Guan Xi Township: Taiwanese Food Analysis

 Being a tourist has its advantages and its disadvantages. Obviously, being able to see famous landmarks and architectural structures is the main reason for visiting a country. However, amidst the busy sightseeing schedule, one often forgets to take in the full cultural experience.

Whenever I travel, I like to spend at least a part of my trip visiting non-tourist areas (or less tourist-congested areas). It’s really nice to see how locals live, where they live and what they eat.

For this part of the trip, we went out of Northern Taiwan (where Taipei is), and into Central Taiwan, to a little township called Guan Xi (關西鎮). There are no high buildings or major shopping malls or major stores of any kind. Locals harvest their own food and make a living by opening small shops offering various sorts of services or products. What’s great about this type of setting is that you can buy local Taiwanese fruit and vegetables for an extremely cheap price and enjoy some of the best street foods on this planet.

We went to the local marketplace to take a look around and discovered some of Taiwan’s unique fruits.

Wax apples (莲雾) are reddish-pink, pear-shaped, and have a really unexpected crunchy and juicy taste. My favorite Taiwanese fruit by far! Because of its crunchy texture, it’s a very refreshing fruit to eat, especially on hot days.

Another interesting fruit are “ZaoZi” (枣子), which is a type of prune. This fruit is half the size of a fist, is oval in shape and green in color. It’s very crunchy as well, but not nearly as sweet as waxed apples. In fact, ­­­­­­ZaoZi are a perfect fruit for diabetics, as there’s not a lot of sugar in it. Even with its blander taste, I still think it’s really good, probably because it’s so crunchy and unlike any other fruit we have back in Montreal.

Guavas are called “BaLa” by locals, and they have so much more taste when they are freshly picked!

I also had the opportunity to taste my very first passion fruit! Passion fruits are apparently very very expensive in Taiwan, and not everyone likes them because they are especially sour. The inside of a passion fruit is filled with seeds and each seed is covered with this orange/yellow coat of fruity slime (so delicious!). You’re supposed to eat the seeds with the fruit slime together. But, as I said before, passion fruits have an extremely sour taste (and by that, I mean I scrounged my face for a good 3 seconds in order to recover from the first impact of sourness).

Starfruit are at their freshest, here in the warm and humid weather in Taiwan. We have starfruit in Montreal, but they tend to have a thicker exterior skin and rather bland and dry flesh. The starfruit we tasted in Taiwan was not only soft and sweet, it was also juicy. In fact, it was so juicy that it dripped all over the place with each bite we took! I didn’t know a starfruit could hold this much water!

Another interesting fruit worth mentioning is custard apple, which is also called Buddha fruit, because its looks like the top of a buddha’s head. Its bumpy greenish brown exterior is very unappealing, and I have to say, I wouldn’t have bought it if the lady at the fruit stand didn’t urge me to try it. Turns out, the exterior green skin is very thick and can’t be consumed – it’s more of a protective carcass. The inside of this fruit is globs of white goodness, stacked neatly in rows in the interior of this green shell. I can’t really explain it, but the globs of white are very sweet, slippery and almost gooey. There’s not much to chew, but there’s also a lot of juice that comes out of this fruit.

Other fruits that were pretty interesting to try were the local strawberries. The strawberries in Taiwan (and in Asia) are tiny. I usually buy Costco strawberries back in Montreal, and those strawberries are huge and rather tasteless, in my opinion. In contrast, Asian strawberries are more on the sour side, which gives it a nice natural taste.

Moreover (and I think I’ve mentioned this already in a previous post), the locals in Taiwan are so friendly and welcoming that it made the whole experience so much better. We bought all our fruit in one haul at a big fruit stand and even if we looked lost and confused trying to decide what and how much to buy, the fruit lady was eager to recommend us the local fruits that were good and even showed us how to pick the freshest ones. If that wasn’t enough, when she found out we were going to eat the fruits immediately after our purchase, she volunteered to wash a few of them and cut them for us! After, she even gave us three packs of seasoning for the fruits (Interesting fact: Taiwanese folks sometimes season their fruits with something called “SuanMeiFen” (酸梅粉), which has a sweet and sour taste. Pretty good, but I personally still prefer eating fruits without the seasoning). I guess they didn’t get many tourists in their area, which can explain their eagerness to impress us, but so far, all Taiwanese locals whom I’ve met have all been as welcoming and kind as the lady at the fruit stall!

(Other Interesting Fact Numero 2: Taiwanese folks like to sprinkle salt on their watermelons prior to consumption. Still have yet to try this myself)

The small town of Guan Xi is also known for its “Old Street” (老街), which is a single narrow street cramped with stalls selling local specialty foods. I had been looking forward to trying various 台湾小吃 (Taiwanese snacks). However, when we got to this part of the town it was pretty early in the morning and a lot of stalls had not opened yet. A few discoveries that are worth mentioning: Taiwanese bubble tea is as good as people say it is, blueberries in Taiwan are really good but very overpriced (the blueberries are really tiny, and have a nice sour tang to them).

I had my first Taiwanese bubble tea in Guan Xi (actually, I immediately ran to the first bubble tea stall I saw) and it was as good as the rumors say it is. Authentic bubble tea doesn’t come in all the array of flavors offered in North America; there is only the natural flavored type. So bubble tea in Asia is just Bubble Tea (珍珠奶茶). No need to deal with Watermelon Bubble Tea or Taro Bubble Tea or Honeydew Bubble Tea etc. Actually, the authentic bubble tea (as I learned), is simply just milk added to red tea. Anyways, the milk tea itself is not as sweet as the stuff in North America; it tastes more like tea (which it should) than anything else. Also, the added bubbles were the silver lining of the drink. Let me say one thing: I will never enjoy the plastic-y bubbles they put in my milk tea back in Montreal ever again. The bubbles in Taiwan are freshly made from glutinous rice, and they’re much less chewy/springy. The bubbles are gooier and have a sticky film that adheres the bubbles together. Very delicious indeed.

Taipei, Taiwan: Hot Springs!

Taiwan has an enormous quantity of geysers and volcanoes, so there are also a lot of natural hot springs.

Hot springs (温泉) are an excellent way to relax and cleanse your body. Taiwanese people have a very funny way of saying “going to the hot springs”; they refer to this kind of activity as “泡汤” , literally “boiling in soup”. It’s funny trying to imagine the hot springs as a sort of pot of boiling water, with tourists carelessly relaxing in it.

There are three ways to enjoy the hot springs, all offered in different types of facilities. One way (and the most common for locals), is to bathe in the hot springs completely naked (men and women with separate facilities, obviously). The second way is to bathe in it with a bathing suit. The third way is a family friendly service, where the natural hot water flows directly from the water tap and into a bathtub.

I personally don’t think the bathtub concept is that special because it just feels like you’re taking a bath.

For conservative or shy people, I think that the swimsuit option is quite nice.

However, the authentic way to enjoy the hot springs (and to get maximum exposure to natural skin cleansing treatment, haha!) is the good old fashioned way from the old days: nude. This way of bathing was inherited from the Japanese culture left behind a few centuries ago (If any of you read mangas, I’m sure you’ve seen scenes where the characters are bathing in a hot spring, with a small towel placed on top of their heads). Of course, there’s no need to worry about being seen by outsiders or the opposite sex while bathing nude. Even if the springs are outdoors, there are very tall surrounding walls, thus protecting us all from peeping toms. Also, another advantage of an outdoor hot springs experience is to enjoy the mountain view as you bathe. Very therapeutic.

The hot springs we went to was nestled very high up in a mountain in a Japanese-styled setting, with tiled rooftops and narrow passageways. For just 400NT (new Taiwan dollars, so approximately 14CAD$) per person, we had access to unlimited bathing time and various other spa facilities. The place we went to was called 川汤 (chuan tang), and it’s a place where locals go to, so it was very cheap. There are certain hot springs which attract only tourists, and a visit there could cost as much as 1000NT per person.

There were three “tubs” in the facility we went to. A tub filled with water from the hot springs (the water was 43 degrees Celsius), a tube with icy cold water, and a tub with lukewarm water with various pumps for water massages and such. They also have a steam sauna, and “showers” (shower heads of various shapes that pump out extremely powerful jets of water), both of which allow a really relaxing treatment.

If you’re wondering about the hygienic issues of all of this; worry not, I had the same questions and I can testify to the cleanliness of the whole experience (I ended up going to the naked-style hot springs. Very risky and uncharacteristic of me, but I thought it an interesting experience that I should at least try once in my life). Anyways, to start off, it’s mandatory to scrub yourself clean with soap and water before stepping into the tub. If you don’t all the other ladies in the facility will not hesitate to tell you to do so. However, “sashing yourself” is very subjective. For those of you who are still having doubts fear not. The natural hot water also has a relatively high amount of acidity, giving off the distinctive smell of rotten eggs. So the stronger the smell of rotten eggs, the higher the acidity, and the easier any lingering bodily bacteria will die once in contact with the water. Although the smell of rotten eggs isn’t immensely appealing, it’s barely noticeable after a few minutes and I think that the smell vs. hygiene tradeoff in this condition is worth it.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of inside the bathhouse to post here – I don’t want my blog to get flagged down for porn, haha.

To sum up: the hot springs are a definitely great experience and a perfect way for tourists to relax and take a beat amidst all the exhaustive sightseeing and traveling. Choosing a facility with a swimwear rule is fine, but if you can, take a chance and try the “authentic” way! Try avoiding very expensive facilities (1000NT and up), they may offer a better view for customers while they bathe, but that’s about it. And last piece of advice: definitely do not go to the facilities that offer “family hot tubs” (where you basically sit in a bathtub and hot water from the springs flow out of a tap) because it will be indoors and you will not get to see the scenery outside (therefore, it won’t feel any different from a regular hot bath due to the bathroom-like surroundings).

Taipei, Taiwan: Overview

The second leg of the Asian adventures continues! Next destination: Taipei, Taiwan.

Taiwan has always been a place of mystery, a place that I only know through the opinions of others. Actually, I’ve never known anything about Taiwan except that 1. It’s in a political independence brawl with China, similar to that of Quebec – Canada, 2. People have a cute accent over there, 3. Food is amazing, 4. It’s Jay Chou’s place of origin.

So in others words, I didn’t know anything about the place and know that I’ve seen Taiwan, I take back all the misconceptions and political opinions I’ve previously held about the place.

First of all, Taiwan is beautiful. Mountains. Ranges upon ranges of mountains as far as the eye can see, especially in the less urban areas. About 70% of the terrain in Taiwan is mountainous, and the vegetation on the mountains is lush and bountiful, nothing like the giant conifers we have back at home. I thought Hong Kong had amazing scenery. Taiwan beats Hong Kong (in terms of scenery) by a mile. Even in Taipei, the capital, the terrain is mountainous, and the roads small and cramped, making each car ride an adventure. Back in Quebec, major cities are usually situated on flat terrain and any sort of forest or dense vegetation is usually cut down. In Taiwan, cities big and small are built in between mountains and there is green as far as the eye can see. In fact, the mountain ranges are so impressive that one often forgets that Taiwan is an island.

The temperature in Taiwan during this time of the year (early February) is very mild and nice; it’s the nicest time of the year to visit the country. Temperatures were on the high side when we visited (going up to the high 20s!!), and apparently this is the hottest Taiwan has been in the past 50 years in the month of February. I can’t imagine what it must feel like traveling to Taiwan in the summer with temperatures as high as 35 degree Celsius.

Second of all, Taiwanese people are some of the friendliest and most heartwarming people I’ve met. This goes not only for employees at tourist attractions, but also locals, from waitresses, to street vendors, to random elderly people on the streets. It’s a totally different mentality from Mainland China, in a good way!

Third of all, amazing food is an understatement. As one of my good friends would say back in Montreal, this food proves the existence of God.

Fun fact about Taiwan:

·      Taiwan has an enormous amount of Bin Lang (槟榔) trees. And by enormous amount, I mean that they are everywhere. Locals owning land would cut down the regular trees on their properties and plant a whole field of these trees. These trees resemble palm trees, except they are incredibly thin and only have a few small leaves. The reason for this Taiwanese obsession is that BinLang trees are extremely easy to plant (they grow relatively fast) and locals love to chew their leaves. It’s sort of like marijuana, because it’s a stimulant and people get easily addicted to it. The only difference is that it’s legalized and Taiwan even regularly imports BinLang leaves to satisfy national demand.
(The girls who sell the binlang are also quite a tourist attraction because they’ll be selling the stuff while wearing bikinis [they’re called 槟榔妹妹])

Kowloon and Hong Kong Island

The first leg of the Asian Travels finally begins after a gruesome 15+ hour plane ride from Montreal to Hong Kong!

First thoughts after disembarking the plane: 1. it smells like Chine (ie. humid air) 2. its really hot here.
Coming from a -26 degrees Celsius environment to a +26 degrees environment in February was very unexpected, but I'm definitely not complaining for the change in temperature.

A 30 minute cab ride brought us from the airport, right into the urban area of Kowloon (literally Nine Dragons).
(First thought when seeing the taxi: omgomg they drive on the right side!)
Fun fact about HongKong taxi cabs: red taxis are for the urban area, and green ones bring passengers exclusively to suburban areas.

My family and I stayed in the southern area of Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, which is right beside the Victoria Harbor (on the other side of the water is Hong Kong Island).
After hearing so many stories about Hong Kong, I finally have to admit that the scenery is pretty amazing. Kowloon is bounded by a mountain range on the northern side and by the bay on the southern side; there are buildings built on the mountains itself, nestled between trees and cliffs.

After checking-in to our hotel (or rather, motel), it was already 7pm and we hurried out to have supper.
And as we all know, an uninformed and hungry tourist will fall victim to all the tourist traps. We tried to find a suitable restaurant (not too fancy, but not too sketchy either) by walking along one of the main streets (Nathan Road, which is sort of like the equivalent of Saint-Catherine Street back in Montreal), which was not such a great idea, since most restaurants there were tourist traps (by tourist traps, I mean mediocre food that is unnecessarily expensive). Anyways, we settled for a seafood restaurant. One thing we were certain of was that HongKong is known for its excellent and fresh seafood, so a seafood restaurant should have decent food, right? Wrong. We ended up paying 700HKD (which is about 100CAD) for a three person meal and the fish that we ordered was chewy and tasteless.
However, the night scenery was amazing and everything I expected; bustling with people and neon signs everywhere that brought the city to life.

On our first day there (still jetlagged), we woke up bright and early for breakfast. We had done our research about restaurants the night beforehand and this time we were ready. breakfast was at a small Macau-style place, and the Macau crispy buns so unique, an absolutely must-have! It basically looks like a hamburger bun, except that the bun is uitra crispy (almost flakey) and piping hot from the oven. Customers have the choice to garnish it with butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar and condensed milk. Its a very sweet food, but the taste was definitely worth the extra calories.

The Macau style restaurant. They serve breakfast lunch and supper how convenient.

Porridge! 粥＋油条 miammm

the BUNSSSS (yes that's butter).

Like any major city or urban area, traffic is annoying, so the number one way to travel is definitely by foot or metro. So, before heading off to any type of exploration, purchasing an "Octopus Card"(is essential. The Octopus Card is like an Opus Card, except that in not only works for metros and buses, it also works for ferries, trolleys and trams (ie, my new best friend).

First major city attraction: Hong Kong Avenue of Stars.
Basically, the Asian version of Hollywood Boulevard. The avenue is right next to the Victoria Harbor, with the impressive skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island just on the other side of the water.
I think that this place is worth going to during the daytime as well as during nighttime.
Daytime is good for taking proper pictures with the Stars on the ground, with the handprint of famous actors and such. Not surprisingly, the Stars that received the most attraction were 1. Bruce Lee, 2. Jackie Chan, 3. Jet Li.

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Jackie Chan!! So awesome

Mr. Bruce Lee himself (ish)

View from the Avenue of Stars (Hong Kong Island on the other side of the water)

This avenue is also worth visiting during nighttime because of its night scenery. The skyscrapers on the opposite side of the Harbor illuminate after sunset with brilliant colours and at 8pm, there's even a "light show" (basically, beams of white and green light flash upwards towards the clouds in sync with a background music). The ferries crossing the Harbor are also decorate with lights, so all in all, a pretty awesome sight so see.

Light show :)

Second stop: TaiPing Shan (aka Victoria Peak) on Hong Kong Island.
Victoria Peak is a 500m mountain on Hong Kong Island, one of the major tourist attractions in the area.
From the Avenue of Stars, and with the help of the trusty Octopus card, Hong Kong Island is a 5 minute ferry away (for about 10HKD = about 1.5 CAD so cheap!). Once on the other side, Victoria Peak is accessible either by tramway or by bus.
We decided to take the bus, which was a good choice, but not something I'd do again. Allow me to elaborate. Taking after their British heritage, all Hong Kong buses are double deckers. This is extremely convenient for crowded urban areas, but not such a good idea for getting on top of a mountain. The bus had to zigzag its way up a one-lane steep slope, frequent bus stops along the way. The driver drove pretty quickly and combined with abrupt turns, a steep climb and a lot of swaying due to the height of the bus, I got slightly car-sick. Thankfully, the motion sickness did not turn into anything nasty and after a good 30 minute bus ride, we arrived at the bus terminal at the Peak.
 The good thing about the bus ride was that we were able to see the residential areas and various buildings along the slope of the mountain. Since these buildings were built very high from the road itself, there were only accessible by the narrowest staircases. Everything on the mountain was surrounded by great trees and stone walls and we were able to get a progressively higher view of the Island and beyond.
Anyways, at the Peak, there was a free observatory (we didn't go to the Peak Tower observatory, which led to a higher observatory, because it costed money haahaha...) with a nice view of the city and Kowloon in the distance. There's also a shopping center but apart from that there was nothing much to do.
So we went back down the mountain, taking the tram this time (Octopus is such a good friend). Ever been on a roller coaster before? Well that's exactly how the tram ride felt except it was always downhill and going very very very slowly (and we were in a tram car, of course, not an open-air seat). I swear, the tram was almost at a 60 degree angle the whole way down. So in other words, there was no zigzagging down the mountain. The ride was 5 minutes tops, so it wasn't that bad. One downside of this ride is that there are only 3 cars on the tram and only 1 tram going up and down the mountain. So there was a pretty long waiting line to go up the mountain.

The Peak view

We stayed on Hong Kong Island for lunch and went to yet another Macauian restaurant, as recommended by Google. One dish I found pretty cute was this beef and tomato soup, which was served in an actually rice cooker.

mmmh beef soup

Hong Kong Island is much more stuffy than Kowloon. The buildings are older and more crowded together, making the streets narrower and the people clump together on the sidewalks. We passed by Times Square Hong Kong, which was pretty amazing. We didn't do any shopping though; name brands in Hong Kong are even more expensive than what you can get in North American outlets.

One thing I noticed about Hong Kong is that there's much more foreigners (especially Indians and Filippinos) than in mainland China. Its probably a British colony thing.
Another fun fact; I've always wondered: if people drive on the opposite side of the street, that means that the "fast" lane on the highway is also the opposite side. But then what happens when people stand on an escalator? Back at home, you stand on the right side of the escalator so that people who want to walk up faster can do so from the left side. Well since everything is reversed for Hong Kong people, should they stand on the left side of the escalator and let people pass from the right side? Well, for all of you who have also been wondering about this useless fact, mystery solved: it's exactly the same convention as back home.