Cuisine
Hot Star Fried
Chicken
Best one stop eating for
all tastes: Night Market
street food
But the foodie highlight of the
whole week was experiencing
Taipei’s night markets. At last
count the island had over 300 night
markets which are mostly open-air
bazaars lined with hundreds of stalls
selling mouth-watering xiaochi
(small eats) which are a BIG thing
in Taiwan. The granddaddy of them
all is the sprawling Shilin market.
5 not-to-be-missed snacks include:
1. The aforementioned stinky tofu.
2. Oyster omelet (Orh ah jian) This
popular treat is as much about
texture as it is flavor. Plump, briny
bivalves, eggs and chopped lettuce
are gently folded together with a
little sweet potato starch to provide
“the chew” factor that is so beloved
by the Taiwanese.
3. Big sausage wrap small sausage
(Da chang bao xiao chang) possibly
the best edible redundancy ever,
is this Taiwanese pork sausage
wrapped in a slightly larger
sticky rice sausage.
4. Hot Star large fried chicken
(Hao Da ji pai): crispy and delicious
over-size fried chicken cutlets
covered with a gossamer layer of
perfectly crisped batter without
a trace of oil. Taiwanese are
obsessed with fried chicken, and
according to a Taipei Times‘ report
of 2011, Taiwanese devour more
than 250,000 fried chicken cutlets
a day!
5. Pepper pork buns (Hu Jiao Bing)
were def in the running for my
favorite bite on the trip. There is
always a line at this booth, but after
my first bite (careful, they emerge
burning hot from the charcoal-filled,
tandoori-like oven and its virtually
impossible to wait until they cool
off) of the sesame-covered bun filled
with generous amounts of peppered
pork and spring onion, with flavorful
burnt edges, I was more than ready
to queue up again.
Insider tip: Unfortunately, I was
too stuffed to partake of any
of the many phallic foods (which
should so be on the menu at
Modern Toilet) that are available
as penis -shaped popsicles,
waffles and hot dogs!
When I think back over the
incredible variety of foods
Pearls of wisdom
from Lin Bin-hui
I enjoyed in Taiwan, I was struck
by a simple yet profound quote by
Lin Pin-Hui, the Yoda-ish owner
of Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant:
“A taste can become a memory.”
Best place to sleep off
your food coma
The award-winning, five-star Regent
Taipei is located in the Zhong Shan
district, in the heart of the capital’s
lively downtown area. Just a few of
the many reasons to stay here are
the immaculate spacious suites,
gigantic well-lit marble bathrooms
with a push-button Japanese toilet
that will wash, dry and fluff;
separate deep soaking tub and
shower, complimentary high-speed
Wi-Fi and bottled water, uber-comfy
king-size feather beds, plush robe
and slippers, roof-top heated pool
with expansive city view, modern
fitness center and a bountiful
international breakfast buffet
(delish smoothies, handmade Onigiri,
Japanese rice balls made to your
specifications and scrumptious
grilled salmon).
Best Transportation to Taiwan:
The hands-down winner is China
Airlines‘ beautiful new aircraft,
the Boeing 777-300ER, which holds
358 passengers in business class,
premium economy and economy seats
– but no first class cabin. The swanky
interior, created by acclaimed
Taiwanese architect Ray Chen,
reflects traditional Taiwanese
culture by using warm persimmon
tree wood throughout the cabin and
painted Chinese scrolls to decorate
the bathroom walls. The industry’s
first high-ceiling Premium Class Sky
Lounge has a soothing tea-tasting
area offering six varieties of
Taiwanese tea and a variety of
Taiwanese snacks; a coffee corner
with Taiwanese-grown ground coffee
and pastries and a helpie-selfie bar
with wines, beers, cocktails, tapas
and cup noodles. The shelves are
stocked with a monthly selection
of books and periodicals in both
Chinese and English.
Welcome modern touches include
Wi-Fi Onboard service for smart
phones, pads and laptops. Panasonic’s
inflight entertainment is shown on
the biggest screens in the history
of aviation, and there is even a social
networking function called “Seat
Chat” that allows you to message
other passengers on your flight.
It’s so worth trading up to the
Premium Economy class for the
spacious 39 inches of legroom,
footrest, and a truly comfy seat
with adjustable lamps and headrests
and a 12-inch IFE screen. Or better
yet, G&VB