My next question

Cuisine Food & Drink
#1

Hello all,

Thank you for answering my parenting questions. So I’ve got more questions into furthering my research into Taiwan. Please bear with me as I go through my motions!

My next question is in regards to the food in Taiwan. Now I lived on the mainland a few years ago teaching english so I’m not unacustomed to going into the local markets to get my food. I’m also aware that there probably isn’t the big agrobuisness’ that are abound in Canada so I will be able to support the local farmer and possibly find organic or close to organic fruits and veggies. Am I correct in this thinking? Will I be able to find more organic like food? I ask this as my partner and I have made a concerted effort to really support the local farmers and to not buy food that is drenched in chemicals and other non-organic materials. What are our chances of continuing this type of lifestyle?

My other question is I know that when I lived in China they used a lot of mushrooms in their cooking. I suspect that with Taiwan being an island that there is more shellfish. Are most of the traditional dishes served with mushrooms or shellfish. I ask this as my partner is allergic to both. Mushrooms you say; I know what a weird allergy to have. It’s not life threatening, and if I ever wanted Mick Jagers lips for the evening I could just feed him some shrimp. I just want to know how much Benydrill I should be packing :laughing:

Again thank you in advance for answering this pestering newbie’s questions.

#2

[quote=“redsneef”]Hello all,

Thank you for answering my parenting questions. So I’ve got more questions into furthering my research into Taiwan. Please bear with me as I go through my motions!

My next question is in regards to the food in Taiwan. Now I lived on the mainland a few years ago teaching english so I’m not unacustomed to going into the local markets to get my food. I’m also aware that there probably isn’t the big agrobuisness’ that are abound in Canada so I will be able to support the local farmer and possibly find organic or close to organic fruits and veggies. Am I correct in this thinking? Will I be able to find more organic like food? I ask this as my partner and I have made a concerted effort to really support the local farmers and to not buy food that is drenched in chemicals and other non-organic materials. What are our chances of continuing this type of lifestyle?[/quote]The organic scene here is in its infancy but growing. There are some healthfood/wholefood shops which sell organic fruit and veg as well as other organic goods, although many of the latter are imported. Also, some supermarkets have a small organic section.

There is some concern over the lack of consistent standards and regulations concerning the growing of organic food here.

[quote=“redsneef”]My other question is I know that when I lived in China they used a lot of mushrooms in their cooking. I suspect that with Taiwan being an island that there is more shellfish. Are most of the traditional dishes served with mushrooms or shellfish. I ask this as my partner is allergic to both. Mushrooms you say; I know what a weird allergy to have. It’s not life threatening, and if I ever wanted Mick Jagers lips for the evening I could just feed him some shrimp. I just want to know how much Benydrill I should be packing :laughing:[/quote]A friend of mine is allergic to mushrooms.

You do have to be careful here. Some shellfish ingredients are used as flavouring, for example tiny dried shrimps. And the same goes for mushrooms, as dried mushrooms add a rich flavour to food. Asking restaurant owners to leave out the mushrooms doesn’t always work either, as there are various different words for the different types of mushroom, and in any case they may not think about mushroom ingredients in things such as soup stock.

#3

Organic food? Shellfish and mushroom allergies? Boy, are you EVER coming to the wrong place! You CAN get food that’s purported to be “organic” if you search hard enough. Even sometimes in major chains such as Wellcomes (although the selection there is tiny). What that actually means in a Taiwan context, however, is anybody’s guests. Let’s just say labeling rules are somewhat “lax.”

As for shellfish and mushroom allergies? That will be very difficult – I’m life-threateningly allergic to tentacled things and it can be a real struggle to avoid sometimes.

You’ll need to be very very very careful and cook mainly for yourselves, at least to begin with. NEVER trust cooks or waiters to understand or even give a shit about your special recipe requirements.

“Hey, dipshit! What the hell is this? Squid? I specifically said `NO SQUID, I’M ALLERGIC TO IT!”

“Huh? That dish always has squid. Everbody likes squid – HEY! What are you doing? Don’t… I HATE assorted seafood enemas! Boss! Help! This foreign devil’s MAD!”

#4

Yeah, I second that. And remember, even if you do find the cook at a particular place who would be willing to oblige, you’ll need some pretty strong language skills to communicate the details and importance of the issue. How is your and his Chinese?

I’d recommend moving into a place with a kitchen, preferably in a neighborhood near both a wet market and a supermarket, and planning on cooking a lot.

#5

fgaw

#6

[quote=“redsneef”] Now I lived on the mainland a few years ago teaching english so I’m not unacustomed to going into the local markets to get my food. I’m also aware that there probably isn’t the big agrobuisness’ that are abound in Canada so I will be able to support the local farmer and possibly find organic or close to organic fruits and veggies. Am I correct in this thinking? Will I be able to find more organic like food? I ask this as my partner and I have made a concerted effort to really support the local farmers and to not buy food that is drenched in chemicals and other non-organic materials. What are our chances of continuing this type of lifestyle?[/quote]Hee hee. A few places claim to sell organic foods; they’re probably not really organic, and they cost a lot more. The average farmer doesn’t know or care about organic foods. There are traditional markets; expect the vendors to not know or care about organic foods, but to be perfectly willing to say their products are organic if they figure this will make them money. The levels of pollution and chemical use on farms here appears far worse than in Canada. There are lots of supermarkets around, though much smaller than those in the West. Local markets like in China are less common.

[quote]My other question is I know that when I lived in China they used a lot of mushrooms in their cooking. I suspect that with Taiwan being an island that there is more shellfish. Are most of the traditional dishes served with mushrooms or shellfish. I ask this as my partner is allergic to both. Mushrooms you say; I know what a weird allergy to have. It’s not life threatening, and if I ever wanted Mick Jagers lips for the evening I could just feed him some shrimp. I just want to know how much Benydrill I should be packing :laughing:

[/quote]
Be very careful. The Taiwanese don’t seem to understand allergies. Even with a friend helping you order, you may not be able to get what you want. A friend of mine is allergic to chicken; it has proved to essentially be impossible to convince the Taiwanese that she shouldn’t have chicken. “But chicken is very good” is the usual reply when she says she can’t eat it.