Yes, but what does your mom say?
She says I’m special. Not quite riding the short bus special…but still special. So I got that going for me, which is nice.
There is “Taiwanese style” food and there is “Real Taiwanese” food as prepared by the locals. Just as you can find Chinese food in Western countries, doesn’t mean it’s real Chinese or good Chinese food like people in China would eat. Same as Taiwan has Vietnamese style food and Italian style food, but it’s not the same taste as in Vietnam and Italy; it’s been adjusted to local tastes (which usually ends up being adjusted downward).
it will be greatly appreciated if you’d kindly list a name or two of those restaurants. Preferably those in Taipei and not super expensive. I’ve never eaten great 清蒸魚.
On a cold wet miserable day…give me a good 羊肉爐 any day of the week
A good 客家小炒 hits the spot every time
I’m not really a seafood fan, but I recall having some pretty decent 清蒸魚 at this place:
Not exactly cheap, but reasonable for the quality.
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Its not terrible at all, it’s different.
清蒸魚is pretty Taiwanese to me. A local classic and popular dish .
Yes you can get it in other places but Taiwan tends to do steamed fish very well.
I’ve met some foreigners that have semi-retired here, they spend six months in Taiwan and six months overseas. They balance it out.
You can get it anywhere in “Greater China,” so I wouldn’t call it a Taiwanese dish. The best I’ve had was in Canton, but I’ve had pretty decent steamed fish here too. I think it’s popular because it’s so easy to make.
You can get it but it’s usually not very good. I’ve travelled all around China and Asia.
I think Taiwans versions of these classic seafood dishes are very good indeed.
Does 紅燒魚 count as a Taiwanese dish? Actually, I don’t care if it does, I fucking love it!
They say the “red braising” technique was brought to Taiwan by waishengren from Zhejiang.
I thought it was Cantonese fare. Sweet-sour usually is.
The difficulty in Taiwan is when you don’t speak the language, it is not comparable at all with Bali or Thailand where you can go out and people talk to you in English (bad English perhaps but you can have a decent conversation).
If you cannot speak Chinese in Taiwan, you will quickly feel lonely and out of place in everyday life, even though people are usually very friendly.
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Lots of people can speak English fine. It’s more a cultural thing. Speaking fluent Chinese you can be just as lonely, more lonely in many ways
I do think being able to speak the language in any country you live in will help you feel more comfortable, but that’s a personal opinion. The problem with Chinese is that it takes years and years and I am not sure someone coming to retire will bother.
The OP hasn’t been back since her initial post. She’s either a troll, or got scared off when she discovered Taiwan isn’t the tropical vacation paradise she thought it was. I think we can safely say she won’t be buying beach property here any time soon.
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I feel quite guilty now. Taiwan is a great place, where I choose to live , however one has to be aware of the downsides before considering such a big decision.
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