It sure felt a whole lot longer than 3 months since the last time I was back, but I mean, possibly, this is the difference with "officially" being away from home than just going out for a holiday. Closely resembles the same "moving out" feeling as most brides probably feel. Even if they're just moving to a house down the same street, it's the "officiality" of the move that's upsetting. You're not really going anywhere physically, but u no longer refer to that place as ur home anymore if someone were to ask where u live. So every visit feels like a return from a long time away. Possibly.
Of course, way before my arrival, I've already spoken with the head chef at the house about what I wanted to eat: home-cooked meals! Sure, Taiwan's known as the food heaven, but for me, mom's cooking beats all. Her udon n hot pot n soup...things I can only dream about when I'm living in my kitchen-less place in KL. Well, even if I had a kitchen, it's never the same when she makes them. It always tastes better when she makes them, n u can say I'm just being sweet, but the secret ingredient is "Mama's Love". That's right. I'm all for it. So, not a surprise, mom had it all prepared for before we got home: hot pot! Now that I think about it, there's nothing really too too different about our hot pots, but it's precisely the whole family-feel that seals the deal. Having the whole family crowd around the pot, eating n catching up...nothing beats this. Nothing. Oh, n we decided to run out for some marinated side dishes to have alongside our hot pot, n u'd never guess the line up! Ridiculous~ but no worries, there was enough for everyone :)
(this was only the middle of the line up too!)
(I know this may look scary for some, but TRUST ME, u gotta try it)
But yah, basically, I ate my whole way through the 3 days stay in Taiwan. Not that we did anything special, but to spend some quality family time n decorate that with food, is the best way to enjoy my holidays. So instead of me doing a full recap, I'll let the pictures take the lead...
(found some baby photos! do I look shocked or what?!)
(peanut rolls: shavings of peanuts solidated within brown suger & ice-cream = a nice n cool snack to have even though it wasn't hot at all...usually u can tell whether it's a good store if it had been on TV, but don't be fooled...there are some definitely worth more to try- it's all about saving more space for better food!)
(@ Keelung Miaokou 基隆廟口: chewy rice balls with red beans on ice- could be hot or cold, so perfect for any season. There're also many selections for u to mix n match ur own depending on what u feel like having: green beans, taro balls, pearls, etc. I mean, things can look weird if u duno what they are, but u really can't go wrong here. Just point, take a deep breath, n enjoy!)
(just a proof that I didn't actually cut off all my hair- a good scare for the BF)
(afternoon tea @ 咖啡弄: fresh waffles with green tea ice-cream n red beans! I really like their waffles because it's always made fresh, so it's all crispy on the outside n chewy on the inside. Yum, just the way I like them. The place is usually jam-packed with a 2hr time limit, so definitely book ahead)
(@ XiMenDing 西門町: saw chicken nuggets, got chicken nuggets. Usually, local foods are best at nightmarkets, but I mean, u can always give chain stores a chance. They can't be that bad if they're able to divide n survive in a food nation)
(@ XiMenDing 西門町 "老天祿": mushroom balls are a must try! Lots of marinated things, some of which will most likely freak the crap out of u, but meh! That's the point, isn't it?)
(@ XiMenDing 西門町 :薡茶": the drink in the banner that I'm standing right under? Fresh Passionfruit with pulp & pearls~ yum! By the time u find this particular bubble tea chain, u'll probably have seen 4 or 5 other brands, but meh, other than 50Lan, I haven't favoured any other. So if u see a 50Lan, u must try their vanilla ice-cream in black tea! Delicious~)
(@ XiMenDing 西門町: friend took me to a decades-old restaurant with lots of side dishes n their famous dried noodles! Good choice, Mi!)
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(@ XiMenDing 西門町: corn with yam rice balls on shaved ice- I know it sounds funny, but a must try! Also many other things available for u to add, but since I don't have corn in shaved-ice much, I always end up ordering this when I'm here. Mind u, sometimes u'll never run into the same store twice simply because there're way too many small streets. So if u see something u want to try, just do it)
(@ Home: exactly what I craved for since I started working away from home...mama's udon!!)
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Those were a few things that I managed to snap a picture of before we completely devoured it. As you can see, I stand to prove that Lonely Planet was insane when they even TRIED to compare the food of Taiwan and Singapore. I mean, no offence, but they're not even in the same category. Singapore doesn't have what Taiwan has to have all the flavours of history & culture that're ever so present in all the street foods u find in Taiwan. Around every corner, u can be surprised by some home recipe passed down from generation to generation. Only slightly different, but unique in it's own way. Even with all the food explorers out there, I can bet u that no one's near having tried everything yet. That's what eating in Taiwan's all about: u can always count on something old n something new. If ur planning to visit Taiwan, u better do some food-intake training n mental preparations for u'll never have a moment to go hungry. For one, u wouldn't stop eating. For two, u wouldn't wanna.