September 20, 2012

My breakfast

Oops, I was on the fly and consumed my little 7-11 bun minutes after purchasing. The 港式叉燒包 (gang shi cha shao bao) or Hong Kong style bbq pork bun, $25NT, was the only savory bun left when I arrived. It's the soft, steamed white bun kind. No epiphanies here. Just needed a quick bite.

My lunch

Vegetarian Lunch

This was the third vegetarian buffet I have visited near school. It is possibly the best because they have so many options! Lots of tofu variety, and on top of that, they have the most fake meat options I have seen yet. Food changes every second. I love tofu skin which I think is in the top right corner. So, yes, we have a vegetarian buffet winner...because they have tofu skin. :)

My dinner at 士林夜市 (Shilin Yeshi/Night Market)

蚵仔煎 (ke zai jian) - oyster pancake, $50NT

This oyster omelette/pancake, whatever you want to call it, was so tasty. I enjoyed it much more than the one from Ningxia night market. Perhaps I went to the wrong people in Ningxia? The pancake was soft which makes eating it less of a battle. I could easily pull it apart with my chopsticks. The sauce had either beans or peanuts in it, I'm not sure. Whatever, it's okay; I'm glad they didn't drown the omelette pancake in sauce because it allows you to appreciate the complexity a little more.

Grilled/Barbequed Squid, 鱿 (you) , $100NT

Ooof, this was quite peppery. Overall, it was mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Brought me happiness. See, I've been chasing squid for years now. I didn't have the chance to eat it when I was in Taiwan the last two times because I never saw it.... If you like calamari, you should try this squid, though maybe with less pepper. Be on the look out for those things (that are between the size of your hand and face) with tentacles. Since I didn't know what squid is called, I did a little arm wavy dance that was misinterpreted as crab! But good thing I know better. This dish is very simple. The whole squid gets grilled; and I imagine a little salt might be added, and, in this case, the black pepper will be dumped on. I love the taste of squid, and it has a fun texture. It is perfectly "QQ" or chewy, in that it is neither too chewy to bit through nor too soft like tofu.

EDIT: I take that back. I don't understand QQ! Let's just go with "the squid was perfectly delicious".