The Adventures of Dowling: Part 3

By Claudia Dowling

One thing you quickly learn in Taiwan is that it’s all about the food. “All Taiwanese love food,” one man told me. All people love food, but in some countries it seems to be a more integral part of the culture. I’m thinking about Italy and France. In the U.S. , we have regional food—southern cooking, Chicago pizza, New York deli and plenty of international cuisine. In China, too, there is Shanghai food, Szechuan food, etc. But in Taiwan there is every kind of Chinese food, plus Taiwan’s own national cuisine. And international too, for high rollers.

It’s very much of a restaurant culture. People entertain in restaurants and cafes, not at home. And it often entails a fracas about who picks up the check, with one person grabbing it away from the other. People here like large parties, because you can order more dishes, more different foods to taste. And more people to fight over the check. Generally, it’s one dish per person, and all are shared. If agreed in advance, you can split the check with good friends.

So I’ve been doing a lot of eating. Everything revolves around what you’re going to eat, from going to the market early enough, to where to buy organic eggs. (Changping gets them for about $3.25). And then there’s breakfast, lunch and dinner—and which is the best restaurant to go to.

I do not want to think about how much weight I’ve put on. Taiwan beer is very good also!

The local market is important, including your relationship with the local venders. They give you good deals and save you the best food. Also they give your foreign friend a few oranges.

I did not know what this fruit was. Turns out they are fresh dates. I have only seen dried dates before. These are crisp and not as sweet.

This is bitter melon. I do recognize it, as I have tried to grow it. With no luck. Once Changping discovered that I like it, she makes sure I eat it often, whether at home or in a restaurant. 

A classic breakfast here is shaobing youtiao. Not sure how that’s spelled. My favorite. It is a deep fried noodle that is eaten in an envelope of flat bread. It’s delicious, though not that healthy. Nutrition is improved by drinking it with warm and slightly sweetened soy milk.

And there's destination eating. Guishan is a fishing village on the east coast of Taiwan. The boats unload the fish and sell them in the market on the dock.

You can pick out your live fish at a restaurant and wait for them to cook it in any style you like. 

Even the cats love to eat in Taiwan. A friend, Hongyan, who drove us to his favorite eating locations, has made friends with stray cats everywhere. They hear him shake a container of food and come running.