[0:22]Today we're in Taiwan, which was only made possible by Starlux Airlines, which was also genuinely one of the best airline experiences I've ever had. On this trip I'm with my friend Hengyou and together we're exploring Taiwan. So, I know Taiwan is known for a couple of things. Semiconductors, Jay Cho and food. Today we're here for the last one.
[0:44]My first stop is this place. No Instagram presence, no English menu, you just have some locals and the smell of braised pork that's been cooking since this morning. This is Gua Bao, Taiwan's answer to the taco and the burger. But just calling it a Taiwanese burger is like calling pizza flatbread with toppings. The bun is sweet, kind of like brioche, and the pork melts in your mouth. There's pork belly, fresh cilantro, mustard greens, and sweet salty crushed peanuts. This is the kind of gluttony they talk about in the Bible. The couple next to me, Joe and John, have been coming here for the past 30 years. They sit at the same table and get the same order every single time. I know I'm just trolling. I don't know who they are. We also got some pork intestine vermicelli noodles. 10 out of 10 would recommend.
[1:41]TFC. Taiwanese fried chicken. It's not Japanese karage, it's not Korean fried chicken, it's it's own thing. Oh, is that sweet potato? Sweet potato. Fish cake. Chicken. This is the fried squid. Taiwanese fried chicken uses sweet potato starch for coating. It creates a very distinct crunchy texture. Even like the shape is different.
[2:12]You know, Taiwanese fried chicken is a very democratic food. You eat it with a stick and can walk around. It's very honest. I know. Trying to read Chinese. Getting everything wrong. I'm so sorry, Lao-shi.
[2:41]I can't spend the whole day eating. So here we are walking around Taiwan's oldest street, Dihua Street. I've never seen Bao Zi shaped teacups in the US. Performative book reading in Taiwan.
[2:58]Is this like a temple? It's a temple for relationships. Pray for me.
[3:10]One thing I've noticed about Taiwan is that it does a great job of letting modern and traditional coexist. Even though we were walking around the oldest street in Taiwan, we found this beautiful cafe. This cafe is called URA.219. It's a collaboration between fashion brand Professor.E and plant specialist Urayama. It has minimalist designer clothing and curated vintage ceramics. If I'm not mistaken, everything in the store can be bought. It also has a Go board to play on. In most places, it gets quieter when it gets dark, but in Taiwan, I felt the opposite.
[3:53]Raohe Market. There's tanghulu here.
[4:00]Do you want to introduce yourself? Introduce myself? I'm your tour guide, bro. He's shy. Yeah, this is a pretty famous night market. It mostly has traditional Taiwanese street food.
[4:14]I want to say something. Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival (full moon).
[4:23]Pepper cake. This is pepper cake. I I haven't heard of like half of this stuff. My friend Lee was telling me about how night markets are not very curated. No one is trying to force an experience on you. And the whole experience is just happening. You're along for the ride. It's like Vegas, but instead of slot machines, you have street vendors. First stop is the Michelin Bib Gourmand black pepper bun. They start as dough stuffed with pork, scallions, and tons of black pepper. Then they stick it to the walls of a tandoor-style oven at 500°F. Hi, can we get 4 black pepper buns please?
[5:02]The buns are super hot fresh out the oven.
[5:08]I could sit here and try to tell you about the black pepper bun, the char, the fat, the way it scalds your mouth. But honestly, trying to describe it feels disrespectful. Sometimes you just need to shut up and eat. This is one of them. At Raohe you can eat, play, and shop. There are tons of things to do. After WWII and the Chinese Civil War, night markets became more than just food. They were community. Raohe became an official night market in 1987. If you ever visit Taiwan, I recommend visiting. Why am I kinda nice with it? Yay!
[5:51]Shin-chan toys, lol. Oh, that's Spongebob. Can I get a Fiji? After walking around for a little bit, we decided to eat some more. Taiwanese pork braised rice, which we have right here, is a super beloved comfort food. It pairs really well with Taiwanese Pork Rib Soup. Life doesn't get better than this.
[6:17]Food and friends. It heals the soul. And the last stall we're hitting tonight is stinky tofu.
[6:33]Yeah, it stinks. I'm really excited for this because my parents are from Changsha. Test of a good stinky tofu, it's first of all it stinks. Tofu who is stinky tofu. Actually looks pretty good. It is pretty good.
[7:02]But now I'm tired, and it's kind of late, and I'm pretty full. But I'm about to make a terrible decision. We're going to eat some Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Lao Shan Dong is in the basement of a building. The decor is simple and no-frills. It's been a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient since 2018. The hand-cut ribbon noodles are thick, chewy, and made fresh to order. That's fantastic! Holy moly.
[7:43]Can't leave Taiwan without having boba.
[7:54]In Taiwan, tapioca pearls are called frog eggs.
[8:01]I know there's like sentimental music and it sounds kind of sappy. Actually, let me just change the music. Okay, I think that's better. Anyway, what I was trying to say was if you've ever been thinking of visiting Taiwan, I would highly recommend it. The food is great, the people are very kind, and it's very safe. Thank you to all my friends for showing me Taiwan. Here is me walking my friend's dog Biru. He will not give me shake unless I have treats. Shake. Also, if you ever go to Taiwan, their arcades are extremely fun.
[8:43]Thank you Taiwan. Thank you for watching :) Happy early holidays. Like and subscribe for more :)
