Taiwanese Goal #4: As Many Markets As Possible

This one sort of goes without saying. It would be such a shame to explore any region of the world that had as many markets as Taiwan does and not visit them. Because it is not a place like 7-11 (and Taiwan is particularly notorious for its 7-11 culture) or any other enormous big box store, I would love to visit these markets almost exclusively for my food. Of course this will all depend on their prices, among other factors, but I feel this could be accomplished.

image from icouldiwilltravel.blogspot.com

You can watch a 10 minute clip of someone walking through Yongan Market on YouTube right here. It’s not quite the full experience and maybe watching the whole ten minutes might be a bit redundant after a while, but it gives a wonderful perspective on what these booths and streets look like. Pay special attention to the sheer quantity of motorbikes parked at the beginning of the clip. From what I’ve read, Taipei has more motorbikes than it does people, much like L.A. has more cars than it does people.

Taiwan has a particularly excellent night market scene from what I read on several websites. Dave tells me this is quite different than Seoul in Korea, and he’s very excited for this change – as am I.

In reference to the entry I posted about thousand year-old eggs, many bizarre foods can be found in these night markets. So much so that this scene was featured on Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman (you can take a look here). I’m looking forward especially to the stinky tofu. Apparently it’s wonderful if you can get over the smell. Andrew Zimmerman doesn’t think so on the show, though.

image from asianfoodgrocer.com

Dave keeps reminding me on how I will basically have to turn any perception I have of normalcy upside down for this trip. I’m sure he’s right. That’s why I’d just like to throw caution to the wind and try everything. Duck tongues, stinky tofu, 30 day fermented pork… bring it.

Taiwanese Goal #1: Thousand Year Old Egg

Dave and I, for the first few weeks in Taiwan, will have the fortune of being on vacation, in a way. The poor guy hasn’t had a proper vacation in almost two years. There are a lot of places I want to go (Taipei apparently is chock-full of museums) and a lot of culture I want to experience (I have to catch up on my Mandarin before I go), but there is a ton of food I’d like to try.

First and foremost, I would like to try that disgusting thing that has endlessly fascinated me through photos and fables online: The Thousand Year Old Egg.

Photo Credit: oneinchpunch.com

This is preserved duck egg, and no, it’s not actually 1,000 years old (obviously). It’s actually 100 days old. Its colour comes from the preservation method, and it looks like a really twisted version of the eggs from Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham.

Who knows where these things come from

Apparently, you can get thousand year old egg by itself as an appetizer or served on top of other dishes as a topping. Dave is scared of these things. This coming from a guy who ate dog in Korea, otherwise known as bo shin tang, and liked it.

But, I regretted not trying black pudding when I was in Ireland, and I feel I would regret not at least trying some cultural culinary oddities when I’m in Taiwan. I’m not saying I’ll like it. But damn it, I’m going to try it.