As my return to the US got closer and closer my Taiwanese friends were incredibly curious about what I had missed most and what I would do first. On a car ride home from school with my co-teacher she asked me, “what will you do first?” I couldn’t come up with an exact answer…I knew I would see my family, hug them, and then what?
“Well.. what did you do when you got back to Taiwan from America?”
Shuting answered, “Well, I came home late, so I went to sleep. Then I woke up and went to get my favorite food, a rice ball. I really, really missed rice balls….Come to think of it, I guess I want to know what food will you eat first?”
She followed up quickly by saying, “Taiwanese always miss food the most, hehe”.
This conversation as well as my experience living in Taiwan for a year made one thing very clear: food is very very important to Taiwanese culture. They love eating food, talking about food, bringing you copious amounts of food, etc.
On another cultural note: Taiwanese people LOVE taking pictures of their food. I have always been curious…what do you do with these pictures? Now I feel silly because I don’t have pictures of all the food I want to talk about..haha
Anyway onwards to talking about food:
Likes:
Spring rolls- These are made from fresh vegetables and thin tortilla like rolls. The only downside is when they come a little tooo sweet because they put peanut powder and confectionery sugar in them. They are made at stands like this (in traditional markets).
I always ask them to not add confectionery sugar and to add only a little peanut powder.
Sweet potatoes- It is like living in a dreamworld sometimes because there are many vendors who make great business by simply selling baked sweet potatoes along the side of the road. It is really convenient, let me tell you. You never have to anticipate that you want a sweet potato and throw it in the oven, etc, you just walk a few blocks to a vendor, who has a bunch of baked sweet potatoes hot and ready, choose which potato looks good, buy it, and go along your way.
this is not my picture, because I never got a chance to take a picture with my favorite sweet potato lady, who sold hot, baked sweet potatoes one block from my apartment
Fresh Soy Milk- way better than any soy milk available in the US. On my way to work I stop periodically to buy a cup of room temperature soy milk from the sweetest lady. She knows me, my order, and the usual time I arrive so she is always ready with my milk. Really convenient, not to mention how sweet the saleslady is 
Tofu- Tofu is so cheap and readily available here. It is also a lot easier on the stomach than meat. I can buy a bunch of tofu, at 7 eleven, for only 30 cents.
Dan Bing- Vegetable Omelet pancake. There are a number of chain breakfast restaurants. In my restaurant unit blog I mention some foods that are popular for breakfast in Taiwan including omelet pancakes, sandwiches, and soy milk. Luckily on most days breakfast places remain open until 1pm so I can get a breakfast for lunch. I observed them making my omelet pancake one day so I could explain it better. First they put an egg on the grill and break the yolk, then they put veggies on top and let the egg cook, finally the put a thin tortilla on top of the entire thing. Finally they roll it up and slice it. You can put a thick soy sauce like condiment on top or a mildly spicy sauce on top.
Red Bean Everything- I love red bean as a flavor. It is usually sweetened and used in desserts.
this is red bean shaved ice
Xiao Sen Tao and Red bean soups- Red bean soup is a hot sweet soup, with red beans and fen yuan (sweet rice balls). The soup below is Xiao Sen Tao. The soup/broth is made of grass jelly (brown sugar like) and it has red beans, pieces of taro and sweet potato, rice balls, and bubbles. Both are served hot, and usually only offered in the winter time in Taiwan.
Red bean Popsicles- Kristin and I take a trip to 7-Eleven at least once a week to grab a Popsicle, especially on hot evenings.
Taro Anything: Taro is like a potato and usually served in semi-sweet things. There are taro flavored rice balls, taro and shaved ice, and even taro milk tea. Taro is a purple color and it looks like this in it’s natural form:
Dou Hua-
this is not my image, but it is a good picture of duo hua
Mo chi-Glutinous rice balls filled with a number of sweet flavors. You can get red bean inside of mo-chi, strawberry, taro, black sesame, etc. I love mo chi.
Kim, a wonderfully sweet ETA in Loudong brought us to this bakery which has the ULTIMATE mo chi. Below is a picture I stole from Kim of a giant mo chi filled with fresh strawberries!
Shaved Ice:
Fruit-
I love the fruit in Taiwan. I wake up early each day to go for a run and then to an early yoga class. On my way back from yoga I walk through a small market of farmers that set up around the cultural center only in the early morning. I stop and buy fresh guava, wax apples, bananas and other fresh, yummy fruit.
Yellow Kiwis: They are so good, not as sour as green kiwis!!!
Guava- I love because it is not overly acidic or sweet and filling
Persimmons- not in season anymore but I loved them back in December/November. They look like tomatoes, but they are much tastier to me
Mango!
Papaya:
Lychee: they come inside little armor shells!
What a colorful salad!
Bananas- a staple
Wax Apples- really light and sweet. They are airier than other fruit. Not nearly as thick or overwhelming as a normal apple.
Dislikes:
I have had some trouble with food here. This is usually because of my poor digestion and weak stomach (always a problem with me!)
Fuzzy meat- I have commented on this earlier. It is called pork fiber or fish fiber and usually is mixed into rice porridge. Another ETA, John, jokes that pork fiber is the ultimate dehumidifier because eating it makes you so incredibly thirsty. It is not as dry when in wet porridge, but still not a favorite of mine.
Sausage- way way way too sweet.
BBQ- never sits right with me, I think because of the sauce. It is cool though, you pick whatever you want and they bbq it for you and serve it to you.
Assorted Fried Night market snacks: corn dogs, corn dogs covered in French fries and then deep fried, and the dreaded fried oysters.
Stinky Tofu- it smells as bad as it tastes in my opinion, but everyone here seems to love it. I think it is safe to say it is an acquired taste.
Indifference:
Hot Pot- I am indifferent to hot pot because it is so fun to do, but not really may favorite taste. I would say you have to really be in the mood for hot pot to enjoy eating hot pot. However it is always fun to cook hot pot.
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