台灣美食篇 (FOOD!)

The thing that people seem to forget about Taiwan (or at least don't regularly associate with Taiwan) is the amount of great food this little island has to offer. I may be biased here, but Taiwan has some of the best food in the world, at a totally affordable price (e.g. MUCH cheaper than U.S.). You have everything from street vendor goodies to great 小吃 (literally "little eats" or snack type dishes), to full on banquets and 5+ course dinners. You can get away with a delicious street vendor meal for less than 2 or 3 bucks and be completely full... even better if you go to a night market and try all the little snacks along the way. But even the full on 5 or 6 course dinners are totally affordable at about 30 bucks a person... oh and there is all sorts of all you can eat type places (not just BBQ or hotpot, but some offering traditional dishes) for like 10 bucks (all USD). Cheap and way healthier than fast food (well, I guess that is debatable)... I love Taiwan :).

I just posted some photos from a restaurant my dad took us to, Ikki, a modern fusion interpretation of 懷石料理 (Kaiseki ryouri) that incorporates traditional Japanese dishes like sashimi with more modern and sometimes western dishes like lamb and steak. There was a total of 8 dishes (fruit + drink + dessert counts as one) for a mere $1280 NT (+ 10% service charge/tip)... this is roughly $44 USD tax tip all included. The food was great, each course carefully prepared and presented. The portions was just right for me as I was plenty full towards the end. The ambiance was great, mostly dim with black table/walls and we were fortunate enough to get our own room. And of course, the service was exceptional... all the waiters/waitress were extremely patient and greeted you with a smile. Unfortunately I didn't get many good photos from there... but trust me, the food was great (especially at that price).

Then today, a friend of mine took me to 度小月 (Tu Hsiao Yueh), a great little place for traditional Taiwanese dishes.

From Food@Taiwan 美食篇

 I really loved their minced pork noodle (擔仔麵). The noodles weren't quite as "Q" (chewy) as one might expect, but it kind of melted away in your mouth which was a nice change that I really enjoyed. The minced pork was not fatty or greasy at all, yet extremely flavorful... mixed with some bean sprouts, mashed garlic, scallions and a shrimp to top it off... the flavor just explodes in your mouth. Traditionally the noodle is served with a broth (but it was hot outside so I opted for the dry noodles... I hear their broth is really good and is something I'll have to try next time).

From Food@Taiwan 美食篇

The portions were small enough for you to try the other dishes (they offer minced pork rice noodle as well as rice... the rice was somewhat forgettable tho) or snacks. Each bowl was only 50 NT or just over $1.50 USD. It is one of the best minced pork noodle I've ever had, no joke. Just when I thought it couldn't get better... the dessert really blew me away.

From Food@Taiwan 美食篇

My friend and I ordered their hand-made mochi 手工嘛吉 that is freshly prepared just for you. While I don't eat mochi that often, this might be one of the best mochi I've ever had. It was baked so that the outside would offer a bit of resistance, almost crunchy while the warm inside was soft and sticky (but not so sticky that it sticks to your teeth and chewy - it was just perfect). The outside was coated in both sesame and peanut crumbs, the 2 flavors played really well together I thought... a touch of saltiness mixed with the strong peanut sweet taste (ok I like peanuts so I'm a bit biased). The great flavoring mixed with the texture of the baked mochi when you bite into it... it was really just out of this world. So good...

There is something here for everyone, with a wide price range. Sometimes the small hole in the wall place that only the locals knows about will offer the best food (for a cheap price), while some times the popular places (either due to magazine or TV coverage) turn out to be a disappointment. Either way, there is great food to be had here, no matter the budget you have.

A "duck"-ful day...

So after a what seemed to be a short 13 hour flight, I'm now here safely in the still-way-too-hot-and-humid Taipei. Actually, it's not that bad, totally bearable unlike middle of the summer would be. Every time I come back, I'm filled with apprehension. I'm worried that I've lost my language... lost my ability to connect with people here, lost connection to my friends... All totally unfounded, but it is just a bit daunting for me to suddenly be thrown in a pure Chinese world where the "hip" culture moves faster than the latest boy band craze and new words are introduced and retired on a monthly basis it seems. Always something new when I come back, always a moment of disconnect before my brain adjusts to this new world that I call home. But as soon as my brain adjusts, I feel right at home... this is... home. When I walk out on to the streets, I feel... comfortable, I feel at ease, perhaps even more so than walking on the streets of LA or Irvine. This is the soil I grew up on... this is the air I've breathed as a kid... the same polluted smoggy, humid, suffocating air. Walking along the streets, seeing all these shops, they are all just as familiar as if I was just walked past them yesterday. In some ways, I almost feel safer walking through the heart of Taipei in the middle of the night than walking in say, Santa Monica or LA at night (Irvine doesn't count because there's not a soul out there past 10). And then when I meet up with my childhood friend, it is as if I never left. Same familiar smiles, same taunts, jokes, laughs... same warm feeling that puts me at ease.  I feel connected to them in ways I can never quite experience in the US. They see a side of me that no one will see in the states, and perhaps it just means that no one there will ever know the true me deep down inside... They are truly my brothers, 我的死黨 我的哥兒們.  And it is in that instant that I am reminded of what my culture and my language means to me. I am without a doubt, far more Chinese than I will ever be American. In fact, if people ask, I will never hesitate to proudly answer "我是中國人 (台灣來的中國人) - I am Chinese  (from Taiwan)". I feel as if I have to hold on to my language for dear life, I am worried that if I ever lost the ability to communicate in Mandarin, whether it is in writing, or in speech, that I'd stop being "Chinese"... and I'd never feel "home" again. 你董我的意識嗎? 你能諒解嗎? 在美國住的我就像一個沒有根的流浪漢, 永遠沒有一個家可以回.

Anyways, I digress. My friends decided to treat me out to Peking Duck for lunch! Partly because good Peking duck is harder to come by in Southern California (oh but they are far easier to find there than any where else in the states I think) but also because he figured I'd want to take photos of it.  How absolutely thoughtful of them! Here are some photos:

This is a special Tofu dish they had there, forget the exact name but it was really good! It is tofu with shrimp eggs (that's what those little specks are).


For those of you who have never ordered fish at a Chinese restaurant... you should know that Chinese serves fish whole, with the head and fins... (eating the head often requires quite a bit of skill but can be very rewarding - the meat at the gills area is most excellent). Anyways, this particular fish is cooked with a light soy sauce with a touch of sweetness and the typical spices - ginger, scallion, chili pepper.


Here the full duck is shown to the customers before slicing it up for 2 courses (the wrap + soup).


Ah... good Peking duck served with a "tortilla", special sauce, scallion and the meat + skin of the duck. Just pile it into the tortilla and roll it up for some awesome greasy duck goodness (this particular restaurant was more oily than what I'd really want..., but not bad at all).
Anyways, through some weird twist of fate... my grandparents decided to take me out to dinner too... and guess what they wanted to treat me to... yep! You guessed it, more Peking Duck o.O||. 2 Peking Duck feast in one day... I couldn't exactly turn either of them down... so I had to eat more duck... haha. I guess that's my Peking Duck quota for the year :-p. 

Sorry, I'm not particularly artistic when it comes to food photos, or decorating my food to make it look presentable :p. But rest assured it tasted great!


We also ordered some lettuce wrap for dinner... Man, it is the first day and I'm already stuffing myself full of great food! I don't even want to know how many pounds I'll gain on this trip....


Of course no day is complete without some karaoking which probably kept me awake through the afternoon... KTV - the best way to overcome jet lag haha. Ah, it's is good to be home. 我終於回家了