the production technology and taste positioning of snail powder have been finalized for the first time. The prospect of snail powder shows great potential.

The first prosperity

(From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s)

The mid-1980s to the mid-1990s can be said to be the first prosperous period of snail powder. With the characteristics of "sour, spicy, fresh, cool and spicy" after its first return, it won the hearts of local diners in Liuzhou and developed like mushrooms after rain. 10 In its heyday, snail powder was established as the first original snack in Liuzhou. Liuzhou wanderers who have been wandering for many years usually eat a bowl of authentic snail powder to comfort their homesickness for many years after returning home.

downturn

(Mid-1990s to 200 1)

A, many first-generation operators of snail powder earned enough money and chose to withdraw from the market after becoming famous. So many recognized secret recipes for making snail powder, most of which have disappeared in the torrent of history! (Note: If you sell rice noodles in Liuzhou, as long as the rice noodles are delicious, the base of Liuzhou people who eat rice noodles is very large and the prospects are promising. However, at the same time, selling rice noodles requires getting up early and getting greedy. Although the money is good, it is very hard. Most people who feel that they have earned enough will choose to quit. * An authentic and popular producer of snail powder in Jianping Mountain Night Market, who has earned enough money for 10 years, feels that he needs to rest, and quitting the Jianghu is a typical example)

B. At the same time, in Liuzhou, since the 1990s, urban-rural communication in the Greater Liuzhou area has become increasingly active, and working in cities has become the choice of young farmers. Many farmers' friends also started to do small business in Liuzhou. Many of these people also work in restaurants, especially rice noodle shops or simply raise funds to open rice noodle shops to sell rice noodles.

Since the mid-1990s, many first-generation operators of snail powder have bravely retreated, leaving a big market vacancy. A friend of migrant workers used to work in a shop opened by the first generation of snail powder operators. After playing for a long time, the boss quit. They also thought that they had worked in these popular snail powder shops for a long time, so why not raise some money to open their own shops and become their own bosses? However, it is a pity that although I have been a migrant worker for a long time, I should have learned the production method of snail powder or stolen some formulas, but the retired first-generation operators who have mastered the so-called Volkswagen snail powder formula technology after commercial baptism or for other purposes may not necessarily pass on its core content to them. This part of migrant workers who only master fur or skills is not enough to master the essence of production, but may reduce the quality of snail powder.

In addition, those farmers who started as their own bosses may have joined the snail powder industry because of "self-study", and their quality may not be pleasing.

At the end of c 1997, the Asian financial crisis swept across Asia. It was this year that the reform of state-owned enterprises intensified, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission was established, and Liuzhou became a pilot city for "optimizing capital structure". Since 1998, Liuzhou, an old industrial base, has entered the big stream of state-owned enterprise reform for three years, followed by more than 65,438 laid-off workers, and nearly 400,000 permanent residents in the urban area have been implicated in great pain. Liuzhou's development in all aspects seems to have suddenly come to a standstill. The catering industry is inevitably hit hard, and the rice noodle industry is also deeply affected. Innovation and development seem to be stagnant. At the same time, a large number of laid-off workers choose to join the snail powder sales industry in the process of re-employment to support their families. The same result may be that most of these novice snail powder sellers did not get the essence of pre-production, which indirectly or directly became one of the important reasons for the sharp decline in the overall level of snail powder production during this period. (Note: We didn't mean to discriminate against peasant brothers and laid-off workers' friends when we said this. The fact is one or two. )

D. It was during this period that a convenient food enterprise in Liuzhou produced instant snail powder, and its sauce package was also developed quite creatively. Although it still fails to show the original flavor, there is a big difference, but it is actually an innovative move. Inspired and influenced by it, the undercurrent of cutting corners seems to have found a clear answer, that is, whether the preparation of powder soup can be replaced by ingredient soup bags, which will be the essence of snail powder overnight, thus maliciously reducing the production cost. The undercurrent gradually turned into a flood, which was listed as the best choice by some opportunistic snail powder sellers. Powder soup no longer needs careful cooking, but can be opportunistic, and there is a fatal blow to snail powder behind self-defeating.

E, in addition to the decline in the level of noodle soup, the decline in the quality of sour bamboo shoots and yuba as the main side dishes is also shameful. In order to reduce the cost, the side dishes are refurbished, but they are varied. Dried radish is replaced by sauerkraut, head dish and mustard tuber, which is neither fish nor fowl.

F, cut corners on raw materials. Snails are not fastidious about materials and hygiene, and even a little snails are not put into the soup, so the snail flavor in the noodle soup completely disappears. The selection of Chili oil is also mixed, and some peppers only sell red, which has no actual spicy taste.

G, the traditional snail powder should be dried and cut into powder, and soaked in water before cooking, so that the rice noodles are smooth and elastic. In a certain period of time, in order to save time and cost, many manufacturers changed dry-cut powder into ordinary pressed powder (that is, round rice flour). At the same time, the problem of dry cutting powder appears constantly in the market. Greatly destroyed the taste of rice noodles for snail powder.

Recovery and development period

(200 1- to date)

A, stepping into the 2 1 century, the critical period of state-owned enterprise reform has basically ended, and the pain has gradually eased. Liuzhou is regaining its former vitality. The benefits of the catering industry have already appeared. After years of depression, snail powder began to recover. At this time, Guilin rice noodles, which were all the rage, have already crossed the breakfast market in a big way, entered Chinese dinner and even night market, and their market share has been expanding. Special food and snacks from other places keep pouring in, especially other kinds of special rice noodles from other places also attack Liuzhou market on a large scale. Liuzhou diners and fans (rice noodle lovers) are naturally fond of eating, willing to seek novelty and change, and tasting early, which is constantly changing the once rare passion. People's tastes and choices are constantly expanding, and snail powder is no longer the only favorite option for people to enjoy midnight snack.

B In 2003, the "Sanpinwang" rice noodle chain seized the beach in Liuzhou rice noodle market. Many local rice noodle practitioners who have been holding the idea of "small-scale operation, getting rich is guaranteed, and even muddling along, not seeking progress" began to disdain this, but after seeing their business getting bigger and bigger, they began to have a sense of crisis.

In 2004, government departments launched a large-scale "three rectifications" (referring to rectification of chaos). Before Guilin rice noodles, special rice noodles expanded into; After that, the strong invasion of chain concept accelerated the fierce competition in Liuzhou rice noodle market, and the market share of traditional Liuzhou rice noodle and snail powder dropped sharply.

The "catfish effect" is becoming more and more obvious, and local rice noodle owners with a sense of crisis and ideas begin to think about how to make a chain. How to implement modern enterprise management in rice flour industry? How to keep the characteristics and delicacy of your own rice noodles? How to upgrade the level of your own store? It has become one question after another that these big bosses think about.

In recent two years (2004-2005), the image of many rice noodle shops in Liuzhou has been greatly improved through continuous thinking and practical actions. Under the impact of market mechanism and the survival of the fittest of diners, the irregular phenomenon of snail powder in the downturn has been greatly improved and restored.

C, snail powder industry's own awareness is also constantly improving, improvement and innovation, chain operation, in the ascendant! While the taste and practice of snail powder return to tradition, improvement and innovation continue. With the improvement of living standards and the requirements of diners (some people think that at the same price, other rice flour can eat meat, but snail powder can't, which is not cost-effective), the requirements of the market and diners have led to the classification trend of traditional snail powder and improved snail powder (such as three fresh snail powder (with meat)).

Concluding remarks

Whether adhering to tradition or improving innovation, the recovery of snail powder continues. The status of snail powder as the first original snack in Liuzhou has never been seriously shaken. May the prospect of snail powder get better and better. Still the same sentence: "If you don't eat snail powder, you are from Liuzhou."