During the Republic of China, milk and bread (or cake) were relatively luxurious foods, and poor families were generally unlikely to eat them frequently. At that time, milk was imported from foreign countries and was relatively expensive. Moreover, due to inconvenient transportation and other reasons, it was not easy to spread in various places. The same is true for bread and cakes. Although there are already bakery and pastry shops, these foods are still relatively expensive for the poor and are usually purchased only on special days or celebrations.

At that time, the main food sources for poor families were rice, flour, beans, vegetables and some cheap meats, such as pork, chicken, duck, etc. Not only were these foods cheap and easily available, they became the staple food for poor families at that time. Under special circumstances, poor families may drink some milk, but they are unlikely to drink it often, let alone eat bread or cakes every day.