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Food tripping in Taiwan

August 2, 2007 | Asian cooking | Print This Post

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I tell you, one can go on a trip to Taiwan just for the food. Even the hotel buffet breakfasts did not disappoint for the most part. I’m not even a salad kind of person but, at the Tienlai Hotspring Resort, I found myself gorging on a plate of alfalfa and a local vegetable (the name literally translates to stone lotus) smothered with blueberry dressing. And, at the Hotel Del Lago (note: don’t use Firefox to open the link to Hotel Del Lago — for some reason, the site makes Firefox crash), I enjoyed the same vegetables with mango dressing. With blueberry and mango dressing, the traditional vingaigrette and Caesar’s dressing deserve to be snubbed.

dining in Taiwan

A few tips on food tripping in Taiwan: 1) Please — please — don’t down the food with a can of Coke. You’ll ruin the experience. Try the local tea or go for bottled water. 2) Chopsticks are the standard. Some restaurants have spoons and forks but these are exceptions rather than the rule. I can get by with wooden chopsticks but the plastic ones I simply find impossible to manage. In one restaurant, I had to eat with a serving spoon and fork. 3) President’s fish, reputedly the favorite of the late Chang Kai Shek and, hence, the name, is served in a variety of ways in most restaurants. It always comes highly recommended but if you’re not very adept with the use of chopsticks, watch out for the bones. The darn fish has got more bones than bangus. 4) Even if the food looks totally unfamiliar, don’t balk.

The nice thing about visiting a foreign country is to try new things, after all, and that includes the local cuisine. And Taiwanese cuisine is just great.

*The Taiwan trip was part of Taiwan’s tourism program. Please read my related op-ed column for more details.

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Comments

17 Responses to “Food tripping in Taiwan”

Marie on August 2nd, 2007 5:22 pm

I went to Taiwan when I was 5-years-old and the only thing I can remember from that trip was hiding in one of those plastic-y zip-up wardrobes and being confronted by my mom’s swollen, mascara-streaked eyes and a dozen (very angry) department store security guards after staying in the wardrobe for close to 3 hours. I don’t remember eating anything particularly impressive, although I went crazy for the soybean milk, which I would insist on being served cold.

Your article made me decide that I’ve to go back there again. I’ll probably enjoy it more this time (that with my newfound maturity. Heh.) I’m sending you a link of an article by one of my favourite food bloggers, Chubby Hubby, about his dining experience in Taiwan:
http://chubbyhubby.net/blog/pigging-out-in-taipei/

Let me know if ever you’re planning on coming over to Shanghai and I’ll take you to our neighbourhood food street and some yummy restaurants. (Trivia: Most “happening” restaurants have Pinoy food servers and Pinoy managers!)
Connie on August 2nd, 2007 9:08 pm

LOL Marie, you must have given everyone a scare. I can’t stop laughing. But if my daughter did that, she would have gotten a nice good scolding. Grabe ka! hahahaha

Thank you for the link. And I’ll certainly remember to email you if I happen to be on my way to Shanghai.
Very Veron on August 3rd, 2007 6:50 am

Hi, Connie!

Your article makes me want to change my vacation destination from Saigon to Taiwan. I’m particularly interested in Black Mushrooms with Fresh Ripe Mangoes and Spicy Pork with Fresh Pineapple - I hope you can have your own version too to share with us :-).
Connie on August 3rd, 2007 12:00 pm

Very Veron, re “I hope you can have your own version too to share with us”

You read my mind hehehehe
luthien on August 3rd, 2007 11:52 pm

mmm…the dumplings…have to say the President’s fish is really good. hirap lang kainin with chopsticks. spent about an hour just removing the bones with a pair of freaking chopsticks. still miffed about not being able to eat a good bowl of noodles. *sniff sniff*

because of your food pics, baka bigla na lang ako mapunta sa quiapo bukas and emerge there 50k lighter. god forbid.
Ube on August 4th, 2007 5:22 am

Thanks for sharing your recent trip and word of wisdom on how to enjoy Taiwanese cuisine. Looks like ideal place to visit â€“ moneywise â€“ is it worth the money to make that trip aside from the food, how about clothing any clothing stores to shop? I like shooting two birds in one stone.
Connie on August 4th, 2007 9:33 am

Luthien, alam mo, di ko na-appreciate yung President’s fish kasi nga lintek ang daming tinik.

Taiwan is expensive, Ube. I didn’t go shopping. I tried the night market but it was Friday and I thought I was going to collapse in the heat and crowd.
brenda on August 7th, 2007 8:35 am

wow! all those dimsum make me salivate… and the sushi….aaahhhhhhh! kainggit!
Didi on August 7th, 2007 12:16 pm

These are THE BEST xiao long bao EVER! I always tell my dad to bring home frozen ones every trip! I personally like the Pork ones and the Gulay ones..

Kaya when in Shang-Hai, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong - GO TO DIN TAI FUNG!! Buti nga raw they have 2 branches na!!
dee on August 8th, 2007 12:46 am

i was also in taiwan when you were there…:) after 7years, nakabalik din ako ng taiwan.

i was there nung July 19-29. ang init nga grabe… lalo na anung july 20-22. nag 39-40 degrees! after ng days na yan, nasa 37 average na ang temp dun… (july 24 ba kayo dumating?)

wala lang… went there for a vacation kasi hubby works there. (fil-chi kasi sya).

naaliw lang ako kasi super familiar ako sa mga food na namention mo:)

lalo na sa shilin. daming food. may mga regular na kami na kinakainan dun:)

sorry, naexcite lang…humaba tuloy
Connie on August 8th, 2007 2:07 am

18-22 kami nandun.
dee on August 8th, 2007 10:45 pm

kung alam ko lang…sana nagkita tayo kahit shy ako
Connie on August 8th, 2007 10:50 pm

eh shy din naman ako. hehehe

seriously, i was searching for pinoy bloggers in taiwan a few days before we left. my plan was to meet with them so i could write an article that was not travel/food related. i found none. then we were told that the HUGE Pinoy community gathered on Sunday mornings at around 9. Eh our plane had left by then.
Sophie on August 11th, 2007 12:45 pm

The Xiao Long Bao ( steamed meat dumplings )@ Din Tai Fung is so divine! The dimsum wrapper is very very thin, and yet it’s very malambot. Here in Manila, medyo makunat, e I ate @ Din Tai Fung Shanghai naman. Totally loved my dining experience there!
dee on August 12th, 2007 1:59 am

may 2 big events nga nung sunday.

anniversary ng eec (where hubby works) and anniversary (ata) ng JIL.

kahit nasa 39-40 degrees ang init, successful ang both shows…

am really hoping to meet you someday
riddle dejesus on October 24th, 2007 10:36 pm

hi there!! bigla kong na miss ang xiao lom pao!! parobito naming almusal to nung nasa taipei pa ko!! da best pag mainit saw saw sa chang-yo! have you tried their tomato on stick? its sugar coated hehe
Connie on October 25th, 2007 10:42 am

Would love to go back to Taiwan someday, Dee, but not during the summer hehehe Never again during the summer.

Riddle Dejesus, no, didn’t try the sugar-coated tomatoes. Sounds intriguing.

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