I think this is the number one Taiwanese food I just can’t stomach, let alone swallow. The smell, the taste, the texture…all horrible to me. Is it even Taiwanese?
大腸麵線 (sorry, I don’t know the English for it. Intestine noodle soup?)
I personally think there’s a growing trend of not caring about the quality of food in Taiwan, especially amongst 20 to 30 year olds, who just want food to be fast and cheap. They usually live in major cities, and are responsible for supporting the crappy food scene.
Although, in comparison, I still think it’s easier to find good and healthy food options here than most other nations.
There are a few things that Taiwanese people evidently stopped cooking with that really interests me. One that immediately comes to mind would be lemon grass.
Apparently Taiwan used to be a huge lemon grass exporter. It was introduced by the Japanese, but even well into the 1950s, Taiwan’s lemon grass extract exports dominated by taking up about 70% of the world’s market. It used to be a huge business for Miaoli county.
You would think such a lucrative ingredient would gain some popularity locally, but no, you would never find it in a local dish.
I don’t see this as anything particularly new. This has always seemed to be the case. Why every time some puffed up news report begins the same tedious feature on the same tedious restos/resto types with the same tedious line, to wit “People in Taiwan love food!”, I like to gag. The true statement is “People in Taiwan love eating”.
They rarely concern themselves with how good it is, as long as it’s A. there, and B. cheap.
I think that wasn’t always the case though. At least for many middle class or better people in their 50s or 60s. They lived through the economic golden age, while doing pretty well for themselves. They would actually travel just to eat at a famous hole in the wall, local restaurants, or unique food stalls, as opposed to young people today who travel and still eat the exact same things that’s available at every night market.
The quality of restaurant food improves all the time, but points A to D still apply. It kills me when I see a quality restaurant close. You know what it’s going to be replaced by.