[RD] Discovering Taiwan

[warpus]

Sweet Potato Balls (地瓜球)

This is an iconic night market street food invented in Taiwan at some point in the 1980-1990s. I heard it referenced repeatedly in my research, and it ended up being my first buy at Raohe Street Night Market.

In Taiwan the sweet potato is sometimes used as a reference to the Taiwanese people and Taiwan's agricultural roots, and not only because the shape of the island sort of resembles a sweet potato. In post-WW2 Taiwan the vegetable was a common and cheap staple and for many Taiwanese it evokes childhood memories of visits to the market. There is some nostalgia at play here, but one thing I did not realize is that these things are actually hollow!

This was a great crunchy snack, slightly sweet and slightly chewy on the inside, with multiple flavours to choose from. Also very easy to eat while walking and checking out the other food stalls.

If you are curious how they are made, here is a video:

 

[warpus]

Meaty Treats at Raohe Street Night Market

Taiwan is incredibly vegetarian and vegan friendly, but meat is popular too.

Using various sources I've put together a list of some of the meaty dishes you can find at Raohe Street Night Market. I'm including seafood, the meat of the seas.

Grilled chicken, Grilled pork, Pork belly skewers, Chicken wings, Chicken hearts, Beef skewers, Beef steak, Lamb skewers, Grilled squid, Fried chicken cutlets, Beef tripe, Hot dogs, Taiwanese sausage, Chicken skewers, Pork sausage, Pork intestine, Fried shrimp, BBQ duck, Pork bun, Pork rib stew, Grilled beef, Fish balls, Pork neck, Grilled beef tripe, Salted chicken, Spicy beef skewers, Chicken drumsticks, Pig’s blood cake, Grilled chicken gizzards, Grilled quail, Deep-fried squid, Barbecue beef ribs, Fried fish fillets, Grilled stinky tofu with meat, Smoked duck, Spicy chicken wings, Pork liver, Pig skin, Chicken feet, Grilled prawns, Fried pork chop, Grilled lamb chops, Fish cake, Grilled abalone, Pork belly sandwich, Taiwanese pork rice bowl, Duck tongue, Fried scallops, Deep-fried chicken skin, Stir-fried beef and onion.

A lot of protein on offer! I admit that a lot of the meat I ate at night markets in Taiwan was fried chicken.. but it was just so damn good and each vendor's was a little bit different. I did branch out with some sausages, other beef and pork options, some braised meats, more chicken types, turkey, and even a hamburger. Did not go for the German-style pig trotters, those seemed to be popular too. My pictures do not do the meat paradise on display justice.

Spoiler :

 

[warpus]

Signature Brushed Hot Dog

Usually Taiwanese brushed hot dogs are brushed with a sauce or glaze as they are being fried or grilled. In this case my hot dog was breaded and deep fried, so I'm not sure where the brushing came in.. It's possible my phone mistranslated the food stall sign.. or the sausage gets brushed before being deep fried in some way. Either way, I was easily convinced that a gooey cheesy hot dog concoction was something I had to try.

Overall definitely worth the wait and the $2.38 USD or so that it cost me. Not a classic Taiwanese street food by any means, but Raohe Street Night Market is known for having many types of sausage on offer. I should have tried more, but this almost filled me up to the top. Just a bit more fried chicken and it was time to jump on the MRT to get back to the hotel.

 

[REDY]

Since I played Sleeping Dogs, I have been dreaming about pork buns.

 

[warpus]

That made me want to compare Hong Kong pork buns to Taiwanese pork buns.

	Hong Kong Pork Bun (Cha Siu Bao)	Taiwanese Pork Bun (Gua Bao)
Origin	Hong Kong/Cantonese	Taiwan
Dough	Closed, round bun (steamed or baked)	Open, taco-like steamed bun
Bun Texture	Pillowy soft	Soft, slightly chewy
Filling	BBQ pork in sweet-savory sauce	Braised pork belly with pickles, peanuts, and herbs
Taste	Sweet-savory, smoky	Rich, fatty, tangy, herby
Serving Style	Dim sum (small size)	Street food (larger size)
Eating Method	With chopsticks or hands	Always hands

 

[warpus]

Songshan Ciyou Temple (松山慈祐宮)

This temple stands right outside of the eastern entrance to Raohe Street Night Market. It was built in 1753 and is dedicated to Mazu (媽祖), the goddess of the sea, who is highly revered in Taiwan.

The MRT metro entrance is a short 90m walk from here and the eastern Raohe Street Night Market entrance is just out of view to the left. As you approach the night market from the MRT station the Songshan Ciyou Temple is the first thing you see. It's lit up bright and a lot of the people pass in front of it on their way to the night market. There's also assorted shops and small restaurants around, and at least when I was here it was the busiest part of Taiwan I had experienced up until that point. The picture doesn't really do the controlled chaos justice. All the people wanting to walk westwards down Raohe Street slowly funnel into the narrow street. One of the most popular food stalls is right there by the entrance too, adding to the chaos. I am of course talking about Fuzhou Pepper Buns, which I've already written about.

 

[warpus]

Day Four Reflections
Saturday, November 9, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 9 km

This was a bit more relaxing of a day compared to the rest of the trip so far, but it ended up being the exact pace of change that I needed. I ended up walking a respectable 9km, about 1.5km of that being the Raohe Street Night Market, which was the absolute highlight of the day. In my research this night market was often described as being must see and the top night market to visit in Taipei, although it wasn't the most popular night market in town. It did not disappoint, and even though I was tired and don't really like crowds I had a great time making my way through the sea of people while I inspected the food stalls along the way. Just taking in the atmosphere was a bit of a thrill. I came to Taiwan to experience Taiwanese culture and attempt to see things from a Taiwanese point of view, and at Raohe Street Night Market I felt like I was in the middle of multiple cultural elements colliding all around me.

Daan Forest Park left a bit of an impact on me as well, and not only because an older Taiwanese man attempted to hit on me while I sat on a bench to read a bit of the Stephen Baxter novel I had brought with me. I thought I had found an out of the way bench where I could get a bit more quiet.. but nope, as soon as I sat down this dude sat down beside me and started staring at me, without saying a word. It was a bit weird, but after he put his hand on my knee I let him down gently and walked away to find a more suitable bench. Hey, as they say you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.. and although that was a very weird way to go about taking your shot (I thought), it left me somewhere halfway between amused and bemused. Can cute and creepy coexist in the same moment? This was a gentle older Taiwanese man, well dressed and groomed, I could see him as a loving grandfather who's family doesn't really see him creepy. Why was I trying to defend him in my mind? (I'm not really sure, maybe because seemed so harmless..) I almost wanted to feel bad for him. I mean, here was a perhaps lonely older man looking for some company. What he did was 100% wrong but I was fine and maybe a little bit flattered. If I was not a semi-imposing almost 6 foot tall man this would have lead to a wildly different reaction from me. I did not feel threatened at all, and a part of that must have been the general "This is one of the safest countries on the planet" vibe that persists throughout the island.. but a bigger part of it was that this older man had no power over me. If the power dynamics had been different, this would have probably scared the living crap out of me. But I've never been in that situation from that point of view, so I can't really speak to it.

There was also a bit of a physical impact I experienced in the park. There are multiple ponds around and the first couple benches I sat on lead to me being bitten by mosquitos at a rate I did not want to put up with. Nothing crazy, but a bite every 15-20 seconds meant that I had to find a better bench.

I'll end this post with a picture of the statue of a water buffalo I found in Daan Park. This is a reference to the "I don't eat cows because they help us/society" quote from an earlier post. In Taiwan Water Buffalos in particular, but also other members from the Bovinae subfamily are considered helpful beasts of burden who have done their part contributing to the well being and prosperity of the island. Many Taiwanese don't eat beef or meat altogether, in part for that reason. It's a sort of nostalgic connection to a more agricultural past that some choose to respect by not consuming these animals.

 

[warpus]

Day 5

Tianmu Historic Trail (天母古道)
Sunday, November 10, 2024

After a successful hike wtih my new Taipei hiking friend Friday night, we decided to go on a hike out into the mountains again, this time in the early afternoon on Sunday.

The chosen trail required a bus ride to the northern edge of the city, which coincided with my first bus trip in Taiwan. Once again I was able to tap-on tap-off with my EasyCard, making most of the logistics fairly easy to figure out.

This is a historic trail in part because it was originally built by the Japanese right beside a water irrigation & geothermal based network of pipes. A lot of the stones you walk on were set down during the colonial period and in some cases much earlier. There is a long history of people using this trail to transport goods from Taipei into the mountains and back.

The Formosan Macaque species of monkey can be found here living in the wild.

I didn't see any roosters on the trail, but this is probably a reference to the agricultural impact of some of the surrounding communities. From what I understand there are still some farms in the foothills, and about 10km of a hike into the mountains.

The pipes you see above are post-colonial, likely a part of an irrigation or water routing system.

 

[warpus]

More pictures from the trail

 

[warpus]

Tsuifeng Falls (翠峰瀑布)

One of the benefits of hiking with somebody who lives in Taipei and loves hiking is that they are likely to know all the cool spots to visit on the trails near the city. Taipei is surrounded by mountains on almost all sides and there's interconnected hiking trails all over the place. When I was doing research I ended up marking 8-12 interesting sounding trails near Taipei on the map.. I did not have time to look for sidetrails or other hidden gems along the way, unless it came up in one of the trip reports I'd read. So yes, it was amazing to have somebody with me who was passionate about hiking and lived in Taipei. She identified Tsuifeng Falls as a must visit destination and convinced me that it was a worthy place to visit.

This time we were hiking down an unpaved path that descended down the mountain in another direction. Eventually we could hear the flow of water and 10-15 minutes later we were looking at the somewhat unique scenery that is Tsuifeng Falls.

These rocks are brown in colour due to the presence of sulfur. There was a distinct rotten egg smell down here, all a hint of the geothermal activity in the area.

 

[warpus]

What we found at the other end of the Tianmu Historic Trail

and of course robots making coffee

 

[warpus]

Maji Square & Expo Park

Maji square is a cultural and entertainment hub containing eateries, bars, cafes, markets, shops, pedestrian plazas, and green & event spaces. It is a part of the larger Expo Park complex that includes many other parks, shopping areas, live event spaces, and other pedestrian friendly areas. It was originally built for the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition.

We stopped here for an overpriced drink to celebrate the successful completion of our hike and only spent about an hour and a half in the area. There is a lot to walk through and see around here, I wish I had time to return to give this part of Taipei the attention it deserves.

 

[warpus]

Xinzhongshan Linear Park (心中山線形公園)

I decided to walk back to my hotel from Maji Square instead of jumping on the MRT, so that I could explore a bit more of the city. The discovery of the day was a narrow set of parks that were situated directly above the red MRT metro line. These pedestrian and green spaces were about 10-20m wide and stretched back to back for about 4km. Instead of a busy road full of cars right above the subway line, here was a pedestrian friendly urban pathway. Definitely my kind of discovery! There were streets on either side of the narrow set of parks, but major north-south throughfares and the accompanying car traffic & noise were a bit further away to the east or west.

Xinzhongshan Linear Park was the most memorable to me of all these narrow pedestrian spaces. It acts as a sort of vibrant space that draws in people and connects nearby parts of the city from a pedestrian pov, surrounded by a bustling part of Taipei. This part of the city is known for having an abundance of shops, malls, cultural and art spaces, nightlife options, parks, museums, etc. The nearby MRT station is a major transportation interchange as well, connecting two of the three busiest MRT lines.

There were complementary urban design elements along the way such as elevated walkways, and in this particular park at this particular time also a lot of vendors selling what looked to be mainly arts and crafts. You'd also of course run into the occasional snack or food stall. A fun part of the city to walk through, if you have the time.

This is the sort of altering urban design you encounter as you walk down one of these linear parks:

(Following two photos from another source, not taken by me)

Eventually all that walking got me hungry again, even though we ate a filling meal right after finishing the hike. I was craving tonkatsu and ended up finding a well reviewed restaurant selling exactly what I was craving. It was on one of the upper floors of a nearby shopping mall, which also reminded me of Japan.

Not quite as good as what I had in Japan, but nevertheless a very good tonkatsu curry! The Japanese influences on the island continued to comfort me in a familiar to me way and present to me yet another dimension of Taiwanese lifestyle and culture. And yet another reason why Taiwan is such a great travel destination! There's a richer diversity in the culture than you'd expect, sort of offering bits and pieces of other parts of Asia all in one compact place, with western and Austronesian influences sprinkled on top.

 

[warpus]

Day Five Reflections
Sunday, November 10, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 12 km

My first weekend in Taiwan had come to an end. By now I was feeling fairly at ease with the country and its general approach to life. Better yet, I was having a blast of a time!

Here you can see me consuming a Filipino Red Horse beer in the Filipino part of Taipei, about a 15 minute walk from Maji Square. There's Filipino shops in the area, a Filipino Catholic church, Filipino restaurants, a community centre, and other Filipino businesses and establishments.

About 160,000 Filipino nationals live in Taiwan, most of them migrant workers. This is out of a total population of about 750,000 migrant workers on the island; The vast majority come from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. You won't really find any other nationality-centric cultural hubs on the island though, this Filipino part of Taipei is somewhat unique in that. One of the reasons for that is historical. The Filipino community wasn't the first migrant worker community in Taiwan, but they managed to anchor in a close-knit community in this part of the capital. In other major cities I noticed that there was pretty much a more general "South-east Asian" part of town instead. This is where you'd go if you wanted a more authentic pho, pad thai, adobo, or nasi goreng.

The migrant worker situation in Taiwan is a bit controversial. Salaries are low, they are expected to work long hours, and the rights afforded to migrant workers are relatively restricted. They have limited housing options and are often only able to pay for one small room in a lodging they share with others. In order to continue living in Taiwan and being able to send money back home, many end up taking whatever contracts are available when their last contract has expired.. Otherwise, without a job, they'd be sent back to their home country, with the option to begin the process from scratch all over again. Most contracts run for 2-3 years, and extensions are usually 1-2 years long, so either way every couple years you have stress out over your future. The money they make is better than at home and the quality of life is as well, but there is a large gulf between migrant workers in Taiwan and the sort of jobs that Taiwanese nationals have.

Out of the two migrant workers I met on my trip, one had slightly busted up finger tips and fingernails due to long repetitive factory work. Both seemed determined and resilient, excited to show me their favourite parts of Taiwan.

 

[warpus]

Day 6

APause Inn
Monday, November 11, 2024

The original plan was to book a hotel for 7-10 night in Taipei and go from there. When news of the typhoon broke I decided to cut that down to 4. Forecasts were predicting that the southern part of the island would have sunny weather quicker, so I wanted to give myself the option of heading south early if that made sense at the time.

The more time I spent in overcast Taipei the more sense that seemed to make, but it was Thursday or Friday that I received an unexpected message from an old friend from the 1990s. He saw my instagram posts and wanted to see if I was interested in meeting up, since he was flying to Taiwan for work on Monday morning.. I was due to check out of my hotel on Saturday and then probably take a train to my next destination, which I decided was going to be Taichung.. But this was an opportunity to meet up with somebody who's art in the textmode art world I always respected.. somebody who was in a whole bunch of the same groups as me at the time.. somebody I've drawn with before and talked to many times. This was a no brainer.

I booked a hotel for 2 extra nights, this time even closer to Main Station.. and a Monday evening 7:30pm train ticket to Taichung. The plan was to meet up with my friend at 4pm or so and then make sure I am checked out of my new hotel in time to catch the train, departing from Main Station.

I have fond memories from this hotel, mainly because it was just so much quieter than the first one. The first one was closer to the more vibrant Ximending, so there'd be occasional street sounds.. but this room didn't even have windows! Turns out that's a huge plus. I couldn't even hear any of the other guests at the hotel, it was like I was the only one staying on the whole floor. I slept better here.

One time in a bit of a daze I ended up on the wrong floor, some sort of a medical facility and/or office? I walked in, walked a bit forward, looked around, then circled back into that elevator like Abe Simpson. It was a fun building to be staying in though, for some reason. I had a keycard to tap in and out of the floor and there was a front desk around where I could get help.. but other than that it for some reason didn't really feel like a hotel.. even though it definitely was. There was just something quaint about the floors above and below me being taken up other unaffiliated businesses. Like this was some sort of compartmentalized hotel and that rubbed me the right way for some reason. It was also convenient to have McD's right by the elevator, that's where I ended up getting my morning coffee. Seeking out local cafes was fun during my first bunch of days in Taipei, but eventually I basically wanted more time for exploring the city. Having that option there saved me a lot of time.

Being even closer to Main Station also made it easier to get around the city.

 

[warpus]

Lin Sen Park (林森公園)

This monday started with me figuring out a vague walking plan around the city that would see me back near Main Station by 4pm. I checked out of the hotel in the morning and left my large 76L backpack in storage.

My first stop ended up being a pastry shop for breakfast, and the second stop Lin Sen Park. Lin Sen was the 5th president of the Republic of China, who served from 1931 until his death in 1943. He was mainly a symbolic ruler, while Chiang Kai-shek held actual power as the leader of the government and military. Lin Sen is nevertheless remembered for his political leadership, especially during the second Sino-Japanese war (1937 - 1945).

Apparently there is statue of Lin Sen in the park, but I must have found the other statue of a guy on horseback a lot more interesting.

The guy turned out to be Yue Fei (1103 - 1142), a famous general from the Southern Song Dynasty. During the couple decades after the government moved to the island, it was somewhat en vogue to build statues of historical Chinese figures in Taiwan in order to reinforce historical and cultural connections to the mainland. This general in particular was famous for his loyalty to the Song as well as his campaigns against the Jin Dynasty.

 

[warpus]

Urban Snapshots

 

[warpus]

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

Housed in a former Japanese-era industrial complex, originally built in 1914 as a winery, this area has been transformed into a cultural and creative hub. It serves as one of the main grounds in the city that hosts Taiwan's most significant cultural activities. Here you will find exhibition halls, art galleries, theatres, creative studios, design shops, cafes, live performances, film screenings, creative workshops, craft markets, etc.

There are also plenty of green open air areas, including an adjacent Central Art Park.

 

[warpus]

Jin Yong Centenary Exhibition

Jin Yong (1924 - 2018) is widely regarded as the most influential wuxia (Chinese martial arts) novellist of all time. His novels have been adapted into many TV series, movies, video games, and comics in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. Many Chinese character archetypes and phrases originate from his works, which continue to influence martial arts fiction & pop culture.

I was lucky enough to walk through some of the exhibits commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth.

I swiped this off the internet, it runs through what sort of exhibits could be found here. I missed a few of them on my walkthrough

Rare Artifacts: The exhibition showcased previously unreleased personal items and manuscripts of Jin Yong, offering deeper insights into his creative process and personal life.
Immersive Installations: Visitors experienced recreated scenes from Jin Yong's novels, blending traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern design elements.
Interactive Displays: The exhibition featured digital and interactive installations, allowing visitors to engage with the martial arts world depicted in Jin Yong's works.

 

[Zardnaar]

Day Five Reflections
Sunday, November 10, 2024

Total Distance Walked This Day - 12 km

My first weekend in Taiwan had come to an end. By now I was feeling fairly at ease with the country and its general approach to life. Better yet, I was having a blast of a time!

View attachment 725887

Here you can see me consuming a Filipino Red Horse beer in the Filipino part of Taipei, about a 15 minute walk from Maji Square. There's Filipino shops in the area, a Filipino Catholic church, Filipino restaurants, a community centre, and other Filipino businesses and establishments.

About 160,000 Filipino nationals live in Taiwan, most of them migrant workers. This is out of a total population of about 750,000 migrant workers on the island; The vast majority come from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. You won't really find any other nationality-centric cultural hubs on the island though, this Filipino part of Taipei is somewhat unique in that. One of the reasons for that is historical. The Filipino community wasn't the first migrant worker community in Taiwan, but they managed to anchor in a close-knit community in this part of the capital. In other major cities I noticed that there was pretty much a more general "South-east Asian" part of town instead. This is where you'd go if you wanted a more authentic pho, pad thai, adobo, or nasi goreng.

The migrant worker situation in Taiwan is a bit controversial. Salaries are low, they are expected to work long hours, and the rights afforded to migrant workers are relatively restricted. They have limited housing options and are often only able to pay for one small room in a lodging they share with others. In order to continue living in Taiwan and being able to send money back home, many end up taking whatever contracts are available when their last contract has expired.. Otherwise, without a job, they'd be sent back to their home country, with the option to begin the process from scratch all over again. Most contracts run for 2-3 years, and extensions are usually 1-2 years long, so either way every couple years you have stress out over your future. The money they make is better than at home and the quality of life is as well, but there is a large gulf between migrant workers in Taiwan and the sort of jobs that Taiwanese nationals have.

Out of the two migrant workers I met on my trip, one had slightly busted up finger tips and fingernails due to long repetitive factory work. Both seemed determined and resilient, excited to show me their favourite parts of Taiwan.

That beers not to bad. I was lifted a can by Filipino mate.

Think it was 8%