#10 The Fruit, the Food, and the Dining Experience
Passion fruit. Tangy and sweet. |
Golden Mango |
Yu Win Mangoes, Wuxiang Mangoes, Awin Mangoes |
Bigger is sometimes better. |
M A N G O S H A V E D I C E |
A popular late night snack, sausages. |
Love me some noodles. |
Squid at night market in Kenting. |
Bubble Milk Tea (not my own photo) |
Sometimes we have to laugh. |
Beef Noodles |
Dim Sum |
This guy loved the dumplings. |
Taiwan's quick and easy. |
I’ve
also always enjoyed the BBQ, especially over a long weekend and near the ocean.
In Taichung, Joe John’s BBQ is my favorite. They serve meat on a stick wrapped
in or around tomatoes, greens veggies, or some scrumptious enoki mushrooms.
Always a great time for a BBQ, even more so after a day in the ocean! ^^ |
Dive Buddy BBQs are the best. |
Baby octopus or squid, not sure, but chewy. |
For breakfast, radish (lo bogaow) cakes are soft and delicious. Add on your favorite meat or cheese to an egg pancake (danbing) for the classic favorite of many. |
My first Hot Pot 2013 |
You can also order hot pot for two, like many spicy hot pot shops nearby, or for the entire table, which is exciting, but often one person is stuck keeping eyes on the continuation of food being cooked and served.
Restaurant called 'Modern Toilet' where everything reflects a bathroom and its utilities. |
Taiwanese families are always so excited to invite and share food with foreigners. |
Most meals are served and enjoyed 'family style with Taiwanese families and friends sitting around a large round table, often with a rotating 'lazy susan' in the middle. One person orders for
the entire family, plates and bowls of dishes and soups are brought out as they are finished
and everyone is encouraged to share and enjoy the food. For Westerners, this is
a foreign concept in many ways (and admittedly took me some time to adjust to), but I’ll continue.
There are other options for
getting food in Taiwan, as the cost is so low, very few families keep
refrigerators full of food here. More so, a run to the store is to pick up a
few items for tonight’s meal. At the markets (fast food) or small 'mom and pop' shop meals will
run you about $3 to $6 USD per meal. At an international family restaurant you’ll
pay between $5 to $15 USD, and if you want a nice full set meal in a gorgeous
restaurant on the top of a department store you’ll pay around $15- $40 USD per
meal. The more Western restaurants, and ones that provide more of a service to
larger parties, will add on 8-10% gratuity for the table’s bill, otherwise there
is literally NO tipping at all!!
While it still seems to blow minds, it works easily with a few well known standards. First, order and pay at the front counter before or after you have found your seat, that way when your meal is finished; You get up and leave whenever You wish! Second, water is usually dropped off at your table in a pitcher with cups or you can self-serve. The rest of your drinks will arrive with your meal, rarely ever before. Third, food arrives as it is ready, not when the entire table’s order is ready. While these last two may seem as an annoyance at first, you’d soon realize you don’t need three drinks in one sitting. And an early arrival of one’s entrée doesn’t mean they have to share, but it does provide for more of an appreciation, discussion, and excitement over the food arrived and arriving. Best case scenario, you get to try more than one dish, and relieve some pressure from the wait staff. (Having been a waitress in the states, I know the arrival of early drinks is only meant to sell more products, plain and simple.) Also think of the food that could be saved if we started sharing some dishes!
Sharing a duck soup with work mates, the WHOLE duck! ^^ |
Family style meal with best Taiwanese friend Gina - Winter 2014 |
Having a meal in the mountains with an aboriginal tribe southeast Taiwan Feb 2014. |
Endless options in the night markets. |
Grab some to go. |
Din Tai Fong with Cousin Jessica and Nick - May 2018. (This was their favorite meal of their trip to Taiwan! ^^) |
While it still seems to blow minds, it works easily with a few well known standards. First, order and pay at the front counter before or after you have found your seat, that way when your meal is finished; You get up and leave whenever You wish! Second, water is usually dropped off at your table in a pitcher with cups or you can self-serve. The rest of your drinks will arrive with your meal, rarely ever before. Third, food arrives as it is ready, not when the entire table’s order is ready. While these last two may seem as an annoyance at first, you’d soon realize you don’t need three drinks in one sitting. And an early arrival of one’s entrée doesn’t mean they have to share, but it does provide for more of an appreciation, discussion, and excitement over the food arrived and arriving. Best case scenario, you get to try more than one dish, and relieve some pressure from the wait staff. (Having been a waitress in the states, I know the arrival of early drinks is only meant to sell more products, plain and simple.) Also think of the food that could be saved if we started sharing some dishes!
It'll be hard to enjoy sushi in the Midwest again. |
Another
standard in place and understood is portion size or more simply put, not
wasting food! In Taiwan you finish your meal, usually because it's delicious and the right amount, but also because leaving half eaten bowls or unfinished plates in not acceptable. It's not acceptable when you are 2, 22, 52 or 102.
Also the majority of Taiwanese take the extra minute to separate compost from recyclable material when disposing. Throwing out half-eaten meals, even throwing food away with recyclable papers and plastics is not the usual option here. I hope one day, we, in the USA, rid ourselves of this careless behavior.
Overall, the experience at restaurants, (even with the language gap!) is much friendlier
and stress-free for servers and customers alike in Taiwan. Plus, food is incredibly
fresh! You know in Taiwan that the food you are eating is some of the best in
quality and locally grown. Daily, I am grateful for being blessed to live in a
place that has provided me such healthy food to put into my body and sustain
me. Not only for the taste and variety, but for my long term health!
Also the majority of Taiwanese take the extra minute to separate compost from recyclable material when disposing. Throwing out half-eaten meals, even throwing food away with recyclable papers and plastics is not the usual option here. I hope one day, we, in the USA, rid ourselves of this careless behavior.
In addition to recycling paper, glass, and plastic, Taiwan compost trucks. |
Peijo with some pengyous before making some BBQ together. |
Grocery stores on the weekend are highly active. |
Before I wrap up, I must mention that some of my favorite meals in Taiwan were not necessarily Taiwanese food. They’ve come from family restaurants from all around the world; India, Pakistan, Turkey. While I fell in love with many dishes of Southeast Asia; Green Curry, Pad Thai, Pho, I couldn’t be more thankful to be introduced to Indian food.
Taro Balls |
Dos & Donts:
Do lift bowls of rice, noodles, and small plates off the table to make eating with chopsticks easier.
Don't point at things with your chopsticks.
Do use the oppostie end of your chopsticks to put food on your plate from a shared dish on the table.
Don't leave your chopsticks sticking up in rice or other food.
Do fill the glasses of people around you.
Don't drink until everyone has been served and others around you raise their glasses for a toast.
Do say cheers or "Kampai" when making a toast.
Don't finish what's in your glass if you don't want another one- someone will fill it up.
To end on a good note, here is a photo of one of the adorable cakes so common to have here in Taiwan. Also a link to the 13 must try desserts of Taiwan.
Do lift bowls of rice, noodles, and small plates off the table to make eating with chopsticks easier.
Don't point at things with your chopsticks.
Do use the oppostie end of your chopsticks to put food on your plate from a shared dish on the table.
Don't leave your chopsticks sticking up in rice or other food.
Do fill the glasses of people around you.
Don't drink until everyone has been served and others around you raise their glasses for a toast.
Do say cheers or "Kampai" when making a toast.
Don't finish what's in your glass if you don't want another one- someone will fill it up.
To end on a good note, here is a photo of one of the adorable cakes so common to have here in Taiwan. Also a link to the 13 must try desserts of Taiwan.
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