It seems that Taiwan offers EVERYTHING we want to eat & to drink.
But, you only have to know where to go…
That is the part of the ex-pat game I guess.
“Open your eyes and you will find”[/quote]
That’s true of much of the experience living in Taiwan, not just the culinary part. Many foreigners live here for years, complain incessantly about the pollution and crowds, never realizing there are beautiful mountains full of fresh air and hiking trails within 30 minutes of downtown. Hell, I lived in Mucha for years before I realized I could get to a beach in an hour.
The problem of course if that the local food just isn’t healthy. Nor is it always trustworthy. It was only 4 years ago that the EPA did a survey of rice fields and closed 20% of them down as they contained excessive levels of heavy metals. It was only this spring that we had diseased pigs being sold. I never shop at a local market as I cannot be sure where these veggies were grown. We’ve all heard stories of how local farmers use so much pesticide even they won’t eat their produce but have a small patch for their own consumption. Me, I buy either hydroponic or imported or local organically grown.
It’s a myth that it is expensive to cook with western ingredients. It depends on what you eat. The other night we had spicy potatoes, pimientoes, steamed fish and a fresh salad for not much more than what it would have cost for two bian deng. All the food was imported or local organic. I cook with a lot of imported lentils, grains, beans, noodles, and spices. But I also buy $180 containers of organic yoghurt, $280 whole cooked chickens, $180 (tiny) jars of organic peanut butter, and my food bill is still less than when I used to eat out all the time.
If by western food you mean daily servings of steaks and pig knuckles and pates and cheeses and foie gras then yes it is going to be expensive. But if you mean soups and pastas and curries and fish and chicken and chilis and fajitas and stir fries then there is no reason you can’t buy quality ingredients and still have a normal food budget.
That said, you’d be a fool to pass on the local selection of fruits. The mangoes are the best you’ll ever taste.
Yup. Muzha Man hit the nail on the head. I hardly ever eat out because its so difficult to find something prepared better than we can do at home (apart from Alan’s pizza) and at home we nearly always eat “Western” food – which my wife prefers cooking to local food simply because its so much healthier and tastier (although maybe that’s just my wife’s great cooking!).
I of course cook “western” too – or at least “non-Taiwanese” as we cook food from all over the world – and yes Imani, from Taiwan as well, when the mood hits. And like Muzha Man, we buy organic and are extremely when sourcing the rice we use. A lot of the stuff for sale here is downright dangerous to the health. Must stop now – I’m off downstairs for a cigarette.
I’m just curious, since it seems that if farmers in Taiwan are using pesticides on veggies, then they would also be using pesticides on the fruits they grow.
Could be wrong on this, but I just wanted to clarify.
Also, I agree that Taiwan has excellent mangoes, though Thailand has some pretty tasty ones as well. Warm sticky rice with slices of mango drizzled in coconut cream–mmm mmm.
If you have the address, it would be much appreciated.[/quote]
It’s next to Sunrise department store, the first shop on your right hand side when youwalk down the lane dividing the China Petroleum station on Fuxing in 2. (The gas station is next to Sunrise department store). Phone no is 02 2776 3746. The owner speaks German, Taiwanese, and mandarin, but not much English.
[quote=“fee”]
Do you also only buy organically grown fruit?
I’m just curious, since it seems that if farmers in Taiwan are using pesticides on veggies, then they would also be using pesticides on the fruits they grow.
Could be wrong on this, but I just wanted to clarify.
Also, I agree that Taiwan has excellent mangoes, though Thailand has some pretty tasty ones as well. Warm sticky rice with slices of mango drizzled in coconut cream–mmm mmm.[/quote]
I don’t tend to buy organic fruit as I don’t like the selection that usually available. I buy a lot of imported fruit like kiwis, apples, grapes, plums, etc. In summer I do eat the local fruit because it is so damn good and I don’t worry too much about pesticides. Mangoes and such must be peeled, unlike green veggies which are sprayed directly on the leafy area you eat. I may be getting a bit of pesticide residue but that is very unlikely to harm me in such small doses as all long term studies have shown.
No diet is going to be perfect but you want to avoid prolonged, excessive exposure to things that aren’t good for you.
I am also heartened by the fact that Taiwanese mangoes and other tropical fruits are being sold abroad now and so far there have been no complaints or discoveries of excessive pesticide content, heavy metal, etc.
