Stories and Meals from Taiwan

In recent years I have made the most of my Thanksgiving break by vacationing abroad. This year I spent the whole week in Taiwan to visit my family, reconnect to my roots, and eat. It’s truly incredible how good and cheap the food is there. But more than that, each meal in Taiwan represents a story, a reminder of my past, and how I came to be the person I am today.

1.

Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao (literally small steamed bun) is arguably Taiwan’s most famous export, and it remains one of my favorite restaurants in Taiwan despite the fact that there’s now a DTF 2 months (based on reservation availability) and 6 miles (based on distance) from where I live in the Bay Area. Kudos to my dad for knowing that I wanted to go there for my traditional first meal after landing in Taiwan.

XLBs may have originated in Shanghai, but DTF has perfected it. Every bun has at least 18 folds/creases to demonstrate the amount of care that go into crafting each one. To me, the best part of a DTF XLB is how thin the “bao,” or skin is. Lesser XLB have thicker skin, but the flip side is that you’ll need superior chopstick skills to be able to pick one up and not break the skin, which then leaks all the delicious juices from the XLB, and defeats the purpose of having one in the first place.

In the last few years of my grandfather’s life, my dad would take him to the Sogo Tienmu DTF once a week, and I would accompany them whenever I visited. After my grandmother passed away, my dad took my grandfather to DTF everyday for lunch except Sunday. I asked my dad if he ever got tired of it, and he said, “Not really.” I don’t think I would get tired of it either…in addition to being spectacularly good, DTF’s known as a place that only uses the highest quality ingredients (they even make – and sell – their own vinegar and soy sauce), and eschews questionable/controversial ingredients like MSG.

I had DTF 3 times when I was in Taiwan — dinner with my dad after landing, mid-week lunch with my cousin, and linner (3 pm meal between/in addition to lunch and dinner) by myself on my last day there. The linner was the most satisfying since I stuffed my face with only the traditional pork XLB (my favorite item @ DTF), but the lunch was the most significant since I met my cousin at the same DTF that my grandfather frequented prior to passing away 3 years ago.

2.

It’s no secret that Taiwanese people love all things Japanese, even though Japan occupied Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. The most successful department stores (Sogo, Mitsukoshi) and chains (7-Eleven, Uniqlo, Mister Donut) in Taiwan are from Japan. Japanese food in Taiwan is both tremendously popular and really good. I’ve heard that even Japanese tourists go to Taiwan to have Japanese food, especially since it’s much cheaper than in their homeland.

In keeping with the Taiwanese tradition, I also love Japanese food, and had 5 Japanese meals when I was in Taiwan: unagi-don (eel over rice, twice, prepared differently), sushi (twice), and ramen. This is in addition to going to a Japanese dessert place twice (I’m a sucker for green tea/red bean concoctions). Of these meals, the best things were the ramen (seriously the first time I could describe the broth as both light and delicious) and the sushi.

My favorite foodie cousin took me to the first sushi place: it was at a tachigui (standing while eating) sushi shop in the middle of a market. It reminded me of my previous favorite sushi place in the Bay Area, Sushi on the Run, which unfortunately closed down a few years prior. Since SOTR seated only 8 people, I’d make it a point to get there at least 15-20 minutes prior to opening to get in for the first seating. In contrast, this tachigui sushi shop packed maybe ~12 ppl in a similar space, and there was a line of people waiting when we got there ~1 pm for a late lunch.

In summary: the chirashi/sushi rice was excellent (this is more important than what most people give it credit for), the fish quality was pretty good, but it was really the seared nigiri that made my eyes light up and my knees weaken. It was seriously melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that I knew was special and wanted to have again. I almost contemplated going a second time with my dad since he hadn’t been there either, but instead I found a new sushi place to try @ Addiction Seafood Market.

Opened in 2012, Addiction Seafood Market is located next to the original Taipei Seafood Market (near Songshan Airport), and houses all things seafood — fresh, live fish/oysters/crab/etc., sushi/uni/dessert to-go, a tachigui sushi shop, a fancy sit-down restaurant, and the list goes on. It’s essentially heaven for seafood/sushi lovers, and I’m so glad I found it and got to experience it with my dad and stepmom for the first time. The sushi (and especially the seared nigiri) was phenomenal and affordable, and has secured Addiction a spot on my list of must-go places in Taipei.

3.

Growing up, I was my grandmother’s favorite since I was the eldest grandson, and she also helped take care of me during the first 2 years of my life when my dad was in the army. She would continue to help babysit me until I started going to kindergarten, and even now I look back at those times with fondness and am reminded of how much she loved me. One of my favorite memories was when she would take me on a long walk on a weekend morning to find the food cart with the best Taiwanese breakfast. In particular I loved the (literally translated 甜飯糰) “sweet rice ball,” which was essentially a sticky rice burrito wrapped around a Chinese donut, without the tortilla (since tortillas are tasteless empty carbs). It may not look appetizing, but it’s delicious.

Ever since then, that has been my favorite Taiwanese breakfast item, and whenever I have one it reminds me of my childhood growing up in Taiwan. It’s not that hard to find in the Bay Area, but of course it’s nowhere near as good as it is in Taiwan. But even in Taiwan, I didn’t know of a good breakfast place until a coworker told me about 阜杭豆漿 a few years ago. Most people only know about 永和豆漿, but without even trying the latter I’m guessing it’s probably garbage compared to 阜杭豆漿.

My coworker told me that I should get there early since there are long lines, but I probably didn’t take him as seriously as I should have. The day after I arrived in Taiwan I got there at 6:30 am (it opens at 5:30) and promptly waited almost an hour in line before getting my sweet rice ball breakfast. It was nothing short of amazing, and tasted even better than in my childhood memories. The other items I got were also amazing, but it was the sweet rice ball that remained my favorite since it reminded me of my grandmother (not going to lie, it helps that they also put a ton of sugar in it).

Later in the week I decided to try the place around lunchtime to see if the line would be shorter…it was (~30 min wait instead of an hour), but they also ran out of the sweet rice balls, so as far as I was concerned it was a waste of time and calories. Alas, for the sake of my grandmother I decided to go one last time, on my last day in Taiwan before I had to head to the airport.

My original plan was to get there at 5:30 when it opened to avoid the line, but I was lazy and didn’t make it there until 6. Unfortunately, the line was exactly the same length as when I got there at 6:30 the first time, so I waited the requisite hour before getting my food. This time, though, I got 5 of the sweet rice balls: 2 for eating right away, and 3 for the plane ride.

I finished all of them per my plan, and it was wonderful even though I felt slightly sick afterwards (I also had 4 meals the previous day). Easily the cheapest meal (each sweet rice ball cost ~$1) of the trip, it also evoked the most childhood nostalgia.

A coworker asked me this week what was my favorite meal in Taiwan, and I struggled with a definitive answer. That was part of the reason why I was inspired to write this post…I wanted to recount not only the meals I had, but the stories behind those meals. In Asian culture, food is so much more than just sustenance or something you can rate on Yelp; it represents tradition, history, love, and sometimes even life itself. I think that’s why I’m so passionate and opinionated about my food preferences, and also why I love talking about it…it’s not only a way for me to share my story, but also an opportunity to learn about yours.