The Taiwan Coastal Loop I (Tainan)

We rang in the New Year 2009 with a five-day trip around Taiwan by high speed rail, regular rail and bus. Starting in Taipei, we took the HSR to Tainan and enjoyed two days there (this was my third trip to Tainan, as well as Brendan's; a second trip for Emily and my sister's first).

Of course, before that, we went to SYS Memorial Hall to watch the 101 fireworks, like the rest of the city. My sister had never seen them before and was dying to go, so I figured a third New Year's Eve doing just that was no big deal (I didn't care either way, as I've seen it so many times.)

Then we headed to On Tap somewhere near Anhe Road for drinks - I don't recommend it. The fries and buffalo wings are good, but the "nachos" are not nachos at all and the bartender gave us a hard time about providing a pitcher of Guinness (we don't like any of the lighter options normally sold in pitchers) and then when they did agree, brought us a pitcher full of head. We let it settle only to find that we barely had 3/4 of a pitcher of actual beer. Then they were difficult about pouring a pitcher of Snakebite...and this is a British pub? Pfft.

Also, all the big old dudes dancing with young local girls - I've got nothing against chubby folks (I am so myself) and nothing against older guys, but come on. The 'old chubby sweater guy with the young bikini top wearing local in a glittery cowboy hat' is not only lame, it's old.

We all slept very well on the HSR, regardless.

Fortunately us Tainan veterans got to see a lot of things that are not on the main tourist loop; we did see the usual sights (Chihkan Towers, the God of War Temple, the area around Anping) but we enjoyed heading out of the way a bit to take in quieter pleasures such as the Wind God Temple, Medicine God Temple, Five Canals area and some of the less-explored backstreets of Anping. We saw lots of domestic tourists but no foreigners at the Julius Mannich house and Eternal Golden Castle fort (not so much a fort as a pleasant 'this used to be a fort' area) and had a long, pleasant stroll around the harbor area of Anping, where hundreds of locals were out with their myriad dogs, flying kites, or both.

Some photos from Tainan:


I believe this guy is in one of the back rooms of the lesser-visited temples; either the Haian Temple across the street from the Wind God Temple, or behind Kaiji Guangong Temple.

We saw this kind of flag outside all temples in Tainan; either something I haven't noticed before, or placed there for a specific reason at this time. I remember seeing them last during a zhentou (god processional) near Shuanglian in Taipei, they were wielded by a group of people offering money to ghosts and demons. Note the black and white color and the bent, knotted staff. Some of these flags were in very poor condition - faded and tattered. I tried asking a few locals about them but nobody wanted to tell me, or they lacked the language to tell me at my level of Chinese, or they just didn't really know.

Any ideas? I'm mighty curious. One guy said that the staff was bent because of "the wind" (yeah right) and that the flags were tattered "from overuse" (maybe). The fact that I've only seen these flags in ghost offering ceremonies or outside temples in Tainan on the day we were there makes me wonder. Anyone who knows, please do comment.

The 'lion of Anping' which can be seen on doors, walls and on tchotckes in souvenir shops all over the district. This was on a backstreet off of Zhongxin Road.

The famous Chihkan Towers. Definitely worth a stop, but I advise going in the late afternoon as the light turns orange, then lavender, and the sun finally sets. It's much more atmospheric than going during the day with all the tour groups.

Doorway down a historic street in the Five Canals area, near the Water Fairy Market (which is really just a typical market with a lovely little temple inside).

Interesting wall near the Five Canals area. Note the spray painted bugs near the bottom. We're pretty sure this used to be a pet store that specialized in exotic insects.


I realize you can see sugar cane guys everywhere, but I liked this photo, so thought I'd share. I think it's well composed, and I love the slicing action it captures.

Something I love about Tainan is how the outside is bright and sunny - we got sunburns in December! - but venture inside any of the historic sights and you are confronted with cooler air, dark wood and old veneers. The light and mood of the place immediately changes.

You can also see it here:



The old gate and entrance to the Wind God Temple.

The Mazu statue (I believe it's Mazu) looking out over Anping harbor as kites fly in the background. I like how she came out peach colored (the setting sun was behind me as I took this photo) with the blue sky background, which you can see fading to dusk at the edges.


Brendan and Becca at Anping Harbor. Very Beatles album cover-y, methinks.
Some recommendations for Tainan:

Hud La Voos
Tainan City, Zhongshan Rd. Lane 82 #6

Aboriginal bar owned and operated by Bunun people. Very friendly, usually not crowded, with big comfy couches upstairs and interesting decorations - wall paintings in what I presume are Bunun designs, photos, fabrics and a skull (monkey?) which is probably real as the bathroom faucet. They have a full menu of generally good food, including Chinese staples (kung pao chicken, ma po doufu, dumplings), aboriginal dishes (the usual mountain pig, freshwater prawns and dried squid, as well as fried baby hornets, cricket stew and mountain rat. They also have a full drinks menu including their own concoctions with millet wine as a mixed drink ingredient. I recommend the "Spirit People".

Chikan Danzi Mian
Tainan City Minzu Road Section 2 #180 (just east of Chihkan Towers)

It's much more than the usual Danzimian (or rather, ganzai mian) - set in three old shophouses that have been remodeled as one unit, they have a menu of local specialties including fish belly, shrimp rolls, bamboo cup rice and, of course, danzi mian. They also have an extensive buffet of lu wei, which is expertly cooked. The tea is ultra-sweet and the desserts are not as good as the food (for good dou hua, go to the touristy-type place on Anping Road with the old-fashioned decor, and skip the creme brulee thing completely.)

Slack Season Danzi Mian
Tainan City #16 Zhongzheng Road

Really famous place and also easy to find in the Rough Guide, so I'll just plug it here and say that it's good.

That Touristy Restaurant on Anping Road
I have no idea what the address of this place is, or even what it's called, but it's on the left as you enter Anping Road from Fort Zeelandia and looks all old-style, with a terra cotta lion over a brick edifice and lanterns.

The food is OK - standard xiao chi - and the decor is great. The reason to come here, though, is for the dou hua. Truly the best dou hua I've ever had - the tofu was so silken, it was like pudding. I don't think I've ever had creamy tofu before this!

Shunyi Museum of Formosan Aborigines

Brendan and I visited this museum today (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm, closed Mondays, admission NT150) and were pleasantly surprised.

I've long been interested in Taiwan's aboriginal customs and cultures, although can't claim to have more than a cursory knowledge. I'm hoping as I spend more time in Taiwan that this will change. Not only do I think it's important for Taiwan to explore, celebrate and advertise its non-Han cultural roots, but it's also just plain fascinating to learn about cultures that existed before "Han Chinese" ever became an ethnicity...cultures that, from linguistic evidence, are theorized to be the root of all Austronesian cultures and languages.

It was well-designed and aesthetically pleasing, with lots of informative plaques and wall displays in English and Chinese. With a few exceptions ("Man's Knief") the English was pretty good. The flow of the place could be improved; the men's and women's hats in the basement should be on the 3rd floor with clothing and ornaments, but that's really a small thing.

It is not a large museum, nor is it tiny. At a strolling pace, you can take in the entire museum in about 2 hours. It's a very good way to spend a cold, rainy morning or afternoon and doesn't boggle the mind and exhaust the legs the way that the National Palace Museum does - I also think the inside is better-decorated and more streamlined than Gugong, but hey).

The basement houses spiritual items and other crafts, and has the biggest exhibition space; it's worth it to start any trip here in the basement after reading wall plaques about the various recognized tribes on the 1st floor. The 2nd and 3rd floors are quite small; one has pots and other daily life utensils, and one has clothing and ornaments. Only rarely is the information only in Chinese.

The biggest pleasure of this museum, besides learning a lot about the history, festivals and culture of Taiwan's aborigines is learning how greatly each tribe differs (I experienced this firsthand when we stayed with an Atayal couple after Pasta'ay and they knew almost as little about the Saisiyat festival as we did; they just went to socialize and see the dancing). The exhibits are made with an eye to the aesthetically pleasing, so it's also a pleasure to just wander and admire the artwork; the weaving, carving, pottery, metalwork and beading of various pieces. This is what we liked about the Sanyi museum; not too much technical information, just lots and lots of beautiful things to look at, soak in and admire.

Both the ticket clerk and shop clerk seem to speak good English. Don't worry about crowds; we went on a lovely Saturday - today - and the place was almost deserted. One group was being given a tour by the director, and a few random visitors slunk through. Otherwise we had the place mostly to ourselves. The big tour groups were all at Gugong gettin' their Han heritage on.

It's worth a spin through the shop; unlike many souvenir shops, it doesn't sell irrelevant crap. many of the items are made by aboriginal artisan groups and many make good souvenirs or gifts. I picked up a few printed greeting cards to send people for birthdays.

The park across the street with stone tablets commemorating the different tribes is a good place to enjoy a picnic lunch before or after your visit.

All in all, a very pleasant trip.

To get to the Shunyi Museum of Formosan Aborigines, go to Shilin MRT and take any one of the buses heading east (right) along the road in front of the square (Zhongzheng Rd.) to the National Palace Museum...not every bus goes there. Get off at the National Palace Museum stop and cross the street, heading in the same direction along the road you came on. It's just past the terrifying kindergarten that looks like a castle on the right.

Taiwan-friendly ethnic food recipes (Ethiopian fusion satay)

Just a few favorites I've managed to concoct with a reasonable level of authenticity from ingredients available in Taiwan...nevermind that a lot of these seem to come from Jason's (Taipei 101 and Takashimaya) and City Super (the green SOGO).

I've compiled a list of ingredients for each and as I put them up, will note where one can buy each ingredient, at least if they seem hard to get.

All will be saved under the tag ethnic_food_recipes with the food described in the title.

I was going to start with something easy - Iranian salad - but decided instead to begin with something difficult - Ethiopian food.

It is possible to make real Ethiopian food in Taiwan, at least I know one can make various wots, alechas and tibs, but you can't get teff flour so it's impossible to make the injera bread that it's all eaten with. I had teff sent to me from the USA but not everyone has that option...so I've concocted this delicious recipe as a compromise - keeping the original flavor of Ethiopian wot (spicy tomato based gravy) dishes but in a form accessible to those in Taiwan.

Hence, Ethiopian fusion satay. These were a huge hit at the Christmas party - a few pounds of chicken gone within an hour. Trust me, they will be well received.

Ingredients:

white breastmeat chicken (real doro wot is made with drumsticks, but whatever, you need injera to eat that), cut into largish chunks - any Wellcome or day market

cucumbers - the small kind are better - any market

satay sticks - Wellcome

one large tomato and 1/2 white onion - any market

2 cloves garlic and about a teaspoon of chopped ginger - any market

1 bay leaf - spice section of large Wellcomes or Jason's

ghee (clarified butter) - Indian spice shop off exit 4 of Taipei City Hall MRT 2nd floor of a nondescript building near the Dante, Taipei Milk King and Korea Viand)

1 cinnamon stick or some powdered cinnamon - spice section of any supermarket

berbere spice powder - make your own from this website: http://www.congocookbook.com/sauce_recipes/berbere.html

(It's not as hard as it sounds - spices all available at aforementioned Indian spice shop, Jason's or Cafe Alexandre on Zhongshan N. Road, Tianmu)...and you can use it again to season meat or soups.

salt, black pepper and lemon juice - anywhere

paprika - Jason's

some red wine if you feel like it

Procedure:

Slice the cucumbers into wide coins by working diagonally. Set aside.

Rub the chicken with some berbere, salt, lemon juice and black pepper to taste.

Chop onion and tomato finely.

Put ghee - measurements according to what is needed to cook your chosen amount of chicken - into a wok or cooking vessel and melt. Add a lot of paprika (1/3 of the bottle or so if it's sweet paprika, much less if it's spicy), some berbere, the cinnamon stick, garlic, ginger and bay leaf. Allow to cook briefly until it smells really good.

Add onion and tomato and cook briefly.

Add chicken.

Cook for awhile, then add more lemon juice, salt, berbere, black pepper etc. to taste. Throw in a little red wine at the end if you wish. Cook until chicken is just finished - any longer and it starts to get tough - and it should be coated now in a thick, spicy red gravy. Set aside to cool.

When the chicken is hot but manageable, don a pair of gloves or scrub your hands and skewer on satay sticks, alternating chicken/cucumber slice - I find that two chicken chunks and 2 cucumbers is good.

Serve as is, or with the spicy gravy left in the wok added to a little chicken broth with flour to thicken, or with a sauce of your own concocting. I use a sauce I make with alecha spice powder, lemon juice and turmeric but that's a whole other production).

This sounds hard, but really the only tough part is the berbere, and that isn't so tough once you have all the ingredients together. It helps to get a mortar and pestle to grind the ones that come whole, though a hammer and Ziploc bag works almost as well.

Southeast Asian Food

There are a lot of tips, hints and links for Southeast Asian food on offer in Taipei, but I thought I'd put forth a few suggestions I haven't yet seen knocked about online as my favorite destinations for food from the peninsula and islands.

Yangon (Myanmar)

Gongguan Night Market, near the Molly's Used Books behind Taipower Building. From Gongguan Night Market, turn in the alley near the Vietnamese Restaurant and head to the end, where you come across a small park and the end of the night market. It's on the road on the far side of the park, between a Korean BBQ and a coffeeshop.

Yangon looks like a Thai restaurant that happens to have a Burmese name - no, I can't figure out if I should call it Myanmar or Burma - and if you order incorrectly from the menu, you'll get just that, Thai food. But order correctly, or better yet, compliment the owners by specifically requesting Burmese food recommendations, and you are in for a real treat. We ordered three dishes and a green papaya salad. The eggplant dish felt very Chinese, with sweet soy sauce and a flavor reminiscent of Yunnan cuisine. The meat-in-a-stone-bowl was curried, with flavors from northeast India. The papaya salad and shrimp fritters (I know, I know, but I LOVE shrimp fritters) were very Thai. Put them all together and you have Rangoonian bliss. Also, very affordable.

South East Asia Food Center Xinyi (all kinds)
(at least that's what I think it's called - I've lost the card)

Near the International Trade Building with all the consulates in it (that tall square building between the Grand Hyatt and the World Trade Center) - cross Keelung Road and head slightly to the right. It's the first lane to the left of a place offering Singaporean food, which we haven't had the pleasure of trying yet. Walk down the lane a bit and it's on the right.

The owner, whom I believe is named Winston, is Vietnamese but the place offers food from all over the peninsula. He speaks great English, and the place is packed with Taiwanese office workers coming for a good-value lunch in Xinyi, who want Southeast Asian food but don't really want to pay Shinkong Mitsukoshi prices for it. They have Singapore noodles, Vietnamese pho and spring rolls, green papaya salad, curry fried rice, laksa, Thai curries and more...all for excellent prices.

The green papaya salad is more Lao in flavor than Thai, so those used to the hot, sour Thai style and unfamiliar with the more coriander-and-oniony, crunchy, lemony Lao style might be surprised.

Borneo (Indonesian)

Shida Night Market, at the very end - turn in the road that begins at the Fubon Bank (Shida branch) on Heping E. Road and it's visible on the left

Not exactly Indonesian food, but good. They do not do Padang-style 'small dishes', something I remember quite fondly in Sumatra when we gorged ourselves silly on Padang food in Padang itself...but what they do offer is quite nice. Be sure to request 'extra spicy' or 'local style' - the chef is Indonesian and can cook it up for you the way the staff would eat it, but if you don't say anything you get something a bit milder. They do standard Indonesian fare - nasi goreng, mie goreng, rendang, satay - at bargain-basement prices. I don't think I've ever paid more than NT100 for a meal there. Plus they have a cute white dog named Oliver.

The vendor guy next to him who sells crispy Thai spring rolls on a stick also cooks up a tasty treat.

Pinoy (Filipino) food of all kinds

Sundays on Zhongshan N. Road between Minquan W. Road and Yuanshan MRT stations. Walk up between the two and turn right into the lanes at just about the halfway point. Options abound.

I would make specific recommendations but frankly, pretty much everything is good. Try one of the places that looks like a Taiwanese buffet, but you pay by the small dish of food (1 or 2 per person, go with a group and share or go alone) so just order whatever looks good and, frankly, it probably is. If you have no stomach for innards, stay away from the sisig. I could handle sisig in the Philippines because it's soft and tender and bears no trace of its, um, gutsy origins, but the sisig in Taipei is a little more blatant in advertising exactly what it is and where it comes from. This is food for Filipinos in Taiwan on their way home from church on Sunday, so you know you're getting the real thing.

New Bangkok Restaurant (Thai)

Easily found in a lane on the eastern side of Fuxing N. Road between Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT and Breeze Center.

Their fried eggplant and shrimp fritters left something to be desired, but it's worth it to go for the amazing minced basil chicken and green papaya salad, which is among the best I've had in Taiwan. Its hot, sour, sweet and savory flavors are perfectly balanced to create a heavenly chord, like the end of a good Bach fugue, on your tongue.

Thai, Yunnan and Myanmar Food (Neihu branch ONLY) - Thai

Ruiguang Road, Neihu, across the street from the large bus stop of the same name, near E-Ten's office and the Barista Coffee - incidentally the onion pancake guy next to that Barista does an awesome pancake.

Other branches of this restaurant have disappointed me with lackluster tea and mediocre food, but this branch does something very right. I've always been happy with everything I've eaten here, including the soft tofu in coconut sauce, the red curry chicken, the green papaya salad, the greens with sliced pork, and, well, everything.

Tiny Vietnamese pho stall on Heping W. Road (Vietnamese)

Basically if you head west on Heping W. Road from Roosevelt Road and just continue on for about ten minutes not too far before the pedestrian overpass directly before the botanical gardens and old Academy of Science Building (as well as the other historic buildings surrounding it), and it's on your right in a barely noticeable little card-table-and-white-wall storefront.

I can't remember the name of this place, but the pho is so good and so authentic that it's worth a mention. Really. If you are in that area, maybe heading to the botanical gardens or bird market, it's worth planning a lunch or dinner here if you are a pho fan. The owners are a very friendly Vietnamese couple who are delighted to hear that their food is excellent, and a steady procession of overweight dogs from the next store over comes in as you eat (this is more adorable than it sounds). Really, it's good. Forget Madame Jill's or Yongkang Street and head straight here.

Pho stalls in Xindian and Tonghua Night Markets (Vietnamese)

There's one on the righthand side of the road in Xindian, not far from the pedestrian bridge and partially hidden by some metal fencing. The other good one is in Tonghua Night market about halfway in, down one of the small lanes lined with food stalls (righthand side lane if you enter from Keelung Road, righthand side stall). The one in Xindian makes excellent pho with loads of basil and the other has delicious fresh spring rolls with large whole shrimp for a steal.

If in Xindian, start with a bowl of pho here and head to Athula's on the other side of the pedestrian bridge entrance for a curried meat roll.

Fried Banana and Thai Iced Tea stall (Thai)

Raohe Night Market, near the far end if coming from Houshanpi MRT...opposite end from the temple, but near the bus stop with buses down Nanjing E. Road

This is really just a tiny stall that sells fried banana crepes with a choice of topping - honey, condensed milk or chocolate - and Thai iced tea. It's on the righthand side if you begin at the temple/Wufenpu Fashion Street end of the market and almost at the opposite end. A perfect ending to a meal at Ala-din (delicious, spicy Pakistani food with unlimited vegetables and naan - the veggies are fried in real ghee, not the crappy vegetable oil substitute one so often sees), also in Raohe Night Market.

More on Xmas

Now that Xmas (again, I do mean ex-mas, like in that Futurama episode) is over, I'm already sad it's gone.

After the giant gift grab (my boyfriend scored a new camera for traveling and a microfiber blanket, among other things, I scored a silver bracelet from said wonderful boyfriend and a new MP3 player, among other things. My sister got a Chinese-style shirt in cinnabar, natural fiber with hand-embroidered flowers and a jade pendant) we hung out for awhile, then began preparations for the Christmas bash.

I made an Iranian salad and my sister and I rolled the truffles from the batter I'd made last night. Then we all went to Geant for some last minute supplies - drinks, Pringles and a few extra plastic chairs and began chopping fruit and setting out other dishes (hummus, babaghanoush and Ethiopian fusion satay among them).

I'm afraid I have no photos - the party was so much fun that I truly forgot to take them.

It began with a few early-comers - our friends Sasha and Cara and one of Cara's friends. They helped us chop the bread and set out other food - and by 9pm had a party going of about fifteen - half expats and half locals. By ten we were at more than twenty, and numbers didn't start to dwindle until approximately 1am (those left at midnight figured they'd be taking taxis anyway, and a few people crashed on our floor). I made hot wine at 1am and the last of us chatted as we drank. By 2:30 the apartment was reasonably clean, with our friend Joseph helping out with the clean-up, and we collapsed into bed at 3.

All in all, it was a pretty classy affair - no wanton drunkenness or untoward behavior, but lots of merriment. We got one call from the landlady's niece about the noise, but any good apartment party gets one of those. Only one person collapsed in our bed, but it was someone we know well. We only found one stray pair of glasses this morning.

I noticed the manifestation of a true cultural divide - our Taiwanese friends left at about midnight ("I have work tomorrow") to get at least a snippet of sleep, whereas the expats stayed on until the wee hours ("Doesn't matter at this point anyhow") and just slogged through work exhausted and possibly hungover. Brendan and I were fortunate not to have class today and spent Boxing Day eating leftover hummus and Gouda's Gilde Siroopwafelen (caramel wafers available at Jason's) and generally schlubbing around the apartment.

All in all, a great party. Every expat should have one of these to go to. I've been lucky and had good Christmases every year I've been abroad (in China, I visited friends in Guangzhou for a family Christmas. In 2006 I went to Lishan with Cara and last year Brendan and I had a quiet day together and went to Red House Pub in the evening).

A Taiwan Xmas

Xmas - pronounced ex-mas - finds its true home in Taiwan.

Basically, this woman got it right: No Reason for the Season - I'm not an atheist, more of an agnostic who doesn't try to answer questions she can't answer and prefers a secular basis for morality and goodness, but I see where the writer is coming from.

You see, I really think it's time all we secular folk accept Christmas for what it is...an awesome mid-winter pissup whose true meaning is family, friends, presents and candy. (Hey, I said "friends and family" first, and I mean giving gifts as well as receiving them).

Taiwan is especially good at this because most Taiwanese are not Christian, and yet they really, really seem to like Christmas, especially at kindergartens and in the Xinyi shopping area. I work at two different buildings in Xinyi so I'm there a lot, and let me tell you they've gone so Christmas-crazy with the LED lights, the fake trees, the advertising-decked Christmas trees (I especially like the Tiffany tree outside 101 mall), the giant Christmas cake (?) that the whole place looks like something out of a freakish holiday Star Trek. Bling bling!

The true meaning of Christmas rests here. Both are in great abundance, while almost nobody goes to church or celebrates for religious reasons. Other important parts of Christmas - santa hats, cheesy Christmas carols and things made out of tinsel - are also right at home in Taiwan.

Our own Christmas morning is proving to be great fun - I'm blogging this as my sister runs to Cosmed and my boyfriend heads out to teach his one class for the day - lots of gifts, sugary cereal and those caramel wafers from Holland. Woohoo!

Later tonight we'll hold a big party - about 20 people - in our smallish apartment with loads of food, drink, cheesy music and fun. Ahh, Xmas.

And Now For Something Completely Different

We're planning our trip to southern India next month and I'm looking into accommodation in Wayanad. A few interesting things about the homestays and hotels available there:

Apparently one of them is called "Mountain Dew Homestay"...which makes me think that the beverage of the same name has never really caught on in India.

One of them offers "homely food". That's good, I don't like my food to be too good-looking. (I think they mean 'home-style food').

Another one says "The best time to visit is between December and March, when coffee and vanilla is harvested. If you like incessant fog and rain, you can also visit in June and July." Wow, sign me up for the July "rain and fog" special...

Don't get me wrong, I love India and I love Indian English; if I didn't, I wouldn't have studied there or returned three times afterwards.

Anyway here are some pictures of our cat, just because we like him.