By: Kinjal and Arthur
It’s been two weeks since we landed in Taiwan, and the abundance of food experiences that have followed has left us amazed. From the traditional foods surrounding the Mid-Autumn Festival to the flavorful and mouth-watering foods at the night markets, there is always something new and exciting to try.
Mid-Autumn Festival
The mid-autumn festival is one of Taiwan’s largest and most popular festivals. It celebrates the moon and the end of the autumn harvest. The full moon illuminates the night sky and glimmers down upon everyone. The moon is seen as a special force in Taiwanese culture. Due to this, the moon goddess is believed to bless new couples; traditionally, this day is considered an auspicious day to get married.
As one of Taiwan’s most culturally significant festivals, it has some of the most heartwarming traditions. During the festival, we witnessed families come together to enjoy barbeques and share mouth-watering mooncakes. We also saw people eating pomelos and creating hats from the pomelo rinds.
Image 1: OSU faculty and students show off mooncakes while wearing pomelos.
“I’m grateful that we were also able to participate in some Mid-Autumn festival traditions: we gathered together to eat mooncakes and pomelos gifted to us from our new friends at Fu Jen University and even made our own pomelo hats.“
Image 2-3: OSU students celebrate the mid-autumn festival at a local Japanese-style izakaya and enjoy various delicious dishes and beverages.
Night Markets and Street Foods
Sprinkled across Taipei City, in between buildings, and sprawling at every corner are the world-class night markets. Taiwanese night markets are one of the biggest reasons Taiwan is a popular tourist destination for international foodies. It is impossible to get through Taiwan without running into a night market and for a good reason. A showcase of street food, games, and a dizzying array of goods that operates from sunset to midnight makes it hard to stay in at night.
The first time we went to a night market, it almost overstimulated our senses with sights, sounds, and smells coming from hundreds of street vendors. We walked down an alley, narrowly dodging people and mopeds, and were wooed by the tasty-looking stalls. Overwhelmed with choices, we walked down to the end of the market before turning around and starting our munching session.
Images 4-6: Pictures of OSU students at the Huaxi Street Night Market, Keelung Night Market, and Shilin Night Market. Each one had its unique variety of vendors and activities, and was a blast to walk around.
Since coming to Taiwan, we’ve learned that dinner is best served as a combination of foods coming from different vendors. From goose to tasty dumplings to stinky tofu, we’ve come to appreciate the unknown; Taiwan has opened our minds and leaves us eager to fill our stomachs eager
Image 7: Stinky tofu… it’s the most pungent-smelling food, so you’ll know exactly when you are near it, but you haven’t experienced everything Taiwan has to offer if you haven’t had stinky tofu.
Variety and Convenience
The sheer variety and convenience of food in Taiwan amazes me. It is so easy to find good food that fits a variety of dietary restrictions. As a lacto-vegetarian, I thought it would be harder for me to find good food that catered to my diet; however, this was not the case. There is food here for everyone to enjoy.
Even in night markets and at street food stalls, there is always something new for me to try.
Don’t feel like going out to eat? Just pick something up from the convenience store! There are convenience stores at almost every corner with ready-to-eat meals that are just as flavourful as the foods you can buy at some restaurants.
Although eating at a night market is a fun experience, plenty of fantastic sit-down restaurants and chains are unique to Taiwan. Starbucks, McDonald’s, and other fast food chains are always available for those who miss home, and new foreign fast food chains are available to try.
Dessert
For many, desserts are their favorite meal of the day. In Taiwan, many are geared towards extinguishing the flame of the hot and humid climate, as popular options include shaved ice and iced taro balls. Pictured below are deluxe shaved ice options of mango shaved ice topped with fresh mangos and mango ice cream accompanied by matcha, red bean, and mochi shaved ice. It was one of the most satisfying desserts we have had on the trip so far.
The first time we tried taro balls, it was in a bowl with ice water and mung and red beans. It was unlike anything we had ever had before, and though we were already stuffed from our delicious lunch, we still found space in our stomachs to eat it. It was a light, not-too-sweet, refreshing dessert that we all fell in love with.
Image 8: Mango shaved ice topped with fresh mangos and ice cream.
Another popular dessert here in Taiwan is ice cream. At the Fu Jen University’s (FJCU ) campus, the food science department has created their own ice cream that is a must try if you ever visit. They have three regular flavors, vanilla, chocolate, and chocolate-vanilla mix, but they also come out with special weekly flavors that you can try on certain days.
Image 9: OSU student Kinjal in front of the ice cream store entrance at Fu Jen University.
“You really can’t go to FJCU and not try some of their famous food science ice cream!” -Kinjal
Teas, Juices, and other Tantalizing Drinks
As someone who rarely drinks coffee but lives for tea, I think I have found my heaven. I can’t think of another place that I have been to that has such appreciation for and variety of good tea as Taiwan. A couple of my favorites so far have been the Dongding oolong tea we got at a cafe in Jiufen and the lime and rooibos tea from the local Louisa Coffee chain store near our university. With tea being culturally significant and used in a variety of ceremonial rituals such as weddings and funerals, as well as just for daily drinking, it’s no wonder Taiwan does tea so well.
In addition to the fabulous teas, there is always a place to get refreshing juices in Taipei. With the tropical environment comes all the delicious, fresh tropical fruits that can be used to make the best drinks. I can’t help but order myself a cup of tea or juice at almost every place we go to.
Image 10: With tea being such a popular drink here, they even offer complimentary tea at our hostel so we can have some whenever we want it.
