From Street Eats to Sweet Treats: Taipei
Updated: 2 days ago
Today... funny enough... I had a food tour booked. And, as you can probably imagine, I was pretty excited about that. I do love food tours... and this one was set to be fabulous. I was heading out into the streets of Taipei with Taipei Eats.
Now... I don't know the faintest thing about Taiwanese food. Nothing.
I've never been to a Taiwanese restaurant.
I have no idea what a Taiwanese specialty is.
Really. Nothing.
Absolutely Nothing.
I was set to be blown away...
Tina, our guide, was lovely. She was named after Tina Turner. I liked her.
I was also quite relieved to discover that I wasn’t the only person on the tour... as had been the case on my last food tour in Seoul. Don’t get me wrong, having a private tour offers a more personal, flexible, and very exclusive experience... but sometimes I find it a little awkward.
Especially on food tours.
When it’s just you and the guide, there’s this unspoken pressure to eat absolutely everything you’re given... whether you like it or not. I don't know if I speak for everyone, but I seem to feel like I'm constantly being watched. Judged, even. And if I don’t finish something, I almost feel like I owe someone an explanation.
Maybe it's just me.
Probably.
With a group... there are buffers. If you don't like something, there are other people to distract from the fact that you’ve quietly decided you won't be having any more. You can just blend in.
And I like blending in. Especially when there’s food involved.
Unless... of course... it's super delicious! Then I want it all...
Anyway, Tina's English was absolutely perfect, which made a nice change. It was so easy to chat with her, ask questions and fully understand all the little stories.
She started off by giving us each an animal card. Just for fun, while we waited for others to join us. These are called Spirit Animal Cards. They're similar to tarot cards... but they use animals to represent different personality traits, energies, emotions, and life lessons.
I got the crow.
Anyway... there were quite a few characters on our food tour.
There was a real foodie, a girl from Toronto who, as far as I could make out, now lives in San Francisco. An older couple from Sydney, Australia, who were retired and set on seeing the world now. A younger girl from Melbourne, who was a lot of fun. A couple from somewhere in the States that I didn't really speak to much... and one guy from Washington, D.C.
Our first stop was a traditional Taiwanese wet market.
Wet market?
I'd heard the term before, but I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. As it turns out, a wet market is simply a market selling fresh produce, meat, seafood... and other perishable foods. The name apparently comes from the fact that the floors are often wet from washing down stalls, cleaning produce... and keeping everything fresh.
Personally... I thought the term wet market might have something to do with the weather.
Which, as luck would have it, turned out to be rather wet.
It started raining.
Of course it did.
Naturally, I was completely unprepared. I'd spent an absolutely ridiculous amount of time in my hotel room that morning trying to decide what to wear and what to bring.
Sweater on. Sweater off.
Rain jacket on. Rain jacket off.
Backpack on. Backpack off.
Grab the umbrella. Leave the umbrella.
Taipei Food Tour ~ Taiwan Taipei Food Tour ~ Taiwan Taipei Food Tour ~ Taiwan
I must have gone through this little routine about six or seven times... checking the weather... second-guessing myself... and turning what should have been a simple decision into a full-blown logistical operation. It had been so muggy the night before. I didn't know what to do...
And after all that careful consideration?
I walked out of the hotel wearing a T-shirt. That's it.
No sweater.
No rain jacket.
No backpack.
No umbrella.
After weighing up every possible weather scenario, I'd decided to prepare for absolutely none of them. Ya... that didn't exactly work out in my favour.
It started to rain...
I held out for as long as I possibly could, stubbornly convincing myself that the rain would stop any minute. It didn't. Eventually, I caved and bought another bloody umbrella.
I now own two umbrellas.
TWO!
I don't think I've ever actually used an umbrella in my life... let alone found myself in a situation where I could justify owning two of them. Of course, the very moment I handed over my money, opened up my brand-new umbrella, and stepped back outside... the rain stopped.
The clouds parted.
Out came the sunshine.
Of course it did.
My luck.
One just has to smile... and continue on...
One of the absolute highlights of the wet market was something so ridiculously simple that I can’t believe I’ve never tried it before. Guava sprinkled with plum powder.
Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.
Who knew?
The powder is made from dried plums and has this incredible combination of sweet, salty and slightly tangy flavours. Sprinkled over fresh guava, it was absolutely scrumptious. I need to make a mental note to buy some of this before I leave Taiwan. Yes. Officially on a mission to find some plum powder to take home. I would put that stuff on EVERYTHING.
Well... maybe not everything. But certainly apples, pears and just about any other fruit I could get my hands on. Tina even suggested sprinkling it over tomatoes.
There were all sorts of interesting things to discover in the wet market. I was mesmerized by it all. There were fruits & vegetables I'd never laid eyes on before.
One vegetable... a type of water bamboo shoot... was affectionately nicknamed "Beauty Legs" because of its long, smooth, pale appearance. Like ladies' legs. I also learned about Taiwan's love affair with pineapples. I'd always associated pineapples with Hawaii, but apparently, they're a pretty big deal here too. The word for pineapple sounds like "prosperity is coming," making them a symbol of good luck, wealth, and success.
And then there were the wax apples. As it turns out, they're not really apples... nor are they covered in wax. They're beautiful, glossy, bell-shaped fruits ranging from pink and red to almost black. They're crisp, juicy, and delicately sweet... something like a cross between an apple and a watermelon.
But perhaps the strangest discovery of all was these bizarre little black things that looked like miniature devil horns. Seriously.
They had hard, dark shells with two wicked-looking horns sticking out of them. They're called water caltrops. Inside the shell is a little white, starchy morsel that tastes a bit like a chestnut. Whoever first looked at one of these sinister little things and thought, "Hmmm... I wonder if that's edible?" deserves some sort of recognition.
So devilish... and quite tasty too!
We even tried these little jelly-like squares called mugwort rice cakes. They are made with rice and mugwort...
What the hell is mugwort?
I had to look it up... it's a leafy herb, Anyway, these gummy squares had a slightly earthy & herbal flavour... and a soft, chewy texture. Interesting... but not my favourite. But hey, that's why you do food tours! You get to try all sorts of things you might never have ordered on your own.
Some you love.
Some you don't.
At some point, Tina mentioned that we wouldn't be coming across many public garbage bins during our tour. That sparked an interesting conversation... and we were all ears. Ya... if there's one thing I've noticed on my travels lately, it's the mysterious disappearance of public garbage bins.
Seriously though. Where are they all?
Apparently, Taiwan used to have public garbage bins everywhere, but people started using them to dump their household rubbish. So, rather than continue dealing with the problem, many of the bins were removed. I can understand the reasoning... but it certainly isn’t particularily convenient for the tourists. Like me :-(
Enough complaining, though... and back to food...
Our first real savoury stop was gua bao, a Taiwanese steamed bun that’s sometimes referred to as “tiger bites pig.”
Odd...
The idea is that the folded white bun looks like a tiger’s open mouth... and traditionally, the filling is pork. Everyone else had the pork version... but mine was filled with pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts. It had a LOT of cilantro in it too... but I quickly removed that before diving in...
It was delightful. So fresh! I think I've only ever had a bao bun once before. Man... they sure do stick to your teeth, eh?
It’s like eating a little pillow of glue.
I didn’t even finish mine... though I could have, easily. It was so good and so filling... but having been on more than a few food tours in my life, I know better than to fill myself up at the very first stop. There’s nothing worse than being completely stuffed halfway through a food tour... knowing there’s still another mountain of food coming your way. So I showed some restraint.
For once!
When it comes to food, restraint is not always one of my strongest qualities.
Our next stop was something a little different.
Betel nut.
Has anyone heard of it?
For some reason, it sounded familiar to me. I don’t know whether I’ve tried it somewhere before... though I am pretty sure I would remember trying something as unusual as this. Perhaps I have just heard about it during my travels. It definitely rang a bell.
So... I'll give you the low-down. Betel 'nut' is a nut that's meant to give you a bit of a natural high. It’s a natural stimulant that’s supposed to get your heart beating a little faster, give you a burst of energy and make you feel a bit more alert. Kind of like having a cigarette... a shot of something strong... or an energy drink...
Maybe. Kinda.
Not really.
It’s particularly popular with taxi drivers and people working long night shifts... and apparently it can be quite addictive. The nut is wrapped in a little bundle of leaves, and you chew on the whole thing. As you chew, it releases this reddish liquid that can stain your teeth and tongue.
Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?
Naturally, I had to try it.
Anyway, I popped this little bundle of fun into my mouth and started chewing. I was apparently supposed to spit out the first round of saliva... but I accidentally swallowed... which freaked me out a bit.
Oops.
But don't worry... I survived.
I can’t really say I particularly enjoyed the experience. The texture was just… peculiar. It left my mouth feeling puckered... and bitter. I didn’t feel especially energized... nor did I experience any sort of high. My tongue felt a bit numb after I'd spat everything out... and I can confidently say that I don't think I will be developing a betel nut addiction anytime soon.
We were given the opportunity to choose a drink to wash it all down. Our options were Coca-Cola, beer, water, iced coffee… or ... wait for it...
... Asparagus juice.
I thought, "I’m on a food tour. I’m here to experience new things. I’m here to embrace the local culture and try things I’ve never tried before."
What did I choose? ... The asparagus... of course...
In hindsight, that may have been a mistake... because, as it turns out... funny this... asparagus juice tastes exactly like you’d imagine asparagus juice would taste.
Like asparagus.
In a can.
The marketing on the can is almost as bizarre as the drink itself. On one side is a blonde woman in a bikini, bending over with her cleavage on full display. On the other side is lovely bunches of asparagus tied up with a big red ribbon, looking like some sort of Christmas present.
Sexy AND festive. Who knew?
Little did I know that asparagus juice was about to become one of the least offensive things I’d put in my mouth that morning. Because our next stop was…
Stinky tofu.
Now, I have to say, calling something stinky tofu seems a little unfair, doesn’t it? Quite offensive. I mean, what a terrible name for a food. Surely someone in the marketing department could have come up with something a little more appealing. Perhaps ~ Taiwan's Famous Fermented Tofu??
Then we walked into the restaurant... and suddenly I understood.
Oh. My. God.
The stench.
It was PUTRID.
I walked in and immediately started wondering what on earth had gone wrong in this place. Had someone forgotten to take out the garbage? Had something died in the refrigerator? Had nobody cleaned the grease trap? It was absolutely horrendous.
And then Tina appeared carrying a plate of stinky tofu for all of us to share...
Mystery solved.
Stinky tofu is fermented tofu. I’ve never been a huge fan of fermented foods... but still, I was willing to give it a go. Tina explained that we really needed to try it twice to appreciate the flavour properly. She compared it to drinking whisky.
"You take the first sip... and then you take a second sip so you can really start to understand and appreciate all the different flavours."
Fair enough. I was ALL in.
So I picked up my chopsticks... grabbed one of these soft, innocent-looking pieces of tofu... and popped it into my mouth.
And…
WHAT.
THE.
?????
No. No. NO. No. No. No. NOOOOO!
My brain was screaming NO.
My taste buds were screaming NO.
My entire mouth was screaming NO.
EJECT! EJECT! EJECT!
OUT it came.
Absolutely not. NO. NO. NO.
No, thank you.
I'm pretty sure every single cell in my body was joining in on the protest. I genuinely don't think there was a single part of me that wasn't desperately trying to reject whatever the hell I'd just put in my mouth.
Now... I don't want to be disrespectful towards anyone's food or culture. I really don't. I'm all for trying new things, embracing different traditions, and stepping outside my culinary comfort zone.
But... HOLY MOTHER OF GOD.
That was, without question, one of the most revolting things I have ever put in my mouth.
Ever.
It was like someone had regurgitated food, scooped it onto a plate, and proudly presented it to me as a local delicacy. And there I was, desperately trying to maintain some semblance of politeness while every instinct in my body was begging me to spit it out.
No. No. NO. Hard no. Never again.
As for Tina’s suggestion that we try it a second time to really appreciate the flavours?
NO. Thank you.
Then Tina appeared with another version of fermented tofu... except this time, it had been deep-fried. I was sceptical... but deep-frying has a remarkable ability to improve just about anything. So, despite my previous experience, I was willing to remain cautiously optimistic. I took the tiniest, most hesitant nibble imaginable. Barely enough to qualify as a bite, really.
It was better.
That fermented flavour was still there though... lurking in the background... reminding me of the horrors I’d just experienced. I managed one little nibble... and then, in a rather unexpected turn of events, I found myself reaching for my asparagus juice.
Ok... it was time for something TASTY!
I think Tina could sense that our taste buds had been through quite enough trauma for one afternoon. We needed to be reeled back in... reminded that Taiwanese food could be wonderful... and not just an exercise in culinary bravery.
And what better way to win us over than with something sweet?
First up was a traditional Taiwanese pastry filled with a rich, creamy egg custard and a sweet-and-salty egg yolk centre. A lovely combination of flaky pastry, silky sweetness, and just a hint of saltiness. Now THIS was more like it!
And to wash it all down? A refreshing Lemon Winter Melon Bubble Tea, complete with those wonderfully chewy brown sugar tapioca pearls. Sweet, tangy, refreshing...
After everything we'd just put our poor taste buds through with the stinky tofu... this felt like a well-deserved reward.
A little sweetness.
A little redemption.
And then... back to savoury...
Next up were Taiwanese cold sesame noodles... served with a rich, creamy peanut and sesame sauce, garnished with crispy cucumbers. Tina told us that it's a great hangover meal.
From there, we headed to a restaurant that was apparently quite famous for its dumplings.
Judging by the enormous bowls of pork dumplings that soon appeared on our table, they weren't messing around. Tina explained that one of the things that made this particular restaurant special was... that they used... "warm body meat."
I'm sorry. WHAT?
Warm. Body. Meat.
Excuse me?
Apparently, this rather unfortunate expression refers to meat that's exceptionally fresh... having been processed and used without first being frozen or extensively chilled. It's particularly prized for dumplings because of its freshness and texture...
Well... I was blown away.
Nothing quite gets the appetite going like hearing the words "warm body meat" while staring at two enormous bowls of pork dumplings. And people wonder why I'm a vegetarian...
Taipei Food Tour ~ Pork Dumplings Taipei Food Tour ~ Pork Dumplings Taipei Food Tour ~ Pork Dumplings
Unfortunately, every single dumpling contained pork... so there wasn't anything for me to sample. But Tina, being the thoughtful guide that she was, had already anticipated this little predicament and picked me up a tofu & cabbage pancake roll from a nearby vendor. It was fresh... and a very welcome (and appreciated) vegetarian alternative to warm body meat.
By this point, though, I was beginning to reach my limit. I was getting FULL. You know that uncomfortable stage of a food tour where your stomach is suggesting that perhaps you've had quite enough.
But apparently, we weren't quite finished.
Not yet...
Along with the dumplings, a plate of century eggs and silken tofu was passed around for everyone to sample. This is apparently quite a popular Taiwanese appetizer, traditionally made with silky-smooth, custard-like tofu... topped with chopped century eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spring onions.
Sounds innocent enough, right?
Ya... until you get to the century egg part. It's certainly not your average hard-boiled egg. Century eggs are preserved through a special curing process that transforms the whites into a dark, translucent, jelly-like substance... and the yolks into an alarming shade of greenish-grey.
Despite their name, they're not actually a hundred years old... but they're typically preserved for several weeks or months. They're considered a delicacy... and I'm sure they're absolutely wonderful if you appreciate that sort of thing.
Me?
Well... after my earlier encounter with stinky tofu, I was beginning to think I'd already pushed my culinary boundaries quite far enough for one afternoon
Besides... I was full.
That was my excuse.
And I was sticking to it.
However... sitting in front of us was another little plate containing what appeared to be finely shredded cheese.
CHEESE!
Oh, WOW!!!
Something familiar!
And let's face it... no matter how full I am, there's always a little room for cheese. Without thinking, I grabbed my chopsticks... gathered as much of the shredded cheesy goodness as I could manage... and shoved the whole lot into my mouth.
Big mistake.
IT WAS NOT CHEESE.
It was shredded GINGER.
Raw ginger.
OH. MY. GOD.
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Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE ginger. I love it in stir-fries, soups, teas, curries... you name it.
But an enormous mouthful of raw, shredded ginger? That's an entirely different experience. Apparently, the little pile of ginger was meant to be eaten as a condiment with the century egg & tofu. Not as an entire mouthful of imaginary cheese.
I'm not the smartest.
Who knew?
Well... to be honest... probably everyone at the table except me.
We had the opportunity to watch the dumplings being made right there in front of us. THAT was pretty fascinating... apart from the warm body meat part, I guess. The workers were incredibly quick and efficient, expertly filling, folding, and pinching each little parcel with astonishing precision. Their hands moved so quickly it was almost impossible to follow what they were doing.
One dumpling. Another dumpling. Another. And another. All perfectly shaped. There was something quite mesmerizing about watching such a simple process being carried out with so much skill. And while I wouldn't actually eat their famous pork dumplings, I could certainly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making them.
Besides... I had my delicious tofu pancake roll.
And a mouthful of ginger that I suspected I'd still be tasting sometime next week.
That’s what I love about food tours. You’re introduced to things you’d probably never order on your own.
Our final savoury stop was Tainan Rice Cake, a traditional Taiwanese dish. Despite its name, it's not really a cake at all, but a little bowl of sticky rice topped with pork... always pork... peanuts, pickled vegetables, and a savoury sauce.
Mine, of course, was vegetarian. I got red beans.
No pork for me!
No warm body meat today...
While it was lovely to have another local speciality to sample, I had officially reaching maximum capacity.
I was DONE.
Finished.
Not another bite.
My stomach had surrendered... waved the white flag... and was begging me to stop.
And then...
LYCHEE SORBET.
Oooooh... yes, please!
Funny how the stomach works. One minute you're convinced you couldn't possibly squeeze in another morsel... and the next, as soon as someone mentions dessert... an entirely new compartment miraculously opens up. Especially when that dessert is a wonderfully refreshing, sweet, fruity lychee sorbet.
Suddenly, I had room again.
Of course I did...
And what a lovely way to finish such an extraordinary food adventure.
As much as I enjoyed discovering Taiwan's weird, wonderful, irresistible... and occasionally downright terrifying culinary offerings... what really made this experience special was Tina. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and genuinely passionate about sharing her country's food and culture.
She had a wonderful way of making every stop incredibly interesting, whether we were sampling something new or learning about a traditional dish
I know just how much difference a great guide can make. It's not simply about taking people from one restaurant to another and feeding them until they can barely walk. Although... admittedly, we came pretty close to that. It's about storytelling, connecting with people, sharing little pieces of local life, and making visitors feel like they're experiencing something they might never have discovered on their own.
And Tina did all of that beautifully.
Food is one of the very best ways to get to know a country. It's not just about what ends up on your plate. It's about the people who prepare it, the traditions that surround it, the stories behind it, and the conversations that happen as you share it.
Sometimes you discover a new favourite dish.
Sometimes you discover that something you've never heard of is absolutely to-die-for.
And sometimes you discover that fermented tofu is something you can happily live the rest of your life without ever eating again.
But that's all part of the adventure.
This tour was a perfect example of exactly why I love food tours so much. If you're heading to Taipei, Taiwan, I can't recommend Taipei Eats highly enough. Tina went above and beyond to make our experience memorable... and she certainly succeeded.
Just make sure you arrive hungry.
Very, very hungry.
And don't mistake the shredded ginger for cheese.
Trust me on that one.
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