Food for the Soul: The Kindness of Strangers and the Delicacies of an Old Street

#Taiwan #Jiufen #Foodie #Food #Travel

Oftentimes during my regular travel, I get to choose which city I spend my weekends. This trip, I've decided on +Taipei, Taiwan. I've been traveling here many times but more often than not, I've not had a weekend to spare.

This time, I resolved to learn more about this island nation by doing a solo day trip out of the city. This means train and bus travel, which by the way, is well-established here. Not being conversant in Mandarin, their native language, I was apprehensive at first. I've decided to go and visit Jiufen Old Street, a historic food street located in the Northeastern side of the country, about an hour by local train from Taipei. Armed with a map, instruction from the hotel's concierge, off I went. The hotel's doorman, once he learned I was off to Jiufen, assured me that it will be easy and he, too, proceeded to write down some more instructions for me before he sent me on a cab to the station.

Train was full of weekend camera-totting tourists, mostly locals. I felt much better. My motto when traveling in a strange area is to always follow the crowd. You'll reach your destination without much trouble, believe me. So at the designated train stop - +Ruifang, that's what I did. I followed the crowd to what I felt was the bus stop for Jiufen. Of course, I was totally right!

I was at the bottom of the line and one of the last people allowed to board so I found myself standing right behind the bus driver. Obviously, since I was the only one talking in English and traveling solo, I stood out. One of the most endearing things about the Taiwanese is that they are curious and once they sense that you're a foreigner, they won't hesitate to strike a conversation to practice their English.

A local at the train station whom I approached for directions could hardly speak English but instructed me via grunts and sign language. Then, in the bus, for some reason, the driver took me under his wing - I became his favorite tourist for the ride. Not only did he give me a brief history of the area in his broken English but also showed me a secret that only locals know about - 10 minutes past Jiufen there is a lookout that provides a stunning view of the ocean, the limestone cliff and the winding road that leads to the town. I had this to myself because all the others got off the bus in Jiufen. Not only that, this Good Samaritan of a bus driver implored me to take his umbrella. It was raining by the time he dropped me off my original destination, Jiufen Old Street. I was floored. What a blessing. He just doled out a whopping food for my soul - his kindness.

View from the Village's Peak

Jiufen was an old mining town. Its history dates back to the Qing Dynasty when this village housed only nine families. Since it is located in a mountainous area and very difficult to reach, every time a shipment arrives at the foot of the village, all provisions are divided into nine portions - in Chinese, Jiufen - which became the town's name. In 2001, for anime fans, the town was used as a model for the movie, Spirited Away.

For me, Jiufen's attraction are the endless food stalls lining up the entire street! Rice cakes, local sausages, pastries, steamed buns, dried anchovies, dried shrimps, roasted corn, vegetables, mushrooms, vegetable rolls, tea shops, cafés with stunning view of the village, and even the infamous stinky tofu! Ugh, I can't describe the smell you'll have to experience it yourself. I hear it is really delicious but not if it doesn't smell right. The entire street is a food haven. It is however a bit difficult to enjoy the area at leisure. It's narrow and there's way too many people on a weekend. I would go back here again - perhaps on a weekday.

Inspite of the crowd, one can find pockets along the street to rest, to sip a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy the scenery while imagining life with less complications. After experiencing the kindness of the local people in Jiufen and my soul renewed, I think it is possible.

Food for thought, appeal for help

#TyphoonHaiyan #Yolanda #Philippines #ReliefEfforts

This week has been a very busy one for me. Balancing home and time with K with work demands plus planning for my upcoming trip.

We all get caught up in the daily grind. Somehow, us women are luckier than our male counterparts in that we have been endowed with multitasking powers. Sometimes I feel like a circus performer. Juggling, traversing the high-wire, bouncing off the trapeze and still manage to land with a smile. Don't you?

In the middle of all these acts this week, news of an impending mega storm about to hit my birth country, the Philippines became the headline. For some reason, though I was reading all the feeds online and via social media, the enormity of this natural phenomenon didn't quite register. Perhaps because I was focused on my own issues. In fact, over drinks with friends this Friday, when asked about the storm, I nonchalantly quipped that reports said it was bad but I think most people were able to evacuate. Boy, was I naive.

Returning home, I started getting news feeds and then I began to realize the magnitude of the disaster that just struck the southern part of the Philippines. Practically, half of the country was hard hit. Knowing a bit about the areas, if dawned on me that these are mostly coastal towns.

I braced myself for more bad news. True enough, the number of casualties being reported kept on climbing and photos of entire towns literally wiped out.

I woke up from a stupor. Unlike before where I would silently cry and then donate something, this time, I felt I needed to do something more.

So, I'm reaching out to all of you reading this to extend a helping hand. Best way at this time is to make cash donations via any of the organizations mentioned in the article from +Huffingtonpost below.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/09/philippines-haiyan-how-to-help-_n_4247106.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

Do make sure to indicate for Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda Relief and also mention how you want your donation spent. Water, food, medical supplies, medicines, tarp, tents, blankets are the most pressing need.

If you belong to an organization, you may also want to request that your company start a fundraising campaign for the relief effort.

Many thanks.

More on Spices

I've been pretty busy this week preparing for my upcoming trip and have not had the chance to write anything of interest.

However, the other day I found the following story on the NPR iPhone App which I found interesting and relevant given that I just wrote about #Spices a few days ago. Working for the food industry, I know for a fact that certain countries, particularly Japan, bans irradiated spices. In the US, most manufacturers, unless requested by a specific large customer as the interviewee alluded to, cringe on even considering use of non-irradiated pepper for the reasons below.

A Spice Buyer On Why Pepper Is Dirty, And How It Gets Clean
by Nancy Shute
NPR - November 1, 2013

This week's news that the Food and Drug Administration found that 12 percent of spices imported to the U.S. are contaminated was a little disheartening....

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/10/31/242155387/a-spice-buyer-on-why-pepper-is-dirty-and-how-it-gets-clean?sc=17&f=1001

Fine Dining, Parisian Style

#Fine Dining, #Nouvelle Cuisine, #Michelin Guide 

Outside of the many sights and museums, one of the main reasons I like visiting Paris is the endless dining options. In almost every section of the city one can find descent meal options.

However, if budget allows, I would also recommend to check out and experience 'nouvelle cuisine' at one of the Michelin-starred restaurants around Paris. Michelin star awards started in the 1900s via a travel guide published by tire manufacturer brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin to encourage car travel thus sale of car tires.

The French, being lovers of good food, follow this guide seriously. They have a tradition of taking annual family trips. Along their planned routes, they allocate time to visit restaurants rated favorably under the +Michelin guide even to this day. The guide mets out stars after arduous review by their secret auditors. 3 stars mean the best of the best.

This trip, K treated me to one - Le Diane, a one-star restaurant located at Hotel Fouquet's Barriere on Avenue George V. The restaurant is located along the street considered the 'Triangle d'Or' in Paris. Reason - it's the centre of fashion and the most expensive address in this city.

Chef Jean-Yves Leuranguer, a recipient of the "Meilleur Ouvrier de France," is known for turning French cuisine classics into a more contemporary rendition. This we were curious to see and taste. So we opted for the "Ambrosial Menu" which is a "surprise menu" allowing the chef to decide what to serve our table. The headwaiter asks if one has any allergies or diet restrictions and/or preferences. This is good. Someone is paying attention to details. To make it easy as well, K opted for the wine pairing as suggested by their sommelier.

To me, French fine dining is half theatrics and half degustation. It could be intimidating if one is not used to the formality as well as the process that the "show" requires. It could also be discomforting to have at least 3 waitstaff hovering around you at most times. My advise, be yourself. You are the guest and therefore, you're in control. If you're not comfortable with the menu in French ask for an English one. If the restaurant doesn't have one (which is unlikely), ask for a translation.

Now on to our dinner. There were very few surprises. Since it is Autumn, I'm aware that the season tends towards game and more meat options. It surprised me, however, to hear/read that one of the main options was Wagyu beef from New Zealand. The restaurant is supposed to be focusing on "produits terroir," locally-produced products. I did like the flavored butters we had at the table, one is regular, one smoky and the other slightly spiced. I also enjoyed the cone-shaped moussed-filled starters they served at the start of the meal.

Le Diane fans will probably not like what they are about to hear - for us, the meal was underwhelming overall. Portion sizes, though small, were actually very filling. What disappointed me is that the main courses were forgettable. Maybe the gourmet menu (another choice they had together with an A la carte) would have been better. I was hoping to be 'pleasantly surprised,' but not really. It was the same feeling we had when we walked out of Alain Ducasse's Plaza Athenee Resto and that was a 3 star. Something was missing. Hmmm.

After blowing a few hundred Euros, K and I agreed that our meals at restaurants like +Taillevent, +Les Ambassadeurs or even at +Soto in NY (all are Michelin starred) were much more memorable in taste, service and ambiance. In all places, the theatrics were superbly executed in a muted manner and the chefs let the sublime taste of their creations speak for themselves.

Perhaps it is best to stick with our favorites, next time.