Here's a collection of snacks that we got for lunch today on the streets of Taipei, the first of which is Ay-Chung Oyster Noodle, complete with a bit of that scorching chili sauce. No trip to Taipei is complete without getting a bowl of this stuff, even if it is a bit disturbing that they are now using those wasteful paper bowls regardless if you're eating there or packing it to go.
Next up was a local fried chicken chain called Ting Kua Kua, or TKK for short. I originally thought that they specialized in that flat Taiwanese ji pai or chunks of xian su ji, only to realize that this was more like the Colonel...almost like Taiwan's answer to KFC. The taste was definitely local though; not much batter and mildly sweet. I didn't mind the taste too much, but if I'm going to clog my arteries, I'd probably choose something more that is a bit more aligned to my palate.
Here was a bowl of mushroom and meat soup...or to be more specific, that thick Chinese soup called geng. I wasn't a huge fan of this one, as it was a bit sweet, and the chili sauce at this guy's shop just wasn't spicy enough. His condiment selection also featured Worchestershire sauce instead of vinegar. I definitely liked that cuttlefish shop's version a lot more.
And finally here was a bowl of you fan, or literally, oily rice. This sticky rice was very fragrant upon uncovering the slices of shiitake mushroom and little dried shrimps. But I hated that sweet red sauce that they doused on top of it. It would have been so much nicer with some Cantonese chili oil (or even Ay-Chung's spicy chili sauce) instead.
2 comments:
yum yum,reminds me of shinlin taiwanse street snacks in s'pore..i'm sure the ones in taiwan are much more nicer ;)
I think they started using paper bowls because the styrofoam would end up in the landfill. When I was in TW for the Summer, their recylcing and composting rules were really strict, especially in Taipei. You would have to separate the green bin/composting material. And if the stores didn't or if individual homes didn't, a fine was supposed to be given. (Not sure if they were or not...) They even had a sorting bin at McDonalds!
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