Sounds like you’re implying that he’s ornery. 
1 Like
My experience is that Taiwanese “Chinese food” is consistently bad.
It’s oily, sugary, salty and amazingly bland.
Also, in most cases it’s not even cheap.
If I have a choice I will choose indigenous food every time.
1 Like
Pretty obvious to anyone with a brain that he was joking.
3 Likes
2 Likes
I just remembered that I once had an AWESOME Bacon fried rice at this Jiufen restaurant. My thought at that time was : Most Asians don’t know how to cook bacon well, and I am at a very touristy place so tourist traps must be a dime a dozen. But no, it was divine really.
So I guess that’s two Taiwanese dishes I wouldn’t mind eating: Pork Chop and Bacon fried rice. Keep the pigs coming!!!
I’m visiting Penghu again right now and I spent one night on Wang’an Island. There I had cuttlefish soup at a “famous” eatery. It was OK but nothing to write home about, just not much of any flavor. So my two nights on Penghu proper I opted for Mexican food over local, and it was really tasty. That probably says more about me than about the food.
I can’t handle the “famous” oyster omelette and ba wan with that pink sauce, nor many of the “gloppy” soups. That said, I’ve eaten some excellent pumpkin and chicken soups, and I really like san bei ji and guabao.
In my experience, home cooked food here generally tastes better than what you get from food stalls and restaurants. Years ago, a student gifted me a bilingual cookbook with many Taiwanese and Chinese dishes. The food I cook myself from these recipes is usually outstanding (not that I’m a good cook; I just follow the recipes).
6 Likes
“Liking” Taiwanese food is more radically important than belonging to the correct political party or having the right amount of money or a house in the right neighborhood or having the right color of a Mercedes Benz.
You can’t give honest thoughts about Taiwanese food in public.
- In public, people say they like Taiwanese food, including me, because I don’t want to be ostracized by colleagues, friends, family, excetera.
- And then are the other group of people that are receiving some kind of benefit by promoting Taiwanese food.
I can count on one hand the number of times someone said this dish isn’t good or something like that.
- You take your food, you eat it, you smile and say you like it. That’s the Taiwan way.
This here is a safe space (hopefully) to give honest thoughts about Taiwanese food.
6 Likes
That’s a cool and funky spot
1 Like
I’m not in Taiwan. People tell me they like it without my bringing it up. I’m not like Taiwanese people in that I talk about food all the time.
i agree, i found that admitting i prefer Japanese food is also passable in most social circles. Admitting to not liking TW food is indeed frowned upon.
Where this parallel falls apart is that in Singapore, Fukiens are a plurality, and Fukien is where oyster omelette originated. So the Taiwanese version doesn’t necessarily have a claim to authenticity.
I’m explaining about being in Taiwan or possibly even being outside of Taiwan if you’re around Taiwanese people.
I’m guessing that’s partially the situation where you are. I can’t think of any other reason to bring up Taiwanese food.
2 Likes
I think food is boring to talk about.
People bring up Taiwanese food when I tell them I’m Taiwanese.
Japanese people tell me they love the food. Korean people tell me they love the fruit.
Currently I’m in Sweden.
I don’t see any evidence most non-Taiwanese people don’t like it. I see heavy evidence in the other direction. Michelin stars, international food contest performances, critical acclaim.
Disgruntled expats on message board isn’t really evidence.
2 Likes
Another factor: I have a friend married to a Filipina woman. He says he likes Filipino food but can’t eat it everyday. But that’s the only thing his wife cooks.
I can imagine expats getting tired of it, and this board doesn’t exercise any restraint on exaggeration.
Sweden, where “my people” (well, my great grandparents) are from. I’ve always wanted to visit. Is it your first time there?
I’d love to hear your impressions of the country, maybe on Forumosa or some other social media?
Yes first time. Sure would love to talk about it.
1 Like
We know
And yet, always here for this topic
I thought the way to have cuttlefish in Penghu is get on a night fishing boat and eat cuttlefish sashimi the moment you hook one out of the ocean.
The thing is when it comes to seafood, real traditional Taiwanese dishes want to keep the sweet taste of fresh seafood without overpowering it with spices. That’s why when you go to “famous” eateries, which usually mean they’ve been trying to stick to traditional local cooking, without frying and covering everything with up with chilies and soy sauce, the flavor usually is more subdued. Chilies being a plant from South America wouldn’t be a part of “traditional cooking” in any parts of Asia.
The thing about eating cuttlefish sashimi is that they taste sweet without needing to add anything, not even soy sauce. Same goes for the soup. Of course, the prerequisite is that the seafood has to be really fresh.
2 Likes
That’s fine, a lot of European cuisine is similar, let the original ingredients shine. But a pinch of salt brings out the natural flavour. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten in Taiwan and said, this dish could do with a lick of salt. Often it has a little stirring of sugar in there instead, which to my palate is gross at the dinner table. Save the sugar for dessert. Taiwanese cooks reach for the wrong white powder, in my opinion.
2 Likes