I pulled this from another post talking about another location. This looks like good info about Longtan (and I’m in Longtan at 7Yunnan now exploring).
Posted by ryangillies
Where is this place?
Smokey’s is just a few doors down and opposite Family Mart on Wufu Street (GMap)
As a further update since I wrote that post so long ago, there is a hidden gem of a restaurant now in Longtan called Corks Bistro, with some absolutely amazing French/European cuisine - albeit with a hefty price tag to match (GMap / FB)
Plus some links for the places I mentioned in the other post:
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I"ll add this restaurant Liang Sir 粮䜓蔬食創意料理. It’s a Japanese traditional style building with glass walls looking over a Japanese garden and the lake. Can go for just coffee or vegetarian food. Good place to chill out, no alcohol.
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And Melody Chinese Cuisine which looks like the most popular restaurant in Longtan and maybe the entire area. Huge numbers of people trying to get in.
Had dinner here last night. Thought it was Vietnamese, but I was wrong.
Because it is not Vietnamese. It’s Yunnan (雲南) the Chinese provence, not Yuenan (越南) the country.
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Duh, guess we should of looked closer (wonder why my Taiwan friend did not notice). I wrongly assumed “Yunnan/Thai/Burmese fusion food” meant Vietnam/Thai/Burmese.
This is a very interesting error! You’re thinking in terms of a SE Asian grouping of nations. But remember that folks from these places (understandably) have some national pride–and, at least in the case of Thailand/Myanmar, often don’t much like their neighbours. I can’t imagine any self-respecting Thai would ever label their restaurant “Thai/Burmese.”
The reason that the link is between Yunnan/Thai/Burmese is because the folks preparing this food have taken a particular convoluted route to get to Taiwan. They were often part of the KMT diaspora that got stranded in SW China, or were ordered to (unlawfully) station themselves in Burma, awaiting Chiang Kai-shek’s order to attack the Communists in what was by then the PRC. These folks, as I understand the story, basically ended up stateless or without proper papers. Many of them eventually made their way to Taiwan, settling in places such as Taoyuan, Zhonghe (huge community there on Huaxing Street near Nanshijiao Station), and elsewhere. And much like the origins of beef noodle in Taiwan, the Yunnan/Thai/Burmese food combo was invented as a way for these folks to make a living.
There’s an incredible range of stories in Taiwan, and the food you found is connected to some of these stories. Enjoy!
Guy
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What @afterspivak said!
There is a large community of people in Taiwan from the infamous ‘lost army’ which is just one of the many stories that make up the fabric of Taiwanese communities. My father-in-law is from Burma/Myanmar and was recruited by KMT forces into a reconnaissance division - he met my mother-in-law, a Lisu girl living in the hill tribes bordering Burma and Thailand (Chiangmai) and eventually they were repatriated back to Taiwan with many others to Longgang in the Pingzhen/Zhongli. If you go there every store will feature this fusion of Golden Triangle cuisines, most notably with the inclusion of 米干(mǐgàn) - a pure rice noodle often used in soup broths.
I could write an entire book on the subject but I digress - 7Yunnan is a prime example of this kind of culture - despite its geographical proximity there is no Vietnamese, Cambodian or Laos food to be found there!
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