Seek Tea Culture In Taiwan

Have you try the pearl milk tea? You might had it in your country, but the pearl milk tea definitely is the product from Taiwan. Many Taiwanese know it emerged from Taichung, but do you know, as breakfast shop, you could see there are take away tea shop anywhere. The take away tea shop is popular especially in the summer time, charge low price and also many different choices and flavoring. Beside the take away tea shop, the tea house also provide tea, the price is higher, but also provide meals and snacks, is a nice place to have a meeting, relaxing and chatting.

I was guiding Singaporean friends many weeks ago, they were so starving when they were just arrive Hualien, because they don't eat pork, so I took them to a tea house in Hualien. The menu of the tea house is diversify, chicken, pork, beef even hot pot, fried rice etc. Some meal serve with veges and I have talk to the waiter about my guests don't eat pork, so the chef cook the veges without add any pork, my guests were grateful about this. They were all ordered chicken but cook in different way, Gong bao chicken, Thai spicy chicken, and San bei chicken, each flavoring taste different. The experience in the tea house was new for them, they never thought about you can have nice meals and also nice tea in a place at the same time.

Not just young generations like to hang out with friends in the tea house, tea house also a place to spend time with family, for this reason, that's why the menu is getting diversify. If you are not that hungry but would like to have something to taste, snacks would be a good choice too, deep fried tofu, Dian xin, fried chips, western and Taiwanese snacks would be server in the tea house as well.

Different take away tea shops and tea houses are keeping sort out interesting flavoring tea. Also, each tea shop or tea house have their own customer. If you travel to Taiwan, you must try the tea culture in Taiwan. If you can't speak or read Chinese, then I could tell you what my Singaporean friends did. They used finger to point items on the menu and tell the staff what they want, it's a good way to make an order, don't you think so?

Gou Mao, a wild vegatable in Taiwan

Do you remember the article about the country side in Hualien? I was mention about a wild vages FERN, people call it Gou Mao in Taiwan. Few days ago my mum bought a big bunch of Gou Mao from a farmer whom cultivate it, she picks the soft part and get ready to cook it. As I said before, you could boiling it or fried it, my mum choose to fried it by wok.

Add oil to the wok and add chili, garlic and ginger, when you smell the fragrance of them, add Gou Mao and fried it. Don't forget to add some rice wine, it could make the fried vages taste better and keep the vages green, after flavoring, there is a yummy fried Gou Mao get ready for eat. So if you never try Gou Mao before, I think you sure give it to go, maybe you would love it!

Seek Breakfast in Taiwan

You will be surprise about the breakfast in Taiwan, because there are too many choices, western and eastern styles, sometimes you could see there are 5-6 breakfast shops in a street. Most of Taiwanese like to go to the breakfast shop, no matter take away or have it in the shop, it's too convenient and save time. I remember when I was in Australia, not many choices for breakfast and also cost more, that's why I usually make it at home by myself, but in Taiwan, breakfast are cheaper and have more options. 

As a westerner, my husband actually feel culture shock about the food while the first time he came to Taiwan, after a while, he's getting love the breakfast in Taiwan, especially the eastern style breakfast. In Hualien, here is a breakfast shop in the center, small, old, and maybe a bit not looks clean for western, but it's popular to tourist and people local Hualien. There and 1000s breakfast shops in Hualien but why I only mention about this one? Because my husband like to have a breakfast here and always enjoy it. In Hualien city center, there is a parking area and local Hualien calls it Toyo, because there was a hotel name Toyo hotel in long long time ago. Beside the Toyo parking area, there is a breakfast shop in the corner, old bungalow and small, but always busy in the morning, I came here since I was a high school student. Anyway, as a westerner, the first image about here to my husband is the shop not really clean, always plates been use on the table (too manypeople come and leave), but after a while, he was getting like here. Kindly boss, nice meal, yes, now he is very into Taiwanese breakfast. The famous meal here is Dan-Bing, which is Taiwanese omelet, egg, spring onion, pastry and sauce, simple but delicious. Of course, not just traditional Dan Bing, you could add different ingredients with it, bacon, cheese vages etc., make Taiwanese omelet becomes varied. My husband love Dan Bing, but he loves Xin Bing more. Xin Bing is something like western pie, pastry fill pork mince, ginger and spring onion, hmm... yummy! 

This breakfast shop also server Taiwan style sandwich as well, soy milk, black tea... The menu cover many different meal. So if you are coming to Taiwan or you are in Taiwan, don't forget try the local breakfast, experience the breakfast culture in Taiwan.