Taiwanese vs. Vietnamese food

[mad_masala]

@Andrew

My Warm Day, Laya, and Q Burger are considered “mid-scale or higher”?

Deep fried crap. I really prefer to go and grab a mantou dan in a breakfast shop, no matter how greasy the walls are.

[jimipresley]

Jesus. Don’t you lot know how to make a 10-minute fluffy omelet at home with real cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms?
Or boil a fucking egg?
Or scrambled on toast?
You don’t HAVE to sleep for that extra ten minutes.

[Malasang88]

@jimipresley

Jesus. Don’t you lot know how to make a 10-minute fluffy omelet at home with real cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms?

Ooh ooh I know! Tough one but I got this. Step 1 - Tell the wife I’m hungry. Step 2 - Also tell her I’d like some coffee. Step 3 - Lie in bed and fart. 10 minutes later a fluffy omelette and coffee is on the table.

[Dr_Milker]

@Malasang88

Lie in bed and fart. 10 minutes later a fluffy omelette and coffee is on the table.

Now that’s a superpower I can get behind.

[Andrew]

@finley

Never understood how the idea that wallpaper paste is somehow especially good for sick people holds such appeal for medical professionals. You get the exact same meme all over the world.

Oh, just to make it clear (and in case it sounded too entitled), I wasn’t asking the Thai hospital staff to bring me a ribeye steak or a burger and fries or anything. I was just sick of getting exclusively rice porridge and wanted the same as the other patients in the room were getting, i.e., rice porridge plus the boiled egg and mystery meat. I was feeling like that monkey in a cage watching the other monkeys being given more food.

[TT]

@Dr_Milker

Now that’s a superpower I can get behind.

Might smell better in front, tho

[BiggusDickus]

@finley

@Andrew

They told me it wasn’t good for my recovery/surgery to eat anything more flavorsome and substantial than rice porridge.

Never understood how the idea that wallpaper paste is somehow especially good for sick people holds such appeal for medical professionals. You get the exact same meme all over the world.

Punish the sick. I’m serious.

[jimipresley]

@BiggusDickus

Punish the sick. I’m serious.

It’s universal. Chicken broth, which has fuck-all vitamins, and only a little protein, is panacea for all ailments. I suppose because it’s easy to keep down and provides a modicum of hydration.

[Whatevah]

Hundo percent agreed. What I don’t get is the obsession with hotpot. The hell is that shit? 酸菜魚 isn’t half bad though.

[RickRooney]

There’s Vietnam food everywhere but why are 90% of the Vietnamese restaurants in Taiwan average? There’s a bunch in my neighborhood, only one is decent (bahn mi place) and it doesn’t compare to the bahn mi I had in vietnam.

I gotta go all the way to jian zi cui in banqiao to get a good pho.

[The]

I love Vietnamese food, and I like people. Very chill emigrants.

[Explant]

In fairness, leave it to vietnam to let white people respect spam (banmi)…good fun. I love vietnamese food because it is way more fresh than han food in Taiwan which is often heavy on processed shit and chemicals. real taiwanese food is excellent. My favorites being various ferns, betel flower, various bee and hornet larva, wild hog and certain species of seafood are all world class. it ain’t famous cause it is expensive and/or logistically difficult. I agree the cheap chinese/taiwanese fare is soso. but actual taiwanese food of quality is absolutely spectacular. Too bad it isnt widely available Not like cheap fresh vietnamese food. on cheap price points, vietnamese blows taiwanese food away. On quality local stuff, both are beyond great.

[quandary]

I have not found a Vietnamese restaurant that does not use excessive MSG in the US and in Taiwan, therefore I avoid Vietnamese food in general.

[Malasang88]

@quandary

I have not found a Vietnamese restaurant that does not use excessive MSG in the US and in Taiwan, therefore I avoid Vietnamese food in general.

That’s surprising to hear that would be the case in the US when it is heavily stigmatized and most restaurants call out they don’t add it.

[quandary]

@Malasang88

That’s surprising to hear that would be the case in the US when it is heavily stigmatized and most restaurants call out they don’t add it.

Yes, usually I’d ask before even stepping in. They would tell me they don’t use MSG, but I could still taste it (my tongue is very sensitive to it) - either they were lying, or they don’t use MSG in their own cooking, but the sauces or the pre-made ingredients still have it.

[Dr_Milker]

@afterspivak

That’s because the demographic to which you are referring was predominantly waisheng led, who had much easier access to passports and mobility at that time.

Plenty of benshengren too, and when they opened restaurants, they rarely sold Taiwanese food.

@izzy

Or they call it Chinese food, so people dont come in and ask how come there is no pad thai.

Well, they usually called it Chinese food because it was Chinese food…or typical Cantonese-influenced American Chinese food. You weren’t going to be finding oyster omelets and three-cup chicken on the menu. A lot of them also opened Japanese restaurants, pan-Asian/Asian fusion restaurants, donut shops, etc.

[Andrew]

@Explant

betel flower

Actually, I was meaning to ask you (and/or @finley, or anyone else who knows) - do you know if it’s possible to get wild betel leaves here? I’m talking about Piper sarmentosum/Piper lolot, which I think is different from the betel leaves they wrap betel/areca nut in. It’s for making bo la lot.

Bò nướng lá lốt

Vietnamese Grilled Beef Wrapped in Betel Leaves Bò Lá Lốt

The seeds would also maybe be fine, as long as they’re not too difficult to grow. Couldn’t find those online or from the big Taiwanese seed companies either.

[OysterOmelet]

Pho has a weird aftertaste. Other than that, I like Vietnamese food.

[Andrew]

@OysterOmelet

Pho has a weird aftertaste.

Maybe for you, but I’ve never noticed one.