#62 TAIWAN

Taiwan is a food paradise! Owing to the island's complex history, today, you can find exquisite foods from all across the mainland with a healthy dose of local creativity and regional influences.

I first tried Taiwanese food when I was a student in Nanjing, China. In front of my local supermarket, a street food vendor sold an assortment of boiled meatballs on sticks, bathed in a sweet and spicy ketchup sauce. It's not particularly fancy or sophisticated food, but still, I found myself eating them every day after school!

In Taipei, we met up with my parents, who had just completed a tour of North Korea. We stayed at the Golden China Hotel, which had a great retro vibe and a crowded breakfast buffet complete with fried noodles, boiled tea eggs, congee, and pork belly. I was in heaven!

We spent nearly the entirety of the trip eating, so naturally, most of my photos are of food. From spicy Hunanese, bold Sichuanese, Michelin-starred dumplings, gentle Cantonese dim sum, and heaping bowls of spicy beef noodles, every meal was a winner! Looking at these photos now, nearly seven years later, my mouth is salivating again, and I'm probably going to end up searching for plane tickets to Taipei in a bit, too.... enjoy! :)