back with more on the taipei “street food” experience.

ps – speaking of food, and more specifically, vile and disgusting gluttony, this past wknd i consumed mint tuxedos (oreos), pinwheels, lucky charms, candy, brasilian bbq, mexican food, more tonnage of beef in shabu shabu, and potato chips. that’s just the stuff my deep fried corn syrup-doused brain can recall! i’m going to die either of heart failure or shame very soon…

this here is the entrance to a big food court next to taipei’s most popular night market (shilin ye shi). as i approached it, i heard a heavenly choir singing to me. if it wasn’t for peg and her dad (who graciously drove us around), my sis and i would have gone the rest of our trip not knowing about this place. can you imagine the travesty?

inside: dizzying mayhem. lots of strident giddy squeals from yours truly!

freshening up with juices. peg’s dad is sipping honey bittermelon (interesting!), peg has watermelon juice (keeps the fire “qi” down), and i’m reuniting with a drink i used to love the last time i was in taiwan (seven years ago): “jin ju,” literally golden orange. tiny citrus fruits that resemble calamansi.

typical beverage stand. thirsty?

this name literally translates into “big bun wrapping small bun.” cute. looked good and greasy

if taiwan had a street food hall of fame, this would definitely be in it.
we grew up eating aiyu jelly out of the can. i just now found out from the wiki that it’s made from the seeds of an asian fig. makes sense, since aiyu is somewhat sweet, a teeny bit tangy, but mostly light on the senses.

avocados way bigger than your noggin, for making creamy shakes

okay, so, these sausages were mammoth, larger than your mind is willing to comprehend. scary. they gave me the shivers.

i took a photo of this hardworking hottie for my sister

peg pointed out this clever product. it looks like sausage but it’s actually flavorful rice made in a sausage mold, probably.

another taiwan classic: bao bing, or shaved ice. also grew up eating this; even had a store-bought ice shaver to make our own. my favorite toppings are stewed sweet peanuts, tons of mochi/rice balls, and green beans.

there was a daunting, endless line of people waiting to buy these HUGE fried chicken cutlets. they looked delicious and juicy, with a crunchy exterior. the last step before handing it over to the customer is a dash of seasoning

so this is the infamous shilin night market mentioned in the beginning. the largest and most bustling of them all. if you want to get a vague idea of how lively and lovely night life can get in taipei, this might give you an idea. it’s the ultimate destination since it delivers on two of my favorite things: cheap shopping and good (cheap) eating. you’d be amazed at the variety of wares you can purchase here and for dirt cheap. hawkers were peddling attractive, thick hoodies for literally $3 USD.

you’ll see a nice cross-section of people at shilin night market, including youth from all walks of life. these guys were totally up my sister’s alley so we stopped to take a photo. the process was amusing as they were confused but obliging and friendly.

pink guava. they sprinkle some sort of salty/tangy/sweet seasoning on them to enhance and complement the natural flavors.

balls, balls, balls. taiwan knows how to do mochi / rice balls right.

to be continued…and i’ll try to improve upon my tense consistency next time.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm and is filed under asia, food, friends, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.