Another comfort food I grew up with is Yuan. Mochi Balls in a Pork, Daikon and Napa soup. Most Taiwanese versions I’ve tried are filled with either sweet or savory innards. Tonight’s were stuffed with mostly Pork and Mushroom.
Taiwan rocks. We’ve been exploring the smaller burgs in addition to Taipei and Kaohsiung. Really enjoy the smaller towns. Most areas have some specialties that are available elsewhere, but somehow more special at the original source.
Like goat, Milkfish in Tainan. Turkey Rice in Chiayi.
Not a big tea drinker. Just visited a friend of a friend at his home in a small village, surrounded by rice fields and fish ponds. He went through the whole elaborate tea making process, which for him is just “making tea”. A ceremony that gives the tea its due respect.
Oh yes - in Singapore and Penang, like elsewhere where the Chinese diaspora settled, the Tang Chek (冬至) or Winter Solstice Festival which usually falls on 21 or 22 Dec each year is celebrated. During that time, families get together and make glutinous rice balls/ “tang yuan” (湯圓).
In Singapore and Penang, this ritual is called “soh ee”, i.e. “to form spheres”. Singaporean-Hokkiens speak the Quanzhou dialect whereas Penang-Hokkiens speak the Zhangzhou dialect, but they are mutually intelligible.
Had reservations at Xiang Duck restaurant in Da’an for our Thanksgiving Peking Duck dinner. At the last minute, couldn’t resist the Call of the Goose. So, hit up our favorite goose place instead for a most satisfying perfect meal. Peking Duck for sure coming Tuesday.
Tasty Steak Restaurant. Part of the Taiwan Wang’s Steak empire, Tasty is the more approachable (affordable) steak option. Prix Fixe starts at nt$648 = usd$20.82 pp for a complete multi course meal.
A creamy cheesy mushroom gratin (think Campbell’s cream of mushroom w/cheese) with toasty bread. Must exercise restraint on bread refills, lots more food coming.
Another day, another exciting day market. We’re like kids in a candy store, only better. Vibrant vegetables, rainbow colored fruits, the bounty from land, sea and air.
These two lovely grandma types were doing a thriving business from their overloaded pushcart, set up in the midst of the prime intersection. One offered me the most beautiful asparagus, about a foot long that just screamed “just harvested”. Fiddlehead ferns, gai choy, gai lan….a dazzling array. Her partner had the protein, chunks of pork blood, intestines and clams.
We bagged our lunch from a few venders and jumped into a taxi for some fine in-room dining.
we’d taken a cab from a night market the other night, loaded with bags of food. Driver was flabbergasted. You’re staying at The xxxx Hotel, and bringing back street food?!?!? Told him, we LIKE street food.
Lol @ cab driver… Also remember staying at fancy hotels in Singapore and then taking a taxi for street food, have lunch, and go back straight to the pool!
Anyway, I don’t see any live fish at the markets? Like in Hong Kong? All fish is sold dead?
Live fish finning in tanks don’t seem to be as prevalent as in Hong Kong, especially in town. We saw some beautiful Groupa and other fish in some of the harbor town wet markets. Regular day and night markets are not operational thruout the day, so I guess running live tanks not practical.
Four of us hit the hot pot restaurant (no English name) on the sixth floor of the Mitsukoshi department store. Very comfortable venue with well trained service. No corkage!
Per usual, our friend brought a bottle of nice scotch. Kavalan triple sherry cask single malt. We supplied the Moutai, a bit of overkill. Killed the bottle of scotch and seriously damaged the Moutai.
Mala and Pork Rib/Taro soup bases. A tray of aromatics and frozen mala base provided for the diner to fine tune the flavor profile to personal preference.
Growing up, Da Bin Lo (hot pot) was always a wintertime meal, to warm the body and soul. When I first visited Taiwan some 30+ years ago, I was mildly shocked to see hot pot restaurants packed during the heat of day. I was told the advent of air conditioning made hot pot dining cool anytime. Works for me.
Dinner at another representative Taiwanese restaurant. This spot originated as a street stand under a banyan tree decades ago across the street. The Banyan restaurant is now housed in a two floor building, the namesake tree still standing tall outside.
A Taiwanese dinner, lubricated with Taiwan beer and baiiju.
Funny thing happened on the walk back to our hotel. Had to stop and browse at Breeze, a high end department store with a supermarket in the lower level.
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