Made in Taiwan

December 8, 2023 – Hulong Village – Taichung – 74km – DLINN Hotel 

When something is labelled “Made  in Taiwan ,” it is very likely it was made in or around Taichung, the Taiwanese capital of light industry. The city is also the birthplace of Giant bikes and bubble tea. (Coincidentally, our first stop in the city was a Giant bike store where I bought a new quick release for my seat.)

We are spending three nights here so that we can take in the museums and enjoy the city and its food. The main attractions are a huge natural history museum and an excellent contemporary art museum. 

We loved both museums, but the highlight for us is the pleasure of eating like the Taiwanese. “Made in Taiwan” does not only mean cheap dollar store products, but also fresh and tasty food prepared before your eyes at a food cart or a tiny sidewalk restaurant. 

Each morning or evening we stroll through the food stalls to choose one that is busy with locals. We have never been disappointed. For breakfast, I like crepes with egg and sweet corn, or a flaky flat bread stuffed with pork and eggs. For a sweet snack I really enjoy moon cakes. They are a pastry ball filled with sweet bean paste surrounding a salty egg yolk; no seriously, they are really good. Dinner can be anything from tasty stir fries, noodle soup or freshly made pork dumplings. The flavours are often salty and sweet, with green onions sneaking in to most dishes. The Japanese eggplant is one of my favourite things on most menus. Menus are in Chinese at these places, so we use the camera function and Google translate to order. Walking back to our hotel we usually can’t resist buying a green onion pancake that we polish off in a nearby park. 

Normally we are spending 3 to 4 dollars each for our meals at these places. You can spend much more on meals in Taiwan. There is a huge range of mid and upscale restaurants including some with Michelin stars. I imagine the ambience and table settings are more sophisticated, and the presentation of the food more elaborate, but it’s hard to imagine it could be that much tastier.