A shop owner places the finishing touches on a display of food and money offerings for the local earth god. Care is taken in how the gifts are arranged. At the front of the table is usually a selection of rice liquor, tea (dried tea leaves or brew), water, wine, or other liquid in three, five, or seven small cups, depending on the recipient’s perceived thirst.
In the center and towards the back of the table, tangerines, bananas, apples, pomelo, melon, pineapple, or other fresh fruit are placed, along with sweets such as cookies, candies, breads, and other delicacies. Also found on these tables are soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, flowers, an assortment of other dishes, stacks of spirit money, and an incense burner with incense sticks.
Different kinds of offerings are closely correlated with specific Taiwanese values and beliefs such as well-being, health, harmony, and wealth. Yet, few people in the community, who participate in the bimonthly propitiation, are able to convey the symbolic meaning of the objects or why the various steps of the ritual are carried out.