Wine & Dine 2020

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January 2020 | Vol. 50 | Issue 1 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN TAIPEI

WINE & DINE 2020 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS January 2020 | January Vol. 50 | Issue 1

中華郵政北台字第 5000

號執照登記為雜誌交寄 ISSUE SPONSOR

Published by the American Chamber Of Read TOPICS Online at topics.amcham.com.tw NT$150 Commerce In Taipei

1_2020_Cover.indd 1 2019/12/28 下午7:13

ADVERTORIAL Japanese Kaiseki with a Taiwan Twist Takes Front and Center at ibuki

aiwan was for a time the most adjusted according to the seasons, with and flavored with truffle. In between advanced colony under the the current winter menu featuring foods the pieces of lightly battered chicken sit T Japanese empire, and there is that, according to kampo – the Japanese artfully placed slices of local eggplant, a lingering affinity in Taiwan for all appropriation of traditional Chinese which add to the richness of the dish things Japanese, including its diverse medicine – raise the body’s temperature without making it too heavy. cuisine. While options for Japanese to withstand the colder weather. Next is a plate of A5-grade wagyu food in the capital Taipei are plentiful, The winter kaiseki set begins with a beef, cooked vegetables, and kanzanji not all can be considered high-quality salmon sashimi salad. The blend of raw miso, a side made from miso paste and or authentic. One place that definitely salmon and seasonal local vegetables is grains. It has a refreshingly sweet taste achieves that standard, however, is bathed in a tangy sauce of white miso that perfectly complements the tender, ibuki, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza and pomelo. Sprinkled on top are small flavor-packed beef. Hotel’s premier Japanese restaurant, cubes of clear jelly made by refriger- The final main dish features Taiwan- now under the leadership of Chef Nori- ating a slow-cooked bonito fish broth ese king crab and uni (Japanese sea hisa Maeda from Osaka. overnight. The dish packs a surprisingly urchin) from the northern island of Chef Maeda, whose kitchen expe- zesty kick, dancing delightfully on the Hokkaido, laid on top of a thick soup rience spans three decades and five tongue. of sticky rice and a stock made from different locations throughout Asia, Seafood is another area that Taiwan kombu seaweed. The seaweed, says says that his experience sourcing ingre- is known for internationally, and locally Maeda, gives the dish umami, a Japa- dients in Taiwan has been eye-opening. caught seafood is featured in the second nese description for savory foods that “When I was cooking in Hong Kong course, a fresh sashimi platter. It is has made its way into international and Macau, I had to order 90 to 95% followed by an oblong plate of Japa- cooking vocabulary. of my ingredients from Japan because nese-style fried chicken steeped in a A typical Hokkaido dessert of milk the quality of the local vegetables was clear sauce thickened with kudzu starch pudding – topped with diced and puréed not so high,” he says. But in Taiwan persimmon –completes the meal. The set he found that the caliber and variety of is served with a complimentary glass of locally grown produce is so good that Gassan Izumo Junmai Ginjo sake. now “almost 80% of the ingredients I The nuance and innovation on use here are locally sourced.” display in Chef Maeda’s kaiseki meals To showcase his approach of using reflects his philosophy that in order to mostly Taiwanese ingredients to produce continue making excellent food, chefs novel yet genuine Japanese dishes, Chef must constantly learn and discover, Maeda has crafted a versatile menu applying their new knowledge to their for ibuki, focusing on the traditional culinary endeavors. However, the set meal known as kaiseki. In previ- number one priority for him is making ous times, kaiseki was reserved mostly his customers happy. His exquisitely for the country’s nobility, but over the designed kaiseki sets leave no doubt centuries has come to be enjoyed by all that guests at ibuki will leave feeling classes. The contents of the dishes are fully satisfied.

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1 shangrila.indd 3 2019/12/30 上午9:36 CONTENTS 7 President’s View My favorite greasy chopstick joint By William Foreman JANUARY 2020 VOLUME 50, NUMBER 1 一○九年一月號 9 Taiwan’s Top 10 Unique Foods 發行人 Publisher Odd, unusual, or just different, William Foreman 傅維廉 the country’s cuisine is perfectly Editor-in-Chief 總編輯 Don Shapiro 沙蕩 capable of delighting and sur-

Deputy Editor 副總編輯 prising in equal measure. Jeremy Olivier 歐嘉仁 By Jules Quartly Art Director/ 美術主任/ Production Coordinator 後製統籌 12 Not Your Traditional Katia Chen 陳國梅 Agriculture Manager, Publications Sales & Marketing 廣告行銷經理 Caroline Lee 李佳紋 Specialist farmers in Taiwan are concentrating on such niche areas as snails, deer antlers, and “red quinoa.” American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei 129 MinSheng East Road, Section 3, By Steven Crook and Katy Hui-Wen 7F, Suite 706, Taipei 10596, Taiwan Hung P.O. Box 17-277, Taipei, 10419 Taiwan Tel: 2718-8226 Fax: 2718-8182 e-mail: [email protected] website: http://www.amcham.com.tw 16 A Taste of the Village: 名稱：台北市美國商會工商雜誌 Experiencing Taipei’s Juan 發行所：台北市美國商會臺北市10596民生東路三段129號七樓706室 Cun Restaurants 電話：2718-8226 傳真：2718-8182 A handful of Taipei eateries look Taiwan Business Topics is a publication of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. Contents are to preserve the culture, atmo- independent of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Officers, Board of Governors, Supervisors or members. sphere, and – most importantly © Copyright 2020 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint original – the flavors of Taiwan’s once- material must be requested in writing from AmCham. Production done in-house, Printing by Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd. ubiquitous veterans’ villages. 登記字號：台誌第一零九六九號印刷所：帆美印刷股份有限公司 By Jeremy Olivier 經銷商：台灣英文雜誌社台北市108台北市萬華區長沙街二段66號發行日期：中華民國一○九年一月中華郵政北台字第5000號執照登記為雜誌交寄 19 A Culinary Tour of Taiwan ISSN 1818-1961 A good way to become more familiar with Taiwan’s geography OFFICERS Chair: C.W. Chin is to acquaint oneself with the Vice Chairs: Fupei Wang, Timothy Shields Secretary: Seraphim Ma specialty food items of places Treasurer: Al Chang around the island. 2019-2020 Governors: Al Chang, Albert Chang, Seraphim Ma, Jan-Hendrik By Mark Caltonhill Meidinger, Paulus Mok.

2018-2019 Governors: Mark Chen, C.W. Chin, Timothy Shields, Gina Tsai, Fupei Wang, Angela Yu. 27 The True Story of Q 2020 Supervisors: Mark Horng, Stephen Tan, Terry Tsao. What does it mean for a food to COMMITTEES: Agro-Chemical/ Melody Wang; Asset Management/ be described as “Q” and what is Eric Lin, Angela Yang, Derek Yung; Banking/ Paulus the derivation? Mok; Capital Markets/ Mandy Huang, Eric Jai, C.P. Liu; Chemical Manufacturers/ Charles Liang, Michael Wong; By Jules Quartly Cosmetics/ Shirley Chen, Abigail Lin; Defense/ Manohar Thyagaraj; Digital Economy/ Max Chen, Renee Chou, Tai Chi Chuan; Energy/ Randy Tsai; Human Resources/ Christine Chen, Carmen Law, David Tsai; Infrastructure/ 23 Global Food Crazes Find 30 Eating Our Way Through Wayne Chin, Paul Lee; Insurance/ KT Lim, Mandy Shih, Hualien Linda Tsou; Intellectual Property & Licensing/ Jason Chen, Fans in Taipei Peter Dernbach, Vincent Shih; Marketing & Distribution/ Wei Hsiang; Medical Devices/ Louis Ko, Jeffrey Wang, From smashed avocados to The scenic eastern county offers Joanne Yao; Pharmaceutical/ Justin Chin, Rie Nakajima, a wide variety of Hakka, Hoklo, Shuhei Sekiguchi; Public Health/ Joyce Lee, Sophia Lee, beetroot lattes, the city’s restau- Tim Shields; Real Estate/ Tony Chao; Retail/ Ceasar Chen, rants and cafes are catching on and indigenous foods. Mark Chen, Peggy Liao; Sustainable Development Goals/ Kenny Jeng, Lume Liao, Cosmas Lu, Fupei Wang, Kernel to the latest international eating By Steven Crook and Katy Hui-Wen Wang; Tax/ Heidi Liu, Cheli Liaw; Technology/ Cynthia Hung Chyn, Stella Lai, Angela Yu; Telecommunications & Media/ trends. Thomas Ee, David Shin, Joanne Tsai; Transportation & Logistics/ (tba); Travel & Tourism/ Gina Tsai, Jason Yeh, By Dinah Gardner Fiona Yuan. COVER PHOTO: COURTESY OF GRAND HYATT

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1_20Contents.indd 4 2019/12/28 下午7:14 JANUARY 2020 • VOLUME 50 NUMBER 1 COVER SPONSOR 34 Tapping into Taipei’s Newfound Love of Draft Booze A guide to some of the city’s busiest, best, and most unusual taprooms. By Dinah Gardner

Grand Hyatt Taipei Where Unique Experiences Become Everlasting Memories 38 A Taste for Great Service As the Ko Hospitality Group opens Grand Hyatt Taipei, located directly next to the world famous it first U.S. restaurant, CEO Stan landmark Taipei 101 in Xinyi District, the most cosmopolitan and Ko talks about the family business wealthiest district of Taipei, is the first and the largest international and why he’s fiercely dedicated to 5-star hotel in Taiwan. the dining experience. Reprinted from Columbia Business Since 1990, Grand Hyatt Taipei has been a trendsetter and Taiwan magazine. hospitality icon for fostering innovations, setting industry stan- 42 Catching Up After Five Years dards and developing talents for nearly 3 decades. A team of over Away 1,000 caring and devoting individuals, united by the same purpose of “caring so that you can be your best”, passionately deliv- After living in Taiwan for two ers personalized and meaningful experiences that go beyond the decades, regular Wine & Dine con- expected journey. tributor Mark Caltonhill returned to his native UK at the end of 2013. Now he’s back and looking at what From a wide variety of internationally-certified dining options has changed on the food scene. to resort level facilities, the impressive grand lobby to the finest By Mark Caltonhill details in our guestrooms, we offer a relaxing urban getaway for guest from all around the world. Guests get to explore and enjoy 46 Executive Suite this diversified ‘city within a city’ with its warm and friendly people, Meet Karan Berry of the Mandarin incredible food choices, and a conveniently modern lifestyle at the Oriental best value for money.

Travel is a never ending quest for that special moment when experiences come to life. At Grand Hyatt Taipei, we exist to create unique experiences that matter to you the most and to convert them to everlasting memories. It’s time to stop searching and really start indulging in life at Grand Hyatt Taipei.

48 AmCham Event 2019 American Ball: “Winter Won- derland.”

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 5

1_20Contents.indd 5 2019/12/30 下午5:43 MESSAGE FROM BAYER

Bayer is Taking the Lead in Precision Oncology

chise now has six marketed drugs, for TRK fusion cancer, a genomically while several others are still undergoing driven disease. clinical development.” Given the above, it’s difficult not to Fellous characterizes precision view precision medicine as a pivotal oncology as an approach – based on a breakthrough in medical science. “This genetic understanding of disease – that kind of personalized treatment is one of can substantially improve the way cer- the most important and most promising tain cancers are treated. It entails the advances in oncology,” Fellous says. use of several new tools, including “As an approach, it means finding the genomic profiling and next-genera- right treatment for the right patient at Marc Fellous, Bayer Global Medical Affairs, tion sequencing (NGS). According to the right time, which provides for better Head TRK Franchise Fellous, NGS is likely the most com- efficacy – higher response rates – and a prehensive testing method for detecting better safety profile of the drug.” tumor-growing genomic alterations No wonder, then, that Bayer he oncological field is on the which, while rare, are present in var- has invested so heavily in precision cusp of a dramatic paradigm ious pediatric and adult tumor types. oncology. The company now looks to T shift. Treatment options are Such a testing method allows patients ensuring the availability of innovative expanding, and the new ones on offer and doctors to diagnose and treat TRK new medicines that can improve the are safer, more effective, and capable of fusion cancer. lives of patients worldwide and provide covering different tumor locations with In addition, Bayer’s researchers have value to the physicians who treat them. a single drug. been working on specifically developing “We want to provide patients with At the forefront of this new evolving their emerging medicines to ensure that clear benefits, and we want to accel- paradigm is Bayer, the multinational they act on one target, rather than on erate the development of these drugs to pharmaceutical and life sciences com- several targets as is sometimes the case make those benefits more available,” pany. In recent years, Bayer has made a with other drugs. However, Fellous Fellous says. “This is just the begin- strong commitment to developing pre- adds, that target needs to be relevant to ning, and it is only possible because of cision-medicine treatments, particularly the specific patient. “There has to be a the new tools afforded us by precision in the area of TRK fusion cancer, which medical need,” he says. medicine.” is caused by abnormal changes to a One important characteristic and patient’s genome. added-value aspect of the precision Dr. Marc Fellous has been the oncology treatments Bayer is devel- HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR CANCER? A NEW DISCOVERY Global Medical Affairs Lead for Bayer’s oping is that they are tumor-agnostic, MAY LIE JUST BELOW THE SURFACE TRK franchise since November 2017. meaning that they are based on the Originally trained as a medical doctor, tumor’s genomic features, rather than he practiced emergency room medicine the type of tissue where the TRK fusion for over three years in Paris. He then cancer originates. The same drug can went on to receive his master’s degree be used to treat any TRK fusion cancer, in medicine management and began a regardless of where in the body it second career in the pharmaceutical occurs. industry, where he has dedicated him- “Effective approaches have been self to promoting innovative new drugs accomplished in the past, but only for to the medical world for over 10 years. specific tumor types,” notes Fellous. KNOW YOUR CANCER, “Bayer has been focusing its R&D “For example, treatments for HER2- UNDERSTAND THE ROAD AHEAD.

strategies on innovative treatment positive breast cancer, or for EGFR Ask your doctor whether genomic cancer testing can reveal what’s driving your cancer and help to personalize your care. options, such as precision oncology, to mutant lung cancer.” However, this is provide a better life for the patient,” the first time that a drug was devel- LEARN MORE AT TRKCANCER.COM/PATIENTS SCAN ME

Fellous said during a recent visit to oped based on specific biomarkers to ©2019 Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All rights reserved. Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer. PP-PF-ONC-ALL-0104-1 10/2019 Taipei. “The company’s oncology fran- provide effective, targeted treatment

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Bayer.indd 6 2019/12/28 下午7:15 PRESIDENT'S VIEW

My favorite greasy chopstick joint

love the sounds of the Feng Cheng That’s because the only menu was the one restaurant, one of my favorite places hanging on the wall, written vertically Ito eat in Taipei. I try to sit by the in red and black Chinese characters dis- kitchen door, so I can hear the stove, played in a series of long picture frames. roaring as loud as a blast furnace smelting I usually avoided these types of eat- iron. There’s a crackle and sizzle as the eries when not dining with Taiwanese cook tosses something – maybe shrimp friends because I had just started studying – into a wok. Then the rhythmic din of Mandarin and couldn’t read the menu. I clanging and scraping, the tinny tune of would stick to buffets that allowed me to metal on metal, begins as the stir frying see what was on offer and simply point starts. It’s over in about three minutes, to the things I wanted. But buffets get old then there’s a pause, and it begins again really fast, and after four months of them, and again and again. I needed to try something else. Up front, the woman working at the One day a classmate took me to Feng counter shouts orders in clucky Cantonese Cheng and changed my culinary life by to a guy working at the butcher station at teaching me four words: “Cha Shao Chao the restaurant’s front window. He chops Mian” – barbecue pork with fried noo- up chicken and duck with glazed brown dles. The sweet pieces of pork mixed with skins on a circular wooden block. Fans bok choy on a bed of crispy yellow egg mounted on the walls whir and hum as noodles, smothered in a brown sauce, they cool the crowded restaurant with became my signature dish and saved me 12 or so tables. A group of college stu- from the monotony of buffets. dents, sitting in the back corner with their I’m an adventurous eater and enjoy backpacks in their laps, are lost in a loud, trying new restaurants and sampling animated debate. trendy new cuisine. But as I try to keep Feng Cheng is a Cantonese-style greasy up with the world’s constant change, it’s chopstick joint in an alley off Roosevelt comforting to know there’s a place out Road in the Gongguan area near National there that’s stuck in time – a place that has Taiwan University. It literally hasn’t found a winning formula, an unpreten- changed since I first started eating there 30 tious identity, and is sticking to it. years ago. Every time I move away from Taiwan and return, I go back to the neighborhood thinking that the restaurant will probably be gone, replaced by a bubble- tea shop or claw-machine game place or some other trendy outlet. But to my delight and astonishment, it survives and thrives. William Foreman When I first arrived in Taipei, I used to President, find the restaurant extremely intimidating. American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei

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1 presidents view.indd 7 2019/12/28 下午7:16 ADVERTORIAL

Farm-to-Table Steaks from the Cowboy State – at The Sherwood’s TOSCANA

ou wouldn’t be alone if the straight from the windswept plains of first things you think of at the Wyoming. Murraymere Farms, located Y mention of Wyoming are big in Powell, Wyoming near Yellowstone swaths of farming and ranch land and National Park, has specialized in rais- beautiful natural scenery. After all, the ing cattle safely and humanely for four western U.S. state is known far and wide generations. The ranch encompasses for its superior-quality agricultural prod- over 2,000 acres and is home to 900 ucts, especially its premium-grade beef. mother cows. But it may surprise you to know that The Sherwood was the first in Wyoming is also becoming a pioneer Taiwan to introduce the technique of in the use of blockchain technology to dry aging process for beef back in 2006, assure consumers that the product they and now once again proves its reputa- are buying is genuine Wyoming beef. tion as a culinary trailblazer through The technology traces the meat from being the first to import the steaks from the ranch through the selection and Murraymere Farms. The restaurant’s slaughtering processes, packing and staff and guests say it provides an even shipment, and ultimately to the kitchen. more powerful, flavorful dining experi- The Sherwood Taipei, with the ence. It’s hard to disagree, as the thick assistance of the recently inaugurated cut of lightly seasoned meat is deliv- State of Wyoming-Asia Pacific Trade ered to your table sizzling in a thin the steak alone is enough to satisfy most Office, is taking advantage of this new layer of its own rich oil. The sound of diners, it also pairs exceptionally well opportunity by using a blockchain plat- the oil crackling, says TOSCANA Chef with the Truffle French Fries. form to track all of the beef it imports Alex Hsieh, is akin to popcorn popping Don’t assume that steak is the only through its exclusive partnership with and jumpstarts the senses even before draw at TOSCANA, though. The the independent Murraymere Farms. you smell the dish’s mouth-wateringly restaurant’s comfortable and invit- The luxury hotel’s TOSCANA Ital- savory aroma. ing atmosphere is accentuated by its ian Restaurant, though primarily outstanding Tuscan décor, making it known for its authentic Italian cuisine, an ideal setting for special occasions or has also made a name for itself in client meals. Chef Hsieh, together with Taiwan for its steaks – using prime- F&B Western Manager Orbie Yang, grade, corn and grain-fed U.S. beef have collaborated on a wide-ranging menu that includes the Kale Chop Chop Salad, dressed in a sweet, tangy vinai- grette and topped with seasonal fruit and corn flakes. Those who love beef but want a less formal option can go for the Wyoming Steak Burger, a classic burger cooked to order. And no trip to The presentation is secondary only TOSCANA is complete without trying to the taste and texture of the steak. the signature Black Truffle Ice Cream, One bite in and you already know that which blends sweet and savory flavors what you’re getting is best-in-class. in a delectably creamy – but not overly The superior texture and fine marbling indulgent – dessert. of Murraymere’s beef means that the Stop in at The Sherwood Taipei’s steaks at TOSCANA are firm with- acclaimed TOSCANA Italian Restau- out being chewy, wonderfully tender rant to enjoy authentic steaks from the without immediately melting on your range. To make reservations, please call tongue. The steak is seared on all sides, (02) 2718-1188 or visit The Sherwood then roasted on high heat to seal in the Taipei: No. 111, Minsheng East Road, juices and lock in the flavor. Although Section 3, Taipei.

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1 shewood advertorial.indd 8 2019/12/30 下午5:45 ODD FOODS

TAIWAN’S TOP 10 UNIQUE FOODS

Odd, unusual, or just different, the country’s cuisine is perfectly capable of delighting and surprising in equal measure.

BY JULES QUARTLY

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHOPSTICK TRAVEL, FEATURING LUKE MARTIN AND SABRINA DAVIDSON

isitors to Taiwan may well ever more interesting dishes that may million views. As social media influ- have experienced locals glee- explore the limits of acceptance, such as encers, they have been invited to South fully offering them unac- black-bone chicken testicles, cockscomb, Korea to promote the 2018 PyeongChang V customed foods, in order or freshly harvested hornet larvae. Winter Olympics, created “unique con- to impress and perhaps enjoy a good- Before we take a closer look at “Tai- tent” for TripAdvisor, and worked as natured joke at the guests’ expense. wan’s top 10 unique foods,” we should “talent consultants” for Netflix. For example, stinky tofu is a fer- make it abundantly clear that what we “We started creating videos while mented bean curd dish that is often eaten are talking about is “different from the we were living in Chiayi” in south-cen- at night markets. Your host will typically usual” – and decidedly not “disgusting,” tral Taiwan, says Martin, who usually order a couple of bowls and adopt a wry “freakish,” or “weird.” Odd is just the presents, while Davidson films. “Every- expression while watching you wrinkle opposite of what you are used to. Just as thing was a new experience to us, and we your nose at the smell, recoil slightly at an oozing, blue-mold, Roquefort sheep- wanted to document it all and share it the bloody-looking sight, and compose milk cheese in France is unusual to most with our family and friends back home.” yourself for a first taste. Taiwanese, the following dishes may The two immediately fell in love with Before tucking in, in order to appear be considered exotic to visitors simply Taiwan’s culinary spread, in particular polite, you may have to overcome a gag because there is no tradition of eating traditional dishes and what residents con- reflex and your natural inclination not them in their own country. sider comfort foods. “We try our best to to eat foods tainted by time and bacte- On the other hand, there are many keep it as real as possible so that when rial cultures. Having overcome any reser- adventurous eaters in the world who others travel to the same countries, mar- vations and done your best to finish the see travel as an opportunity to explore kets, or restaurants, using our guides, dish, you may find yourself agreeing with new foods and flavors. Luke Martin and they will have similar experiences,” your host that stinky tofu is indeed rather Sabrina Davidson, two Canadians who explains Martin. good – even if it does taste somewhat like taught English in Taiwan while falling in Asked about their attitude toward an ammonia cleaning product. love with the country’s street food, would “odd foods,” Martin exclaims, “You’ve You will then be asked if you would certainly fit this description. got to at least try them!” He and like another bowl, at which point you Their passion has turned into a profes- Davidson “hope those traveling to will likely rub your stomach and say you sion, and the pair are now working full- Taiwan for the first time step out of their are full. Show too much enthusiasm and time on their YouTube channel, Chop- comfort zone and try all the food Taiwan you will be initiated into the delights of stick Travel, which has more than 110 has to offer, even if you may consider it

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 9

Unusual foods.indd 9 2019/12/28 下午7:19 ODD FOODS

‘strange.’ You’ll probably love it.” enough to be called a meal. A bit salty, it dishes, the recipe originally came from With the help of Chopstick Travel and goes down rather well with beer. China, specifically Nanjing or Shanghai, some other international commentators, depending on which story you prefer. In we now move on to our top 10 list of Taiwan, the dish contains stinky tofu, unique Taiwanese foods: duck blood, pig intestines, garlic sprouts, and a spicy soup base, with cabbage and vermicelli. It’s a warming concoction for the winter months.

3. Duck Tongue () You can find duck tongues at night markets and stores that sell everything duck. It’s another of those traditional spe- 1. Four Spirits Soup () cialties that haven’t gone out of fashion. In the Chopstick Travel guide to On the Reformatt Show YouTube Tainan City’s food markets, Martin channel, the self-described “wacky” pre- 5. Chicken Butt () and Davidson check out this flavorful senter takes a bag or two of braised duck Moving on from ducks, plenty of opaque, white soup. Inside swim bite- parts to the park to eat. locals would like to convince you the best sized pieces of small and large pig intes- He shows the viewer how to suck the part of the chicken is the butt because tines, along with Chinese yam, fox nuts, tongue from the duck’s throat to eat it it’s both fatty and cartilaginous, a perfect lotus seeds, and pearl barley. It’s quite separately. “The duck tongue was very combination of tasty and chewy. easy to prepare at home by using packets strange,” the presenter adds in his intro- Since “chicken butt” may not sound of soup flavoring sold at traditional Chi- duction. “I felt like I was French-kissing a all that appetizing, there have been nese medicine stores, then slow cooking duck while eating it, but the meat is actu- attempts at a makeover by renaming the the mixture for two hours. ally really good.” food as “seven-mile fragrance” (). As the name suggests, it really is fragrant, 2. Braised Intestines () but only in the realm of imagination can While offal is coming back into it be smelled from seven miles away. fashion in the West, where “nose-to- tail dining” is seen as sustainable eating, more often the innards, gizzards, and intestines wind up discarded. In Taiwan, by contrast, offal never went out of fashion. Braised intestines are often available in traditional markets, where vendors pile up food items on stainless steel trays. Such options typically include boiled intestines; chicken wings, hearts, and claws; a wide variety of meats and 4. Spicy Duck Blood Stinky Tofu Soup vegetables; various kinds of eggs; tofu; () congealed blood; fish balls; seaweed; and If you think offal is awful, then con- other delights. gealed duck blood is probably not going 6. Iron eggs () Some of the foods are slightly orange to float your boat. However, it is unde- Sticking with fowl, numerous egg rec- in color, as they have been pre-cooked in niably good for you, as it rich in pro- ipes are enjoyed in Taiwan, but the iron a marinade made from soy sauce, crystal- teins, minerals, and vitamins (especially egg deserves special mention because it lized sugar, and a mix of herbs and spices, iron), but low in fat and sugar. According originated in New Taipei City’s Tamsui like ginger and cinnamon, along with tra- to traditional Chinese medicine, animal District. ditional Chinese medicine. The cost adds blood will cleanse the blood vessels and Made from chicken, pigeon, or quail up when you choose a lot of items, and make the skin glow. eggs, the story goes that it was a slow somehow, it’s more than a snack but not As with many of Taiwan’s famed business day on the seafront when vendor

10 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020

Gong Gong Xiao Guan Unusual foods.indd 10 2019/12/28 下午7:19 ODD FOODS

Chopstick Travel hosts Luke Martin and Sabrina Davidson

Huang Zhang-nian recooked and dried are said to showcase a Fujian Province The “goat balls” are dressed with out her eggs in a sweet soy sauce broth, identity, the area of China that spawned ginger and are described as “super creamy which shrunk the eggs and soaked up the sustained emigration to Taiwan hundreds and bitter.” The brain cooking in the wok flavor. She marketed them as “Grand- of years ago. In the Taiwanese dialect, smelled “incredible” and “was ridicu- ma’s iron eggs,” and their fame has since pepper () and the Fujianese capital, lously creamy, like butter…an extreme spread as far afield as Africa and the Fuzhou (), sound the same. texture,” Martin reports. Middle East. While pepper is obviously the domi- Apparently it’s a myth that another nant seasoning in all three dishes, the big, eggy favorite, century or hundred-year- hot oven that cooks the meat-and-vege- old eggs (), were cured in horse table-filled buns in concentric circles is an urine. Instead, chicken or duck eggs are interesting innovation in itself. buried for up to 60 days in a clay and ash mixture, along with alkaline elements, 8. Hornet Larvae () causing the white of the egg to turn dark Entomophagy, aka eating insects, brown and the yolk a greenish-black. has gone on for thousands of years all over the world, and once more insects 7. Pepper Wonton, Pepper Fish Noodles, are being seen as a viable protein and Pepper Buns alternative and possible solution to a Handmade pepper-filled wonton ( looming food crisis. ), handmade pepper fish noodles The Taiwanese-American food writer 10. Ice Cream Burrito () (), and pepper buns () Clarissa Wei has written about the We conclude our banquet with Anna, delights of eating hornet larvae, and a who runs the travel blog Slightly Astray. few years back there were sweet-and- While visiting a Taipei night market, she sour hornet larvae mooncakes that were came across a local delight that combines dipped in rum. Indigenous tribes also fea- the Mexican flour tortilla with shaved ture larvae in some of their dishes. peanut brittle, cilantro, and three scoops of ice cream in vanilla, taro, and lemon 9. Goat Testicles and Brain Omelet flavors. Another of Luke Martin’s “finds” on She says the combination works his Taiwan travels was a restaurant that by mixing sugary nuttiness, a hot tor- sold goat meat dishes, plus all the other tilla straight off the griddle, and cold, goat parts that are edible. These included sweet ice cream. “This is one of the most “massive” goat testicles and a brain unique desserts,” she says, “And I’m omelet. pretty sure it’s only found in Taiwan.”

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Unusual foods.indd 11 2019/12/28 下午7:19 SPECIALIST FARMERS

White-jade snails NOT YOUR he 11 metric tons of meat that Akwey Chen TRADITIONAL dispatched to his customers in 2018 is just one-tenth the volume produced by the T average pig farm in Taiwan – but enough, he AGRICULTURE believes, for him to rank as the island’s no. 1 source of farmed snails. The mainstays of Taiwanese agriculture are rice, fruits and vegetables, and hog and poultry raising. But like Specialist farmers in Taiwan are Chen, a number of local producers have decided to spe- concentrating on such niche areas cialize in the unconventional. Besides snails, examples include longan honey, an indigenous relative of quinoa, as snails, deer antlers, and “red deer antler velvet, and a species of hibiscus. quinoa.” Snail farmer Chen established Fanong Snail Farm in 2013 in his hometown of Fenglin, Hualien County, following a varied career that included running a pub in Hualien City and working as a real-estate notary (). TEXT AND PHOTOS BY “I wanted to change my job,” he says. “I read about STEVEN CROOK & KATY HUI-WEN HUNG this on the internet, and I thought it could be a good business.” With the help of his mother and up to three employees

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during busy periods, Chen now raises rats by a group of cats. Rodent-proof machine to take over this task. In accor- white-jade snails on approximately 21.5 moats surround the fields in which Chen dance with European practices for snail hectares of rented land. He grows leafy raises snails between spring and late farming (also known as heliciculture), the vegetables to feed to the creatures on autumn. Unlike hog and cattle farmers, meat is frozen to minus 60 degrees Cel- another eight hectares, and now sells he doesn’t have to worry about livestock sius within two hours in bags weighing around two million snails per year. diseases, though when the snails are out- either one catty (600 grams) or double White-jade land snails are albino doors, bird predators are a problem. that. A one-catty packet typically con- morphs of the Giant African snails that Chen does not use pesticides on his tains the flesh of 70 snails. are common throughout rural Taiwan. fields, yet he admits that chemicals may So far, Chen has not exported any Introduced to the island by the Japanese sometimes enter the snails’ bodies via the snail meat, although he has received authorities in 1932, Giant African snails scraps he sometimes collects from nearby inquiries from Japan. He also raises – are often collected and eaten by people markets to feed them. White-jade snails but is not ready to begin selling – garden in rural areas. Urban dwellers, however, are not fussy eaters. “So long as it doesn’t snails, which in French cuisine are known have never developed a taste for their have a strong smell or a distinctive taste, as petit gris. dark meat. any leafy vegetable is okay,” he says. “Compared with black snails, white- The slaughtering process is labor- Keeping bees jade snails do taste a bit different,” intensive, each snail being killed individ- Chen explains. “Black snail meat has an ually using a two-pronged fork. “One Akwey Chen’s friend and fellow unpleasant odor; white-jade snail meat person can kill 2,500 snails in a day,” Fenglin resident Chen Gui-heng is among doesn’t. The flesh of white-jade snails is says Chen, who is trying to invent a Taiwan’s estimated 1,000 professional ‘QQ’ [chewy and bouncy]; that of black snails is harder. That’s why Western-style restaurants won’t use them.” In Taiwan, many white-jade snails are eaten in gratin dishes. Black snails are often cooked three-cup style (in a wok, with a cup each of soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil), or sautéed with chili, ginger, oyster sauce, chicken stock, soy sauce, and rice wine. Farmers in Taiwan have been raising white-jade snails for at least 40 years. Before Chen got his operation up to speed, however, the largest farms had annual outputs of only 100,000 to 200,000 snails, and none could supply snail meat throughout the year. By guar- anteeing year-round production, Chen’s system has freed local restaurateurs from their dependence on imports, but it has required considerable ingenuity and investment. He has obtained two patents, one for a water heater that keeps the snails’ winter quarters above 18 degrees Celsius, the other for a chamber that induces hiber- nation. Because snails don’t grow while hibernating, the technique enables Fanong Snail Farm to avoid oversupply issues. Winter in Fenglin typically kills 20% of the white-jade snails left outdoors. Rather than put up with such losses, or harvest his snails all at once, Chen brings them indoors. In a repurposed pig sty, they breed and thrive during the coldest four months of the year, protected from Chen Gui-heng's bees produce longan honey, which is popular in Taiwan.

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beekeepers. Since 1985, the honey and honey because they like to add it to bev- be no one to take over their fields when royal-jelly farm he runs with his wife has erages.” Honey is consumed in refreshing they are gone. “We spend a lot of time expanded from 150 hives of Italian honey favorites like lemon honey tea, tea made telling young farmers’ stories. They’re the bees to around 200. from xiancao (, also known as Chi- future of the sector,” says King. BDFF’s “We haven’t grown much because nese mesona), and Aiyu jelly (). customers tend to be youngish – many it’s just the two of us. We don’t want to Chen Gui-heng and other beekeepers are in their late thirties – and most live in take on more than we can cope with,” have noticed a disturbing trend that is big cities. says Chen Gui-heng. He was the first making honey-production a less pre- Like Akwey Chen, Wu Zheng-zhong – beekeeper in Taiwan to obtain USDA dictable business. Because recent win- who is also known by his Paiwan indige- National Organic Program certification, ters have been unusually dry, longan and nous name Ljuwa – launched his agricul- but does not export. lychee trees – especially those in central tural venture after returning to where he According to the Taiwan Beekeeping and southern Taiwan – have been pro- had grown up. After learning that almost Association, local honey yields have fluc- ducing far fewer flowers. Some attribute all the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) tuated wildly over the past decade. The the phenomenon to climate change. consumed in Taiwan was imported from 2018 figure of 9,015 metric tons was A reddish honey from the hills near South America, Ljuwa in 2013 started 68% higher than that of 2009, but 40% Keelung, made by bees that feed on the growing the related Chenopodium formo- lower than the 2011 total. In the same nectar of Mori Cleyera (an endemic ever- sanum, using seeds his grandmother had period, the number of hives grew by 90%, green tree), is among the 250-plus prod- saved. Paiwan people call this pseudo- and royal jelly production nearly tripled. ucts available through Buy Directly cereal djulis. In Mandarin, it is hong li Because demand for longan honey has from Farmers (, BDFF). A , often translated as “red quinoa”). not let up, honey imported from Vietnam Taoyuan-based social enterprise estab- Djulis has been entered into the Slow and Thailand is often mixed with the lished in 2014, BDFF evolved out of a Food Foundation for Biodiversity’s Ark output of local hives or passed off as Tai- Facebook group created in 2011 by King of Taste – a catalogue of international wanese longan honey. “This is common Hsin-yi. traditional food products that are at risk knowledge among local beekeepers,” says King now leads a team of seven sala- of disappearing – which describes it as Chen Gui-heng. ried full-timers. “We hope our customers a “close botanical relative of quinoa,” Most of the trees on Chen Gui-heng’s can cherish and support our eco-friendly adding that it is “known for having a land are longans, and he explains the farmers,” he says. “And we hope people high protein and fiber content, as well enduring popularity of longan honey: “It can enjoy fresh local food.” as for containing eight kinds of essential tastes good and it doesn’t crystallize. Tai- The average age of Taiwan’s farmers is amino acids.” Djulis-flavored breads and wanese people prefer liquid honey to solid 62, and many of them fear that there will cakes are available at several locations

Djulis drying after harvest.

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in eastern Taiwan, and cooking enthusi- asts searching on icook.tw can find more than 170 recipes that incorporate djulis, including hamburger buns and squid- and-djulis flatbread. Conditions in Ljuwa’s home village in Taitung County’s Daren Township are ideal for the cultivation of djulis. How- ever, his first attempt failed because he planted too late in the season. Having learned that djulis should be sown in October, he faced another issue. If it rains at the beginning of spring, around harvest time the cereal may be too wet to store. This problem was solved when farmers banded together to buy a drying machine. To promote djulis and develop sales channels, in 2015 Ljuwa hiked around Taiwan. During this trip he encouraged indigenous communities to rehabilitate abandoned farmland and urged young indigenous people to return to their home villages. Around that time, he gained the nickname “Mr. Djulis” (). He statistics. Since 2010, farmers have suc- turned the moniker into a brand, and ceeded in lifting yields, even though the now sells his products through mrdjulis. number of deer has decreased by 22%. com.tw. Damei Deer Ranch’s Facebook group As interest in djulis surged, so did the claims that antler velvet preparations can land area devoted to the crop. According enhance one’s memory and mental vitality, to a May 2018 report on AgriHarvest. improve sleep quality, aid weight loss, tw, djulis cultivation in Taitung County strengthen the immune system and metab- expanded from 40 hectares to 200 hect- olism, and ameliorate impotence. The ares between 2015 and 2018, and in Ping- ranch keeps more than 30 sika and For- tung County from 30 hectares to more mosan sambar deer – some of which cost than 100. The increase caused a glut, and NT$250,000 a head – under shelter on a part of the crop had to be warehoused. plot of land smaller than a soccer pitch in In the future, djulis may be promoted Yunlin County’s Citong Township. for its health benefits as much as for its Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa; taste. Recent studies by Taiwanese sci- , luoshen hua) has been cultivated in entists suggest that djulis extracts reduce eastern Taiwan since the Japanese colo- the risk of colon cancer, protect the nial period. Its flowers are rich in vita- liver, and counteract the aging of skin. mins B1, B2, and C, as well as beta car- Roselle (above) and a sika deer. The seeds of this plant may become a otene. More and more people have been key ingredient in skincare products and using them to make teas and preserves, health supplements. and to flavor baked items. Yet like their counterparts who grow djulis, roselle Deer antler velvet farmers have encountered price troughs. King. To avoid unsalable surpluses, for In late 2018, a combination of bumper the past four years the social enterprise Some of Taiwan’s deer farmers raise harvests and landowners jumping on has been asking customers to commu- animals not for their meat, but for antler the roselle bandwagon had so depressed nicate their needs ahead of the planting velvet, which they market as both a tra- prices that some farmers decided not season so that the information can be ditional Chinese medicine and a modern to gather the flowers from their fields. shared with its partners. dietary supplement. Unlike snail meat or Instead, they invited friends and relatives Older farmers prefer to follow their djulis, antler velvet production (27,338 to pluck as many as they liked. instincts, but many of BDFF’s partners act kilograms in 2018) is significant enough “Oversupply is a very big problem, on its advice. “The younger generation to be included in Council of Agriculture and it happens every year,” says BDFF’s knows the meaning of data,” says King.

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aiwan’s juan cun () – or military dependents’ villages as the Chinese term is usually rendered T in English – are one of the more notable features of Taiwan’s urban and rural landscape. These communities, mainly located within the island’s major cities, accommo- dated the vast majority of Chinese Nation- alist (KMT) military personnel and their families after they retreated to Taiwan in the late 1940s at the end of the Chinese Civil War. Throughout the ensuing decades, these enclaves became unique microcosms of mainlander culture, language, and cuisine, in many ways detached from the surrounding Hoklo, Hakka, and aboriginal communities. Beginning in the 1990s, however, the juan cun neighborhoods started facing demolition as part of government urban renewal projects or fell into complete disrepair. At one time numbering over 800 across the island, they have dwindled to fewer than 30. A TASTE OF In order to preserve the remaining traces of this fast-disappearing but historically significant part of Taiwan’s modern history THE VILLAGE: and culture, some second- and third-generation offspring of “mainlander” families have opened specially themed restaurants serving EXPERIENCING up the dishes they remember from their child- hood. Gong Gong Xiao Guan() TAIPEI’S near the Nanjing Fuxing MRT station is one of a handful of Taipei restaurants designed to resemble the military village dwellings of JUAN CUN the past. Its aquamarine wooden exterior and large ROC flag fluttering over passing cars make it stand out from its surround- RESTAURANTS ings. Above a blackboard on which the restaurant’s daily specials are written in chalk hangs a large portrait of the late KMT leader A handful of Taipei eateries look to Chiang Kai-shek, a throwback to the class- rooms of Taiwan when it was still under preserve the culture, atmosphere, authoritarian rule. and – most importantly – the flavors Chen An-da, Gong Gong Xiao Guan’s chef and part-owner (his mother is the other half) of Taiwan’s once-ubiquitous veterans’ says that he had two motives for opening the villages. restaurant in its original location in Xindian seven years ago: to ensure that the juan cun flavor is kept alive and to introduce “village STORY AND PHOTOS BY JEREMY OLIVIER food” – a mixture of various regional Chinese and Taiwanese cooking styles – to a wider, younger demographic. Chen’s mother’s side of the family originally came from Hunan province in central China, known for its intensely spicy, rich flavors, and his maternal grandfather – after

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whom the restaurant is named – made a return home. no authenticity left. It feels cold, like a strong impression on the young Chen. As history would have it, such a museum exhibit.” “When I was young and my mother retaking never happened, and over time Chang and her husband have sought was out working, my grandfather would the vast majority of the juan cun fell into to replicate that authentic experience look after me and make noodles from disrepair. Others were demolished to with their juan cun restaurant, Cun Zi whatever meat and vegetables were left build new high-rise apartments as part of Kou (), located in Taipei’s Songshan over from the previous day,” he says. national public-housing projects known District. Housed in a small tin shed, the His explanation speaks to the priva- as guo zhai (). Former village resi- place has a slightly grimy feel to it, but tion that many juan cun residents had to dents were offered reimbursement or an that’s intentional, according to Chang. endure. The memories associated with apartment in the new structures. “It’s not so pretty-looking and clean those noodles live on in one of the res- Dwellings that hadn’t been sanctioned here. We chose this building because, taurant’s signature dishes, Grandpa’s by the government were razed to create no matter which village you came from, Noodles (), which despite the new public spaces such as the Da’an there would always be a small noodle plainness of their ingredients are packed Forest Park in central Taipei, while their shop like this at the entrance,” she says. with savory flavors. occupants generally received no reim- “We have a tin roof, which I feel really Chen also recommends the Fried bursement. The juan cun continue to be recreates the feeling of being in a vil- Stinky Immortals (), a variation torn down to this day. Just last August, lage home. When it rains here, it sounds on Taiwan’s well-known stinky tofu. He Daguan Village in New Taipei City’s like the rain falling on the roofs we slept notes that the tofu is fried before being Banciao District was demolished after a under as children.” fermented, and it is served with small lengthy legal battle with its residents. Adding to the authentic atmosphere strips of pork, green onion, chili pep- In the early 2000s, civic groups, is Cun Zi Kou’s nostalgic décor. A crude, pers, and salty fermented soya beans. including the Association of Mainlander hand-painted sign outside the kitchen Other suggested dishes include the Taiwanese, began pushing for cultural window at the front reads “Recover Double Smoked Meat Stir Fry (), conservation approaches and seeking our Lost Territory” (), a Song a rich medley of Hunan smoked pork, amendments to the Act for Rebuilding Dynasty-era idiom that was appropri- Sichuan-style sausages, and leeks; and Old Quarters for Military Dependents, ated by the exiled KMT soldiers. The the Old Jar Fried Pork Strips ( the 1994 law mandating that extra-legal walls are painted with old KMT slogans ), which features preserved radish housing be demolished. Out of these – white characters inside blue circles. At skins fermented in Chen’s homemade efforts came the remodeling of villages as one time, those slogans could be seen Sichuan pickling solution. multi-purpose cultural and tourist sites, on the walls of every juan cun, Chang The draw for many of the restaurant’s including Treasure Hill () in Tai- explains. patrons, however, is the zhuai bu la ji ( pei’s Gongguan District and 44 South Vil- She also points to a small white shirt ) – crispy, lightly battered fried lage ( ) near Taipei 101. and a pair of shorts hanging from a hook chicken whose chili pepper kick comes “These policies aren’t a bad thing,” near the back, a faded blue logo barely roaring in only after several bites have says second-generation mainlander visible on each. “The military villages been taken. Chang Tan-fong. “It’s just that there’s used to have a ration system; we would “If we don’t continue cooking these dishes, they will disappear,” Chen says. “I opened this restaurant to preserve and protect this culture before there is nothing left.” Over the past three decades, the juan cun communities have faced one exis- tential crisis after another. While high- ranking officers were provided with accommodations in the comfortable former living quarters of the departing Japanese military brass, lower-ranking soldiers were forced to make do with what was left over or build new housing from scratch. Many of the resulting dwellings were rushed, ramshackle shel- ters intended to house the uprooted soldiers and their families for only a short period of time until the KMT was able to retake the mainland and allow them to Gong Gong Xiao Guan

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exchange ration tickets for rice flour that he and his business partner Yang opening the restaurant was to memo- and other food from the U.S. military,” Yi-an were brought together by fate. “We rialize her and the delicious food she she notes. “The situation at that time had never met, never spoken, didn’t even would cook when he was a child. was bad, so some parents would take know what the other looked like before Small wonder, then, that the restau- the empty flour sacks and sew them into we decided to open this restaurant,” he rant’s signature dish is Henan Steamed clothing for their kids.” says. Noodles (), an extreme rarity in The fare at Cun Zi Kou is fairly stan- Pan, who is of Hoklo Taiwanese back- Taiwanese eateries. The recipe consists dard. The main dishes consist primarily ground, had worked for many years of thin plain noodles that are steamed in of noodles, dumplings, and wheat pan- in hospitality, including a long tenure a soy sauce mixture together with three cakes, foods that traditionally come as food and beverage manager at the fundamental ingredients: string beans, from northern China. Side dishes tend swanky Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza soya-bean sprouts, and slices of pork to be southern Chinese selections, such Hotel. 44 SV is not his first culinary ven- belly. It tastes like fried noodles, but as scallion stewed crucian carp ( ture; he had previously operated a pri- without the greasiness or saltiness some- ), a well-known Shanghai dish. There vate dining establishment together with times encountered with that dish. is also the inevitable lu wei (), an a friend and was looking at doing some- Since juan cun food is a medley of assortment of meats, offal, and vege- thing new. different Chinese styles, 44 SV’s menu tables braised in a stock of water and While out riding his bicycle one has a wide variety of offerings reflecting spices. The flavor of the lu wei on offer day, Pan came across the location that that geographical and cultural diversity at juan cun restaurants differs somewhat now houses 44 SV. As in a scene out – including the astounding Mao Zedong from the local variety seen at most night of a movie, his phone rang at that very Braised Pork Belly (). This markets due to the absence of soy sauce moment. On the other end was Yang, a modern Hunan platter contains thick (which many village residents could not third-generation mainlander and well- slabs of fatty pork braised in a delectably afford in the early days) and the use known local blogger, who had heard viscous, slightly sweet brown sauce and of mainland-sourced ingredients, like about Pan and wanted to tell him his paired with a small steamed bun branded Sichuan peppercorn (). idea for something that had never been with the restaurant’s logo. tried before: authentic, gourmet juan cun Beyond the artisanal food and high- Village food goes upscale cuisine served in a chic, modern setting. end design of the restaurant – which After meeting for drinks the next day includes horsehair wallpaper imported While most Taiwanese likely associate and finding how in tune they were with from France and single-stall bath- juan cun food with inexpensive, simple each other, they decided to go into busi- rooms – Pan notes that the pricing struc- dishes and informal settings like Gong ness together. ture and menu can be customized. “We Gong Xiao Guan and Cun Zi Kou, one Pan and Yang named their restaurant charge per head, meaning that if you Taipei restaurant is trying to challenge after 44 South Village, where Yang was book for 10 people but only eight show that assumption. born and raised. His late grandmother, up, we will only charge for eight,” Pan 44 SV (, ) opened a born in Henan – a historically impover- says. “In addition, we let you know the few years ago in Taipei’s bustling East ished province in central China – had fled menu items for your meal a few days in District, near the Zhongxiao Dunhua to Taiwan with other family members in advance, so if you have any food prefer- MRT station. Co-owner Joey Pan says the 1940s. One of his main motives for ences, we can adjust accordingly.”

Gong Gong Xiao Guan (公公小館壹號店) No. 39, Lane 4, Dunhua North Road, Songshan District, Taipei. Tel: 02 8773 2198

Cun Zi Kou(村子口) No. 34, Alley 52, Lane 12, Bade Road, Section 3, Songshan District, Taipei. Tel: 02 2579 6455

44 SV (南村私廚, 小酒棧) No. 10, Alley 33, Lane 216, Zhongxiao East Road, Section 4, Da’an District, Taipei. Tel: 02 2711 7272 Cun Zi Kou

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A CULINARY TOUR OF TAIWAN

A good way to become more familiar with Taiwan’s geography is to acquaint oneself with the specialty food items of places around the island.

BY MARK CALTONHILL

PHOTO: MARK CALTONHILL

number of Taiwanese foods which seems to have been invented not Jiufen taro balls (). While are closely associated with par- that much earlier. balls of taro and flour are commonly ticular cities or towns, even if One story attributes the dish to a eaten as an addition to shaved ice in Athey can now also be found in failed Qing-dynasty imperial examination summer, when they appear anywhere in other sections of the country. Join us on a candidate who remained in Beijing and Taiwan as a stand-alone snack – albeit round-the-island familiarity tour of these set up making tofu. He apparently wasn’t sometimes mixed with sweet potato- specialties, starting from the Taipei area very skilled at that either. His product or mung bean-flavored balls – they are and proceeding clockwise on the map. didn’t sell fast enough and started to go invariably labeled as Jiufen taro balls. Shenkeng stinky tofu (). off, so he ate it himself – and decided it Some say the dish was invented in this New Taipei City’s Shenkeng District is tasted pretty good. Whether he was right Japanese-era mining town now turned known for its bean curd, especially the or not is still hotly debated by customers tourist destination, while others say the “stinky” variety. Many explanations have in Shenkeng’s “Old Street.” location was nearby Ruifang. been offered for that development: purer Keelung tempura (). The Take a train in Taiwan and you will be water, better beans, mountain air, and so port city’s “Temple Entrance Night invited to buy an onboard lunchbox. This forth. But the cause may be rooted more Market” ( ) has long been a major wasn’t always the case, and especially in economic history than in quality. tourist attraction with specialties such on long, slow journeys up and down the In the late 19th century, tofu maker as its “pot-edge pancake soup” (), east coast, local vendors would sell food- Chen Wu-han is said to have migrated soybean-noodles (), and crabs sau- stuffs of varying quality through the train to Taiwan following a severe drought in téed in butter (). But it’s the tem- windows. Fulong lunchboxes (), his native Fujian Province. Taipei’s main pura that carries the city’s name to other although simple – usually just a portion commercial districts already had estab- night markets around Taiwan. The cui- of pork or chicken, vegetables, egg, white lished tofu industries, so Chen followed sine derives from the Japanese dish of rice, and a slice of bright yellow pickled immigrant tea workers to the then-fron- seafood and vegetables fried in batter. In turnip – gained a reputation for accept- tier town of Shenkeng. His products early 20th-century Taiwan, then Japan’s able quality, making Fulong the preferred sold well, but when the tea industry hit a poorer colony, it was just the batter, point of purchase in northeastern Taiwan. downturn, many competitors entered the mixed with fish paste, that was deep- An Yilan () specialty is mari- trade, so it was necessary to find a new fried. The simpler version continues to be nated-and-smoked duck, pronounced business model. He hit on stinky tofu, the basis of Taiwanese tempura. A-hsiew () in the northeastern coun-

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Tamsui A-gei, iron eggs

PHOTO: Taoyuan: peanut MARK CALTONHILL candy, dried bean curd Jiufen taro balls

Keelung tempura Hsinchu rice noodles

Yilan onion-oil pancakes

Taichung suncakes PHOTO: MARK CALTONHILL

Changhua meat circles Hualien shu Xiluo soy sauce

Chiayi chicken rice Chishang rice

Tainan: Guanmiao noodles, Fucheng coffin bread

Kaohsiung Wanluan pig trotters papaya milkshake

PHOTO: MARK CALTONHILL

ty’s unique dialect of Taiwanese Hokkien. can take DIY pancake-making courses or pastry, apparently won imperial plaudits Yilan also has more rainfall than any- sample such fare as scallion ice cream. during the Japanese colonial period. where else in Taiwan, as well as a sizeable Hualien (), on the east coast, is Taiwan’s best rice is said to come from difference between daytime and night- known for its wan ton (known locally as Chishang Township () in Taitung time temperatures, which are ideal condi- , bianshi), Aboriginal-style bamboo- County’s East Rift Valley, known for its tions for growing scallions. Yilan onion- tube rice (), and muaji (), glu- water quality. Shops selling Chishang oil pancakes () proclaim the coun- tinous rice flour pouches filled with lunchboxes can be found throughout ty’s name islandwide. Sanxing Township, peanut, sesame, or bean pastes. But it the island. In the township itself, the regarded as the nation’s “scallion cap- is Hualien shu () that carries the Chishang Lunchbox Museum has rice- ital,” is home to the Spring Onion Cul- region’s name. This confectionary, made farming-related exhibits upstairs, a food ture Museum (), where visitors from sweet potato and egg and coated in outlet downstairs, and an old railway

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carriage outside where customers can apples – are popular gifts and temple entrails also on sale, is less clear. Every sit to eat their food as if rattling along offerings at Lunar New Year because the stallholder seems to have a secret recipe between Taitung and Hualien half a cen- Hokkien pronunciation of the fruit, Ong- used for their own particular marinade. tury ago. lai (), sounds like (“prosperity These are based on soy sauce and/or malt Wanluan (), a predominantly has come”). sugar, plus various medicinal herbs. Hakka village in Pingtung’s foothills, The most obvious feature of Guan- Chiayi chicken on rice ( ) is owes its reputation as the capital of pig miao, however, are the dozens of noodle a basic snack at shops and stalls across trotters () to a visit by President shops and restaurants. Formerly, when the island, but back in the southern Chiang Ching-kuo on January 2, 1981. transportation was slow and refrigera- county itself, it is a much fancier affair Having walked through the old-town tion scarce, fresh noodles spoiled quickly, that includes green vegetables, a slice of market, he stopped at Haihong Restau- especially in Taiwan’s humid south. Local pickled turnip, and a choice of either lean rant (). Word of mouth did the producers innovated a method of sun- or fatty turkey (; huoji) meat rather rest: culinary tourists flocked in, restau- and-wind drying that also gave their noo- than the few bits of stringy chicken found rants proliferated, and in 2004 the Ping- dles a distinctive texture. Word spread elsewhere. tung County Government launched Wan- and their popularity grew. Xiluo () Township in Yunlin luan Pig Trotter Street (). The As the site of Taiwan’s early capital County is said to be the source of Tai- special quality and distinctive taste are and cultural center, Tainan claims many wan’s best soy sauce. The largest pro- said to come from only selecting meat other classic foodstuffs, some prefaced ducer is Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce ( from pigs’ front feet and marinating it in with Anping (), the city’s oldest sec- ), which dates back to 1909 and came a “special formula” of more than a dozen tion, or Fucheng (; “government to prominence in the 1930s as a joint Chinese medicinal herbs. city”). Anping douhua () is a venture with the Japanese authorities Buy a milkshake in Taipei’s Shilin sort of soybean pudding, and Fucheng when wartime restrictions were imposed Night Market and more than likely it coffin bread () is rather like on various items. When its “made in will be called a Kaohsiung papaya milk- a chowder cooked in a deep-fried bread Xiluo” slogan became popular, other shake () after the southern bowl. There is a popular myth that it had businesses set up there: over 40 at the Taiwan port city. The name reflects the been handed down since the city was a peak and still around a dozen today. The popularity of the beverage served by Mr. 17th-century Dutch settlement, though in original Wuan Chuang factory is open as Zheng, a postwar immigrant from China reality it probably dates from the 1940s. a visitor center. whose fruit and vegetable shop at the The place name Tainan appears in Changhua meat circles () are Liuhe Night market started selling milk- Tainan shoulder pole noodles ( another food item nearly always referred shakes in the 1960s. The Zheng Family ), which refers to the bamboo poles to by the Hokkien pronunciation ba-wan, stall is now run by his three sons. used by itinerant hawkers, usually fish- even when speaking Mandarin. Ba-wan Kaohsiung’s northern district of Gang- ermen in their slack season. The noodles recipes vary, but the version from the cen- shan () is so associated with goat are flavored with shrimp, bean sprouts, tral Taiwan county of Changhua – made meat (; the same character is used for minced pork, coriander, and garlic. with sweet potato starch and rice flour sheep and goats) that nearly every estab- The Madou () district of Tainan stuffed with pork, bamboo shoots, and lishment in Taiwan specializing in that is said to grow the tastiest pomelos (, mushrooms – is said to be the original. protein will promote itself with reference youzi). Since they are harvested around According to local accounts, this snack to the area. Japanese-era statistics show the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival and can be traced back to August 1898 when that goats were raised in northern Kaoh- because their Mandarin name sounds like torrential rains left large areas flooded siung from the 1920s because the land , the talismanic protection of deities and people were unable to prepare their was too poor for cultivation. Located on distributed by temples, their consump- usual offerings for Ghost Month. Pos- a main highway and later on the railway tion has become a central part of the fes- sessed by a deity, spirit medium Fan line, Gangshan became a natural center tival’s observance. In Taiwanese the fruit Wan-ju is said to have written out a for the slaughter, sale, and distribution of is called bwundan (), which some say recipe for people to distribute as famine the region’s goats. is derived from the name of the boat cap- relief. Reportedly, his descendants still The rural Guanmiao () district of tain who introduced the fruit to Japan – sell ba-wan locally. Tainan is named for China’s third-cen- a remarkably similar story as to how the Whether any residents of the central tury military leader turned deity Guanyu pomelo got its alternative English name Taiwan city actually eat Taichung sun- (), but is better known for its “three of shaddock. cakes ( ) anymore is unclear, treasures” of pineapples, bamboo shoots, Fancy a marinated duck head? If so, but whenever people from other places and the eponymous Guanmiao noodles it will certainly be marketed as Dong- visit there, they are sure to bring some (). Local recipes include salted and shan duck head ( ) after another back for their family or coworkers. With pickled pineapple, chicken cooked with rural district of Tainan. Why Dongshan, its flaky dough and sweet maltose fillings, pineapple and bitter gourd, and pine- and why the head and not the marinated the pastry got its name from the round apple cakes. These – or just whole pine- neck, tongue, chicken’s feet, or various shape and yellow color.

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PHOTO: MARK CALTONHILL

The middle of the Taiwan Strait is ) has become synonymous with soy- customer, a-gei consists of a stewed hunk a long way to go for cake, but Penghu milk () – not just in Taiwan, but of deep-fried tofu hollowed out and brown-sugar cake () is a must- around the world. China even has a chain stuffed with green-bean “glass” noodles try for visitors to the windswept archi- of copies called Yonghe King (). () that have been fried with ground pelago. Its original name of Ryukyu One story holds that the original stall, pork, then sealed with fish paste. The cake () suggests it may have been later shop, in Yonghe was founded by name comes from the Japanese for fried- brought by Okinawan immigrants two ROC soldiers who relocated from and-stewed tofu: aburaage. during the period of Japanese rule. Nev- Shandong to Taiwan with Chiang Kai- Tamsui is also famed for its fish-fla- ertheless, innovations since then have shek’s retreating forces in 1949, and so vored crackers () and its “iron eggs” made this a truly local product, as testi- missed their hometown fare that they set () that have been repeatedly cooked fied by the many Japanese tourists who up shop (now known as World Soy Milk in spices and then left out to dry. Their also sample it. King () while they waited invention is said to have been an acci- Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Taoyuan coun- for Chiang to take them home. In the dent when a Tamsui stallholder’s regular ties in the northwest are known for their meantime, other doujiang restaurants stewed eggs failed to sell and had to be Hakka () cuisine, like parts of Ping- popped up around them in Yonghe, just cooked repeatedly. tung and Kaohsiung counties in the over the bridge from Taipei. The most famous product of the off- south. Of the few Hakka dishes bearing Shilin chicken steaks () is an shore archipelago of Kinmen (), dis- distinctive geographic names, Hsinchu interesting example of the ongoing evo- tilled sorghum liquor, is a relatively rice noodles () and Meinung lution of this kind of branding. Until recent innovation. Located just a couple plank noodles () in Kaohsiung recently, night market vendors tended to of kilometers off the coast of China’s are probably the best known. Hsinchu’s refer to their deep-fried battered chicken Fujian Province but almost 200 from low rainfall and strong winds are said to steaks merely by adding the adjective Taiwan proper, Kinmen was on the front- be beneficial to the cultivation of rice and “fragrant” (). But when Taipei’s line of the ROC’s standoff with the PRC. manufacture of noodles. Rice noodles can Shilin night market got listed in various The islands’ windy weather and dry be fried directly after soaking and do not backpacker tourist guides, young trav- sandy soils were unsuited to rice cultiva- need boiling first. elers from Japan, Korea, and beyond tion but were fine for drought-tolerant Taoyuan County is famous for began queueing around the block, and crops such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, Longtan peanut candy () and the snack is often called Shilin chicken and sorghum. Daxi dougan (), whose “superior steaks elsewhere in Taiwan and even at Starting in 1952, with the help of the taste” is said to derive from the softness outlets overseas. military, the sorghum was used to produce of the town’s water. It is made by drying Tamsui () on the northern coast is the fiery liquor kaoliang (高粱酒), a tradi- and compressing tofu, marinating it with the probably the only place in Taiwan to tional drink of northern China. It became star anise, cumin, or five-spice, and sim- find a snack called A-gei (). Said to the economic mainstay of the islands, mering it in brown-sugar syrup. have been invented about half a century with over 40 million bottles sold each Taipei has relatively few place-named ago when a stallholder combined various year, contributing some NT$4 billion in foodstuffs, but its suburb of Yonghe ( leftovers and offered them to a hungry taxes and providing almost 1,000 jobs.

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GLOBAL FOOD WJSnails PHOTO: TAMED FOX

CRAZES FIND here’s something wonderfully devilish about an otherwise health-oriented brunch place FANS IN TAIPEI that also serves a wide range of alcoholic bev- T erages. After all, a piña colada is the perfect accompaniment to a plate of poached eggs. The rest of the menu at ACME Breakfast CLUB (3F, From smashed avocados to beet- No. 10, Lane 27, Chengdu Rd.), though, is rather more conventional brunch fare featuring fashionably healthful root lattes, the city’s restaurants ingredients, something relatively new for Taipei. Mashed and cafes are catching on to the avocado on toast, acai bowls, fresh figs, and sourdough bread are a far cry from the city’s usual budget breakfast latest international eating trends. offerings of fried egg rolls, sizzling meat patties, and oily noodles. There’s definitely demand for ACME’s pricier items, even in Taipei’s gritty Ximending District. At 11 a.m. on a BY DINAH GARDNER recent Saturday, the restaurant – located on the third floor of an aging building that’s also home to several backpacker hostels – was absolutely packed, with a minimum 20-minute wait for a table. Opened in 2018, this stylish café’s success reflects how Taipei is slowly beginning to

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embrace international food trends that a pack of two patties at FamilyMart is a mylk,” a spelling used to differentiate it have become wildly popular in the west. whopping NT$499. from animal milk) and non-dairy desserts Many of these global food crazes – According to Ihab Leheta, Beyond has found a robust following here. such as gluten-free and ketogenic diets, Meat’s director of international sales, the Newcomers such as Soypresso and acai bowls, and turmeric drinks – are company is not targeting vegans or vege- Real Soy (sign in Chinese only: “ still considered quite niche. However, tarians, but rather meat eaters who want ”) do a roaring trade during the those that have their roots in the region, to improve their health and lower their summer at the several branches they like plant-based milks and meats, are environmental impact. “93% of our cus- operate around the city. Both vendors spreading much more quickly. tomers [in the U.S.] are meat eaters,” says serve up soy ice creams that are just as Take mock meats, for example. Fake Leheta, who was in Taipei last December creamy but not as sweet as regular ice pork, chicken, and fish, usually derived to launch the company’s partnership with cream. Real Soy also makes a reason- from soy or wheat gluten, have been a online and TV sales company momo.com. able Affogato (NT$90), although the staple in thousands of Buddhist vege- David Yeung, founder of Hong Kong- volume of soy ice cream cools the shot of tarian buffets and restaurants across the based Right Treat – maker of OmniPork, espresso a bit too quickly. island for decades. This might explain a pork-substitute made from pea pro- Meanwhile, nut-milk bars are giving why plant-based meat manufacturer, tein, soy, shiitake mushrooms, and rice the city’s trademark bubble tea vendors U.S.-headquartered Beyond Meat, which – has a similar view. “The real growth a run for their money. Nut Milk, with has taken the world by storm, seems to is from meat-eaters who are aspiring to branches near Taipei Main Station and be making headway in Taiwan, too. At eat healthier, many of them millennials National Taiwan University, uses apricot the end of last year, convenience store and Generation Zers,” Yeung wrote in an kernel, cashew, macadamia, walnut, FamilyMart announced it would sell the emailed interview. and almond milks in its own dairy-free firm’s veggie burgers in branches country- Yeung’s product is giving Beyond bubble teas. Environmentally conscious wide, just a year after the U.S. company Meat some stiff competition in this customers are urged to bring their own entered the market. market, helped in part by the focus on drink containers as the outlets use a large You can now also munch on a Beyond pork, the favorite meat of Taiwanese. amount of plastic. Burger at a handful of sit-down restau- OmniPork entered the Taiwanese market NUTTEA (11-1 Fuxing South Road, rants, including American chain TGI Fri- last March, and Yeung projects that his Sec. 2), near the Da’an MRT station, is days; select branches of Japanese fast- fake meat foods will be sold in 5,000 popular with office workers. Its drinks food joint MOS Burger; Japanese-owned, retail and restaurant outlets here by the are a little more expensive – but are Western-style diner chain Royal Host; end of the first quarter this year. richer and creamier – than Nut Milk’s. and locally owned vegan eateries such New non-dairy alternatives are also A tall glass of Chocolate Hazelnut Nut as Ooh Cha Cha, V Burger, and Bagan- quite popular in Taiwan these days. Mylk (NT$85) is nourishing and velvety Hood. None of these options is cheap, Taiwanese have enjoyed soy, oat, and in texture. though. TGI Friday’s Mushroom Beyond almond drinks for decades, and silken Meat Burger is the second most expen- tofu is a much-loved dessert, so the Detox and weight loss sive burger on the menu at NT$470, and global craze for nut milks (or “nut Fermented teas have their origins in East Asia, but Kombucha – an antioxi- dant and probiotic-packed beverage said to be good for the digestive system – has yet to go mainstream here, though it has become very popular in the West. One place trying hard to help Tai- wanese develop a taste for Kombucha is vegan restaurant Flourish (No. 32, Lane 233, Dunhua South Road, Sec. 1), part of the Daohe Food and Beverage Group, where diners are greeted with a small cup to try before they sit down. A row of giant, cloth-stoppered jars filled with the fermenting pale brown tea dominate this lovely light-filled space located in the trendy East District near the Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT station. Flourish’s manager, Chiou Pei-chian, A meal set at Flourish. PHOTO: FLOURISH says the aim in focusing on Kombucha is

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to offer local people a way to heal themselves after all the fried and sugary foods they tend to consume when they dine outside the home. “Kombucha can help clean them out after all that unhealthy food,” she says, lamenting that Taiwanese people’s sweet tooth means that many customers still find the drink too tart. Flourish is also one of the few establishments offering gluten-free options. Many Westerners started shunning gluten – a protein found in wheat and several other grains but not rice – after some medical studies showed an association between the consumption of gluten and gut inflammation and immune disorders. Flourish’s gluten-free desserts, which include delectable-looking mousse, tira- misu, roasted brown-rice pudding, brownies, and cupcakes, employ rice flour instead of wheat. I’m offered the lemon pineapple cake (NT$140) – a soft, moist slice of sponge cake smothered in coconut cream. The gluten-free aspect wasn’t something the restaurant focused PHOTO: TAMED FOX on originally, says Chiou, because not many people in Taiwan care about it. But in 2017, as more and more cus- be enough to bring customers through chopped nuts, and two rows of tiny, star- tomers mentioned that they were sensitive the door. like white and pink flowers. The rich, to wheat, the kitchen switched to using At the time, Lai was researching keto- buttery taste of the avocado jostled with brown-rice flour in its baked goods. genic (low-carb, high-fat) diets because the crunchy seeds and nuts. It was the The company’s philosophy, says dig- her mother had been prescribed the diet kind of meal that makes you feel cleansed ital marketing manager Sara Luan, is to by her doctor. Initially skeptical, she soon after you finish. create clean, healthy food that is envi- became convinced that ditching carbs While awareness about keto is not as ronmentally friendly and does not con- brings many advantages. “We all eat too high in Taiwan as it is overseas, people tribute to animal suffering. In line with many carbohydrates, but it’s not good for are gradually learning more about it, that philosophy, in 2018 all of the Daohe our bodies,” Lai says. “It can lead to dis- Lai says. It’s a diet that is challenging to brands, including Flourish and a string eases like diabetes and cancer.” sell here because rice and noodles domi- of Japanese restaurants and bakeries, Out of that research came the main nate local dining options. Still, other keto went vegetarian or vegan in recogni- concept for her café – keto-friendly food outlets besides Ketoer have begun pop- tion that meat and dairy production is and drinks. Ketoer, a cozy nook painted ping up around the city, including Sweet a major contributor to global warming. green and blue, is located between the Cooking, situated off of Yongkang Street, (According to the UN’s Food & Agricul- Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial and Guting and Ketoneversion near the Taipei City ture Organization, livestock are respon- MRT stations – and has just three stand- Hall MRT stop. sible for around 14.5% of global green- alone tables. An oversized menu includes Chuan Lee, the man behind Ketonev- house-gas emissions.) keto favorites such as “bulletproof ersion, said he was inspired to open his Concern about the environment also coffee” (where the milk, which contains restaurant after he lost 30 kilograms in a motivated Rose Lai, a former Green- sugars, is swapped out for butter), salad matter of months due to going keto a few peace campaigner, when she opened bowls, and quiche made with almond years ago. her Ketoer Café (5-1 Fuzhou Street) in flour. Each entry is given a calorie count Lee said that the trick to satisfying 2018. She wanted to promote the idea of and a breakdown of how many grams of local people, who expect to have a staple rejecting disposable plastics – and if you fat, protein, and carbs it contains. in their meal, is to use alternatives rather come looking for a coffee to go, you’d I ordered the Green Keto Smoothie than just providing proteins and fats. better bring your own cup or else you’ll Bowl (NT$200), which is made from “We use cauliflower rice instead of rice, have to rent one from her. But she knew blended avocado, kale, and almond konjac noodles instead of noodles,” he that environmental friendliness wouldn’t milk, topped with chia seeds, blueberries, says. “With a staple food, you can have

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a good dining experience, and the ketogenic diet becomes easy.”

A better brunch

When nutritionist Debra Liu was planning to open her health food restaurant back in 2017, she was motivated by a desire to offer Taiwanese diners more balanced meals, but she didn’t want to oversell the healthy side because she was worried the food would sound boring. She therefore decided to call her restaurant Tamed Fox after a character in PHOTO: ACME BREAKFAST CLUB the French classic children’s tale, The Little Prince, something totally unrelated to diet or nutrition. “There’s a perception the homey vibe is Liu’s little teddy bear place to take photos. here that healthy food doesn’t taste good, poodle, Rae, who is usually either pad- ACME, launched by two young men that it’s just boiled vegetables,” she said. ding about the restaurant or napping. as an offshoot of their men’s designer- “I didn’t want to scare people away.” I decided to try the beetroot latte ware brand, is undeniably stylish. It’s a Thankfully, the fare at Tamed Fox (NT$160), which was russet red in color. big, bright open space that is clean and (No. 56, Lane 122, Ren Ai Road, Sec. 4) Thick and rich, with shades of chocolate, white and dominated by the bar along has very little to do with boiled vegeta- it also had a tart aftertaste. The smoked one side. Among its more curious embel- bles. Menu items include smoked salmon, salmon avo toast (NT$290) offered layer lishments are a porcelain basin and white ricotta cheese, American breakfast sau- after delicious layer. It was made from human bust with antler-like hair cupping sage, beer-braised pork and cheddar sourdough bread, which had become a a bunch of bananas. cheese, and sweet potato burritos. Other little soggy from its heavy load of soft “I can’t deny that our business started options – such as beetroot, turmeric and scrambled eggs, slices of avocado, creamy out well because of Instagram,” one of activated charcoal lattes, non-dairy milks, ricotta, crunchy walnut fragments, and the partners – who asked to be identi- avocado toast, sourdough, quinoa, and folds of smoked salmon, topped with a fied only as Shinle – wrote in an email. acai bowls – align with global health pinch of dill. “We have a chic and nice interior, good- food fads. “If it goes on the menu, it has to be looking food and coffee, lots of natural Despite its location in the upmarket something that my staff and I think tastes light. All these are important elements of Xinyi neighborhood, the place is under- good,” Liu says, adding that almost a good photo on Instagram – and good stated. A light-filled space with numerous everything is made in-house and that she photos attract more people.” But, he potted plants and an assortment of tables doesn’t use MSG. adds, people wouldn’t share the photos if and chairs, it’s a bit like an oversized The food looks beautiful, too. The they didn’t enjoy the food. kitchen in someone’s house. Adding to foam heart in my Heartbeets latte stayed And the food is good. The whorl- intact all the way down to the bottom of shaped poached egg, speckled with the cup. These days, when everyone “Ins- pepper, is done just right. A slice with tagrams” their food, restaurants have to a knife and the yolk burst out piping think about making their interior and hot, drenching the flavorsome sour- their food presentation photogenic. dough bread. The Long Black coffee Instagram is definitely the big draw at (NT$110) was so rich that it left a ACME Breakfast CLUB. All of the mostly trail of grains on the inside of the cup, young patrons were photographing and the Acai Smoothie Bowl with Sea- their orders from several different angles sonal Fruits and Granola (NT$280), before taking a bite. a romantic deep purple, was topped At the bar, twenty-something Ashley with niblets of dark chocolate, crunchy Hsu had ordered an acai bowl, but it granola, and slices of strawberry, kiwi wasn’t the Brazilian superfood berry dish fruit with the soft skin still on, and sweet that had lured her that morning down chunky banana. a graffiti-adorned alleyway lined with I was full to bursting by the time I left cheap hair salons and claw-crane arcades ACME. Sadly, there was no room for a to ACME. Rather, she was there because piña colada. That will just have to wait PHOTO: ACME BREAKFAST CLUB her friend had told her it was a great until next time.

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decade or so ago, the restaurant reviews by local writers in the Taiwan newspaper where I was Afeatures editor often dwelt at great length on the chewy nature of certain dishes. To vary the wording, the reviewers resorted to ever more tortuous ways to describe the texture of the delicacy in ques- tion. Among the adjectives plucked from the pages of Roget’s Thesaurus were “leathery,” “gristly,” and “globular” – terms that reviewers in Western publications might only apply with malice aforethought. As a then relatively recent arrival in Taiwan, I sensed that something was clearly going on that I was sadly ignorant about. When I asked the authors about their per- ceived need to describe the essential “bounciness” or “springiness” of food in such detail, they responded that it was all about “Q” – the degree of chewiness of a given food and how it feels against the teeth and tongue. THE TRUE STORY Q is considered one of the keys to good food in Taiwan, on a par with taste, color, and consistency. Given how frequently Q is OF Q referred to on menus and in general conver- sation, it appears that Taiwanese appreciate mouthfeel or texture more than most people. The Italians do have al dente, which literally What does it mean for a food to be means “to the tooth” and describes pasta or rice that is slightly undercooked, but it’s not described as “Q” and what is the easy to find other examples. derivation? In her book The Food of Taiwan: Rec- ipes from the Beautiful Island, author Cathy Erway addresses the issue of Q as a fundamental aspect of Taiwan cuisine. “To BY JULES QUARTLY say that a food is ‘Q’ is certainly a compli- ment,” she writes. “Taiwanese eaters are almost as concerned with texture as they are with taste. Hence we find examples of rather tasteless elements in dishes that only add tex- tural appeal.” For their part, Steven Crook and Katy Hui-wen Hung discuss the “enthusiasm for Q” in their book A Culinary History of Taipei: Beyond Pork and Ponlai. They note that diners’ appreciation of Q explains, for example, why those in the know prefer the gelatinous tendon version when ordering the nation’s signature beef noodle soup. In addition, say the authors, “It goes some way to explaining the enduring popularity of oyster omelets and pearl milk tea.” The writers also identify the glutinous long-grain indica variety of rice as pos- sessing all the attributes of “delectable chew-

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iness without being gummy.” Used today “A food that is Q indicates fresh- anytime, anywhere, they are known as mainly in making rice-based delicacies ness and sometimes firmness,” Hung “Q-on-a-stick.” for wedding and funeral banquets, it notes. “Freshness is an essential quality Fish balls are another Q concoc- was superseded by ponlai strains of rice for good, tasty food for the Taiwanese tion, made from white fish formed into a during Japan’s 1895-1945 colonization of palate. Indeed, imagining meat or noo- smooth paste, then mixed with ice water Taiwan. dles that have been sitting for a long and sweet-potato starch or tapioca to pro- As to the origin of using the term while, can they be Q? Doubtful. ‘Chewy’ vide the desired chewiness. The fish balls “Q,” the writers point to a word in is used to describe Q a lot, but I would can be served in a soup or deep fried. the Taiwanese dialect (also called Hok- say it must be firm chewy, not tough But Q doesn’t stop at savory. Black kien) of Chinese that’s pronounced k’iu. chewy and not fibrous chewy either.” boba tapioca balls star in bubble milk The English letter Q began to appear on Making his own attempt to explain tea and have taken the world by storm. restaurant menus and food-stall signs Q, journalist George Liao says: “In Tai- Foreigners have learned to adjust their because no familiar Chinese character wanese, when we say something is very parameters of the acceptable, coming to could capture that sound, they conclude. ‘Q,’ we mean it tastes good-chewy, which enjoy the sensation of sucking the slip- Delving deeper into the derivation of is usually associated with being delicious. pery and globule-like pearls up a straw the word, Hung noted by email that the Some snacks have to be chewy to be deli- and swishing them around in the mouth. Taiwanese k’iu originally meant “some- cious, and when that quality comes out, For a real Q dessert feast, however, thing wonky, wavy, curvy, bendy.” For we usually praise the food by saying it’s try a bowl of shaved ice (baobing instance, the phrase “QQ” was used to very Q. Sometimes it also means sticky, in Mandarin or tsuabing in Taiwanese) describe grilled squid when it curls up. as some Chinese or Taiwanese foods topped with a panoply of Q foods in a She likens it to “describing permed hair: need to be sticky to be delicious, such as variety of shapes, sizes, and flavors. A when the curls are released they are QQ – mochi” (the Japanese-style confectionery syrup of condensed milk and sugar – with bouncy and wavy.” made with glutinous rice). a faint osmanthus blossom taste – accom- One dish regarded as particularly Q panies the dish, along with small caramel Related to bubble tea? is pork meatballs, which are mixed with puddings, tofu, grass jelly, and copious starch, giving them a somewhat rubbery amounts of fruit. But Hung postulates that the practice texture. They are a little difficult to bite While most foreigners will be familiar of applying the Q sensation to food is a through since they seem to resist a little. with the Q-like give of jelly in all its more recent development – possibly less Most convenience stores offer a selection many forms, it’s unlikely they would have than 15 years old. “Personally, I think it of such meatballs, processed springy fish sampled the wide variety of taro and yam could well have developed with the rising cakes, and assorted vegetables that are balls used in the dessert. Made of sweet- popularity or promotion of bubble tea, submerged in stainless steel trays of bub- potato starch and tapioca flour, they referring to the tapioca balls,” she says. bling heated water. Skewered and eaten are dusted with cornstarch, shaped into squares, spheres, or even pyramids, and then colored orange, purple, and yellow. Another common ingredient in shaved ice desserts, tangyuan () or glutinous rice balls, are also ever present at weddings and during the Lantern Fes- tival. The glutinous rice flour is mixed with water, formed into balls, and cooked in boiling water. They can be big or small, and may or may not come with a black sesame or peanut paste, or other fillings. But what they must be is Q, or springy to the bite. As times change, however, so has usage of the term Q. For older Tai- wanese, it is solely an attribute of favorite foods. For instance, retired homemaker Tsai Mei-chu associates Q with mochi and tangyuan. “It refers to food,” she says. “Chinese borrowed the word from English because we didn’t have a character for it.” But her daughter-in-law, Huang

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Li-jun, says her kids more often use “Q” or “QQ” as synonyms for “cute.” And for millennials like Tracey Tsai, who works in finance, “QQ” tends to be a kind of emoji used in social-media com- munications to show empathy. A website describes it as “two big eyes and two tears hanging below it, expressing sadness and negative emotions.” So, is Q now a Chinese character? Robert Matthews, a former university instructor, alludes to a rare Chinese character, , pronounced kiu in Mandarin. It is a fusion of the characters yin (drink, ) and qiu (sip, ). Victor Mair, a professor of Chinese at FAQs about Q the University of Pennsylvania and editor of the Columbia History of Chinese Lit- erature and Columbia Anthology of Tra- Q: It’s the 17th letter in the English alphabet, but what does Q mean in ditional Chinese Literature, would appear Chinese? to have delved deepest into the subject A: It’s a chewy texture that authors Steven Crook and Katy Hui-wen Hung of Q. He notes on his language blog that describe as the “texture many Taiwanese adore. Food that is Q is more sub- “the argument might well be made that stantial than melt-in-the-mouth and has a delectable chewiness without it is indeed a Sinogram (Chinese char- being gummy.” acter),” since Q is in such common usage throughout the Chinese-speaking world, Q: What’s the difference between Q and QQ when referring to food? whether as meaning chewy or cute. A: They’re the same, doubling up just emphasizes the “bounciness.” “I would say that whether Q may be considered a Chinese character or not, it Q: Does “Q” have other meanings in the Chinese language? certainly has become a part of the Chi- A: “Q” is a sort of cross-cultural homophone for “thank you,” while nese writing system,” he concludes. Chinese Wikipedia calls it a “common alternative to ‘thank you’ on the Mair has traced the gravitation of Q internet.” Social news aggregator Reddit further suggests that “Q” (xiang from Taiwan to China, where it further Q) is used in some internet circles instead of Q. Certain online communi- evolved in different ways. For instance, ties reply: “O K” (yi si OK, or it’s okay). QQ is an instant messaging software service from Tencent that first started up Q: Does “Q” have other meanings in Taiwanese? nearly two decades ago. It now provides A: According to Ned Danison, on Victor Mair’s Language Log: “No Q” is shopping, music, and even banking ser- a Taiwanese reply to the English “thank you,” equivalent to “You’re wel- vices using the tagline: “I’m QQ - happy come.” every day to communicate.” On the mainland, Mair found, “Q bi” Q: What about Cantonese? (Q or Q money) is a kind of special A: Be careful about using Q in Cantonese, where the letter refers to the currency used by customers to buy extra male organ and is often used as a swear word. service. “Q” can then be used as a verb, as in “Q wo ba!” or “pay me with Q bi!” Q: How long has Q been used in Chinese writing? It’s also used as an emoticon and a name A: At least since 1921 when the first installments were published of The for cocktails. True Story of Ah Q ( ) by novelist Lu Xun. The protagonist Ah Q “If anyone should try to outlaw Q (he doesn’t know how he got his name) is a peasant with ideas above his from all Chinese writing, then there station who has a series of misadventures. would be no way to talk about the most famous work of modern Chinese fic- Q: Does Q have other uses? tion [Lu Xun’s True Story of Ah Q] or A: It’s an emoticon that suggests sadness or crying, as with Q_Q, QAQ, the best-selling Chinese mini-car, and one or QQ, where the QQ may refer to double bitterness or “ku ku” (). would not be able to describe the texture According to Victor Mair’s Language Log: “Q can also mean ‘cute’…a kind of mochi, gummy bears, and lots of other of clever semi-English, semi-Chinese hybrid.” delectables.”

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ike other tourists, foodies often begin and end their visits to Taiwan in Taipei. Some go as L far south as Tainan to try that city’s “little eats” (, xiaochi). If they EATING OUR do head over to Hualien or Taitung in the east, their culinary focus is likely to be on dishes prepared by the Austronesian WAY THROUGH indigenous minority. Indigenous people account for just 2.4% of Taiwan’s total population, but HUALIEN they are about 28% of Hualien County’s 327,000 residents. Yet they are slightly outnumbered by residents of Hakka The scenic eastern county offers a descent, and it was with a Hakka clan that we began our exploration of the wide variety of Hakka, Hoklo, and county’s diverse yet overlapping culinary indigenous foods. traditions. The snail statues and emblems that greet visitors to Fenglin, 33 kilometers south of Hualien City, are highly appro- priate — and not just because Fenglin is BY STEVEN CROOK & KATY HUI-WEN HUNG home to what may well be Taiwan’s biggest snail farm (see “Not Your Traditional Agriculture” in this issue of Taiwan Busi- ness TOPICS). In 2014, the township was declared the island’s first “slow community” by Cittaslow International (CI), the symbol of which is a snail. Hakka pioneers began settling in Fenglin in the final few decades of the Qing era. More Hakka families came after Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895, recruited by the colonial authorities or Japanese-owned corporations. Changqiao Village at the southern end of Fenglin is said to be the most authen- tically Hakka community in the East Rift Valley, but we headed to the township’s northwestern corner to meet a married couple who would give us a mouthwa- tering introduction to local foodways. Mr. and Mrs. Chen have lived in Fenglin their entire lives, and when they say they built their own home, they mean it literally. In the early 1980s, they mixed concrete, laid bricks, and installed plumbing. They did everything but the wiring. The front of the house bears the Chinese inscription Yingchuan Tang ( ), an allusion to the clan’s origins in the mainland province of Henan. Mr. Chen’s Hakka ancestors migrated south to Fujian and Guangdong, then onto Taiwan. “I built that important piece of history into PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK the house, so it’ll be preserved for the next

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few generations,” he says. Taiwan’s ethnic boundaries are often blurred. A case in point: Mrs. Chen, who in her heyday was hailed as “the best cook in the village,” is not actually Hakka. Like approximately three-quarters of Taiwan’s population, she is Hoklo, or what Mandarin-speakers call Min- nanren (), those descended from migrants from the southern portion of China’s Fujian Province. Thanks to her Hakka neighbors, Mrs. Chen became familiar with the ethnic group’s cuisine from an early age, but it was her mother-in-law who provided crucial instruction. Soon her culinary Shochu Chicken skills were such that between the mid- PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK 1960s and the mid-1970s, she was often asked to organize bando – the jolly road- amount of fat. After all, Hakka food in had been pre-cooked with other savory side banquets at which Taiwanese cele- Taiwan is often characterized as “salty, ingredients. Sweet fillings are common in brate weddings, deities’ birthdays, and fragrant, and oily.” Hakka fare, Mrs. Chen pointed out. other happy events. Mrs. Chen still uses Mrs. Chen’s Hakka Stir-Fry ( She placed each cake on a pomelo her outdoor wood-burning stove when ) combined pork, squid, shallots, leaf before steaming them for ten min- cooking for a large number of people. and dried tofu, seasoned with garlic, utes, while explaining that banana or Mrs. Chen cooked six items for her rice wine, white pepper, and soy sauce. taro leaves are just as good. Compared to visitors, using scallions and other ingre- The strips of meat were thicker than the baozi, these steamed tea cakes are much dients from her vegetable patch. The first toothpick-sized fragments that often stickier. dish was a variant of Shochu Chicken appear in restaurant stir-fries. The Taipei- The final item – a variation on mochi (), the soup component of which based half of this writing team was struck – was a food served only during festi- is usually light brown. Proud of how by the greasiness of the dish compared vals and on special occasions such as good the lees (, hongzao) from her to commercial versions served in the cap- weddings. Oddly, what is known among homemade red rice wine taste, Mrs. ital – and also by the absence of celery. A Hakka people in northwest Taiwan as Chen added a tablespoon to the liquid, local twist on a classic recipe? No, admits ngiù vún súi (, “cattle bathing in changing its color, while making it some- Mrs. Chen. She simply didn’t have any water”) is here called by its Hoklo name, what thicker and its flavor more nuanced. celery on hand. la thng sî (, “stir with a spoon”). Next up was Pork Belly on Dried Reflecting traditional waste-not, Mrs. Chen brought it to the table in a Bamboo Shoots (). One of Mrs. want-not thinking, her Pig Intestines warm brown-sugar-and-ginger soup with Chen’s signature dishes and the high- Fried with Ginger () also a sprinkling of peanuts. light of many of her bando, this featured included much of the fatty meat that Many Hakka say “cattle bathing in a huge chunk of meat. The layer of skin modern, health-conscious consumers water” is so named because these oval was left in one piece, but the meat below would expect to be trimmed. But what glutinous-rice treats resemble the backs it was sliced into 12 segments to allow is unrefined to one person is delightfully of wallowing water buffalo. But the for quicker marinating and more thor- hearty to another. Chens insist that it is an affectionate ough cooking. After soaking overnight in There is a Hakka saying, yit khoài description of the hollow a buffalo a blend of soy sauce, rice wine, salt, and a pán tí sâm vón fan – “a single glutinous leaves in the ground after resting there. little sugar, the pork was steamed. rice ‘cake’ is as good as three bowls of Asked about culinary differences The bamboo shoots on which the plain rice.” We kept that in mind as Mrs. between Hualien’s Hakka residents cooked pork was placed had been pur- Chen prepared Hakka Tea Cakes ( and their indigenous neighbors, Mrs. chased fresh from a market vendor, dried ) for us. After using an electric rice- Chen explains that two types of taro are at home, then prepared in a way that grinder (an appliance often seen in rural grown in her neighborhood. Hakka and softened them while removing sourness. Hakka households) to blend glutinous Hoklo farmers introduced and continue The bamboo – which was absolutely deli- and ponlai rice, she divided and hand- to cultivate Binlangxin taro ( cious – soaks up juices from the pork, kneaded the dough so each cake was , “betel-nut heart taro”), which gets which seemed to us far too fatty for met- somewhat larger than a credit card and its name from the red dots that speckle ropolitan fine-diners to accept. Mrs. shaped like a turtle’s shell. The cakes the leaves. Indigenous households, how- Chen’s family sees nothing unusual in this were then filled with grated daikon that ever, prefer the Arrowleaf Elephant Ear

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variety (). heated over an open fire. Both types produce large and small At least two rectangular soup pots corms or bulbotubers. While the improvised by folding and tying the Arrowleaf Elephant Ear’s large corms are sheet-like part of betel-nut leaves are inedible, its smaller corms are palatable needed. Scorching hot stones are first and plentiful. The tendency of a partic- dunked into one of the “pots,” which ular ethnic group to mainly eat just one holds nothing but water, to remove any type is simply a matter of what people are ashes. The stones are then quickly moved used to, says Mrs. Chen, adding that the to the second pot, where they retain stems of both are suitable for stir-frying. enough heat to cook shrimp, fish, and other ingredients. Indigenous offerings Just a few generations ago, the consumption of bovine meat was anathema The first Han settlers to reach eastern to Taiwanese of Han descent. The only Taiwan may well have picked up for- ethnic group on the island with any tradi- tougher and chewier. In his opinion, buf- aging, food preservation, and prepara- tion of killing cattle for food is the indig- falo bones make a better, clearer stock tion skills from local indigenous people. enous Amis tribe, which began raising than those of beef cattle. The best dishes Today, such influences are not obvious. buffalo in 1929 at the behest of the Jap- at Niumama include buffalo meat cooked To us, it seems that the flow has been in anese colonial authorities. Niumama’s teppanyaki-style and buffalo-offal soup. the other direction, and that 21st-century Shop (; 120 Nanhai 1st St.) in Diners can also enjoy vegetables foraged indigenous cuisine is mostly mainstream Ji’an Township is an Amis-run restaurant from the hills, such as kakorot ( , Han cooking methods applied to moun- that has been specializing in buffalo meat “mountain bitter squash”). tain vegetables and meats like wild boar. for more than 25 years. Mr. Goose ( ; 259 Zhongshan There are exceptions, however, such as “I source my buffalo from Taitung Rd.) in Hualien City is by far the oldest the traditional “hot stone” technique for or from Yuli here in Hualien. They’re goose restaurant in this part of Taiwan, making soup and stews that survives in killed when they’re three or four years says manager Mr. Liu, whose father the isolated Amis community of Kiwit in old,” says boss-cum-chef Mr. Su, before founded the eatery elsewhere in the city’s Ruisui Township. showing us a buffalo he keeps in a downtown 36 years ago. “When my par- In Kiwit, only uncracked meaical marshy field behind the restaurant. A ents started their business, goose meat stones (known to Mandarin speakers asas licensed butcher, he takes each animal to was not at all popular, because it was maifan shi; ) of the right size are a nearby slaughterhouse where he does triple the price of duck. But after eight or used for cooking. Other types of stone the slaughtering himself. The meat is then nine years, their hard work began to pay tend to split and contaminate the soup. frozen and used within a few weeks. off, so other people began selling goose The stones are gathered from the Xiu- According to Su, buffalo meat is meat,” he says, adding that none of those guluan River, placed in a cauldron, and less oily than ordinary beef, but is a bit early rivals has survived. Liu holds a degree in mechanical engi- neering, but has never pursued a career in that field. After completing his education, he jumped eagerly into the family business. He adheres strictly to his parents’ principles, such as never keeping cooked goose meat from one day to the next. “It doesn’t taste as nice,” he says. For the same reason, when visitors from Taipei want to take cooked goose meat home, rather than simply ringing up a sale he advises them against buying takeout. “This way, we earn not just money, but also trust,” he says. A key feature of geese, Liu explains, is that they are vegetarian. Chickens and ducks are omnivorous, and as a result some find that their meat has what Tai- wanese call xingsao wei (), an Buffalo Meat unappetizing odor, which is why fowl are PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK often smoked. Liu’s family used to raise

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the White Danish Roman geese that they cook, but when they became too busy, they handed that side of the business over to friends. On a busy day, the two branches of Mr. Goose get through as many as 40 geese. The warm goose breast we sampled was both tender and juicy. The menu at Mr. Goose offers a far broader selection of foods than you might expect given the restaurant’s name. In addition to the goose (including goose offal), there are chicken, beef, mutton, pork, fish, oyster, and shrimp dishes. As at Niumama, the menu is better suited to small groups rather than couples or solo travelers. At both establishments, it would be hard to spend more than NT$500 per person. Mr. Goose also serves dishes that reflect Hualien City’s proximity to the Amis and Truku indigenous communities. Liu classifies these items as shanchan ( , “mountain produce”). One of these is Seasoned Hogs’ Skin (), a cold dish. The skin is thinly sliced and lightly part of Taiwan is unclear, but there is drizzled with a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, one thing which, over the course of a few shredded chili peppers, and sesame oil. visits, we have found to be true: Unlike Others are scrumptious greens: Seasoned the slightly more famous Dai Ji Bianshi Bracken Fern Buds (; the Man- ( ; 120 Zhonghua Rd.), you can darin name, guo mao, sometimes appears depend on Yexiang Bianshi ( ; 42 in English) and Stir-Fried Bird-Nest Fern Xinyi St.) to be open. Tips (). There’s no menu at Yexiang, the only Two eateries in Hualien City are option being a paper bowl of soup con- renowned for bianshi () dumplings taining 10 heavenly wontons (NT$70 in soup. The history of this dish in this per portion). Depending on whom you believe, Yexiang has been doing this for between 70 and 90 years. Long enough, in any case, to have perfected the making A goose dinner at Mr. Goose and some of dumplings with, as some people put it, Hualien chilies. “lots of skirts.” Bloggers report that the tricks of their trade include using ground pig’s leg for the filling, boiling large bones travelers on tight budgets. for stock, and not adding MSG. According to a supervisor at Zhou When the city is packed with tour- Family, the store continues the baozi- ists, Yexiang often sells out early. Those making tradition carried to Taiwan by in need of a dumpling fix can head over mainland Chinese after World War II. to Zhou Family Xiaolongbao ( Asked to compare their dumplings to ; 4-20 Gongzheng St.). At the those sold next door, she says: “The skin time of its founding in 1975, it was Hua- here is thinner, and we only use pork lien’s first 24-hour eatery. These days, it hock.” The dumplings and baozi we sam- is somewhat overshadowed by the busier pled were enjoyably fluffy, and much Gongzheng Baozi Shop () right enhanced by a house sauce made using next door. The former, in fact, used to “facing-heaven chilis” (, chaotian operate on what is now the site of the jiao). Zhou Family, as much as Yexiang Baozi at Zhou Family Xiaolongbao latter, but shifted one storefront down a Bianshi, deserves to be a stop on any PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK decade ago. Both are excellent options for foodie tour of Hualien.

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aiwan’s ubiquitous convenience stores are consumers’ go-to places for snacks, cold T and hot drinks, cigarettes, and even microwaved meals. But recently, they’ve expanded their inventory with a new item. Since late last year, select 7-Eleven and Family Mart stores have been serving up chilled, froth-filled glasses of draft beer, straight from the tap. It’s about 9 p.m. on a Thursday evening in a 7-Eleven mega branch in Gong- guan, Taipei’s university district, and I’m settling down to a freshly-poured, amber- colored glass of Buckskin Marzen. Buck- skin, a series of new German-style beers, is brewed by Taiwan-owned King Car Group, better known for their Kavalan whisky brand. This particular 7-Eleven offers three different varieties of Buckskin on tap, available to shoppers 24/7. It’s not the most relaxing environ-

PHOTO: REDPOINT ment to enjoy a drink, with the harsh strip lighting, constant chiming of the main doors, and a group of rowdy for- eign students on my bench who have opted for ice cream and the cheaper tall- TAPPING boy bottles of Taiwan Beer over the Buckskin draft. Nonetheless, NT$79 a glass (280 milliliters) for a pretty decent INTO TAIPEI’S brew and the option of outdoor seating make this one of the cheapest ways to kick back and enjoy tap-poured beer NEWFOUND with friends in the city. While just a handful of conve- LOVE OF DRAFT nience stores currently provide this service, the move reflects what can only be described as an explosion in outlets in BOOZE Taipei offering draft beer. These include new dedicated taprooms, regular bars expanding their keg list, pop-up pubs on the street and in malls, one entrepre- A guide to some of the city’s busiest, neurial vendor who peddles fresh brew from a tricycle (Beer Cargo), and a tiny best, and most unusual taprooms. hole-in-the-wall dive (Funky Fresh) in the Shilin Night Market, where the beer flows through taps installed into the nip- ples and belly buttons of shiny show- BY DINAH GARDNER room dummies. Such a diverse range of draft drinking options is surprising for Taiwan’s capital city, where just five years ago you’d be

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hard pressed to find more than a couple vider Euromonitor International, craft- small local businesses.” of taprooms. A quick internet search beer consumption in bars, hotels, and Redpoint is not only popular, it’s also reveals that the number now stands at other catering establishments across the longest-running craft-beer brand in around 30 and is still climbing. Taiwan almost doubled from 3% (or 4.3 Taiwan. According to Pierce, it was the Local microbreweries – including Red- million liters) of total beer consumed in first to launch a domestically brewed point, Zhang Men, Taihu, 23 Public, 2013 to 5% (or 8 million liters) by 2018. IPA here back in March 2014, but didn’t Jim & Dad’s, Danish microbrewer Mik- “One of the fastest developing areas of open a taproom until more than four keler, and Taiwanese big brewer Buckskin alcoholic drinks in Taiwan is craft beer,” years later in August 2018. The tap- – now operate one or more taprooms its Beer in Taiwan Report 2019 states. room provided needed exposure, explains throughout Taipei. Several, such as Jim The report notes that the demographic Pierce’s business partner, fellow American & Dad’s, have opened new outlets in just drawn to the craft-beer bars popping up Spencer Jemelka. the last six months. around Taipei tends to be younger people “It was sort of a joke in the brewing BEERAMMO (“no war, just beer”), more likely to “enjoy experimenting with industry that Redpoint was ‘the largest a small craft-beer bar on Nanjing West the wide range of beer varieties on offer.” brewery that you’ve never heard of,’” Road near the Ningxia Night Market, Jemelka said. “We didn’t have a lot of launched in 2016. Since then, the bar The impact of craft beer brand presence and so we thought the best has seen business grow steadily, largely way to do that is to open up a taproom.” fueled by thirsty tourists, says its man- Redpoint Brewing Co. co-founder And they’ve done a thorough job of ager, Hung Yilin. On November 1, it Douglas Pierce, who hails from the U.S., it. The bar (132 Fuxing South Road, Sec. opened a branch – on Roosevelt Road, agrees. “What’s pushed draft into the 2), near the Da’an MRT station, all but opposite National Taiwan University and forefront is craft. You don’t see these screams Redpoint. The ceiling is tube-lit just down the street from the Gongguan taprooms selling Taiwan Beer,” he says, with the maze-like Redpoint logo, while Night Market. referring to what is still the country’s rows of colorfully labeled bottles of Red- The new space (160 Roosevelt Road, best-selling brew, produced by the giant, point beer cover one wall and posters of Sec. 4) is cozy and teal-colored. A row state-owned Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor the label designs plaster the others. Rub- of fridges stacked with brightly labeled Corp. “Taiwanese customers are starting bery Redpoint beer coasters are on sale, beers and eight taps slotted into two to have a taste for more interesting beer and at the bar the beer taps are tinged the gleaming motorbike engines sit on top of flavors,” he notes. “The younger gener- company’s signature black and red. Even the bar. The blackboard behind the bar ation has traveled abroad, they’ve tasted Jemelka and Pierce are clad in matching lists what’s on tap – eight varieties from different things, and they’re asking why black-and-red Redpoint T-Shirts for this Dutch microbrewer Uiltje. On my visit, they can’t get it back here.” interview. “You’ve probably noticed I chose the Dr. Raptor Imperial IPA, a Pride in Taiwan’s own microbrewers we’re walking billboards for the brand,” strong, hoppy offering with a high ABV might also have something to do with Pierce quips. (alcohol by volume) of 9.2%. the Taiwanese affinity for craft beer. An impressive 12 taps showing off “There’s young energy here with the According to the Euromonitor report, Redpoint’s range of flavors and styles university and the night market,” Hung “drinkers [are] drawn towards locally give visitors a lot to choose from. The says, explaining why BEERAMO fixed brewed products, as they like to support orange-hued Das Pumpkin, a seasonal on this venue for its second location. “Roosevelt Road also has a lot of traffic, so people will see the sign and then come back another day.” And indeed, the unusual sight through the huge shop window of motorbike engines incongru- ously propped up on the bar attracted a lot of stares and phone snapshots from passersby. While backpackers may have buoyed BEERAMMO’s fortunes, it’s clear that the abrupt rise of the rest of Taipei’s taprooms rests rather more on a surge in local interest in craft beers. Microbrew- eries view taprooms as a good way to offer customers a selection of tasters in order to familiarize them with the different styles and flavors. According to market research pro- BEERAMMO PHOTO: DINAH GARDNER

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PHOTO: DRAFT LAND

option, with its earthy, nutty layers was a eating, they don’t just go out for a pint “99.9999%” of their beer-drinking cus- treat, especially at the early evening price like we do,” says Pierce. “For the Taiwan tomers go for draft, according to Pierce. of NT$140 a pint. Customers rave about market, if you don’t pair your beer with That number is a bit lower at Beer this establishment’s particularly generous food, you’ll fail or won’t be as suc- Cat (No. 9, Lane 1, Chengde Road, Sec. happy hour, which puts its best-selling cessful.” 2), an eccentric craft-beer café near the Long Dong lager at a mere NT$90 during This gastropub model, though, doesn’t Zhongshan MRT station that boasts nine Redpoint hour (5-6 p.m.) and NT$100 appear to have been widely copied by the taps (including Japanese lager Asahi) during Happy Hour (6-8 p.m.). island’s other budding microbrewery tap- and a couple of photogenic felines. Co- The place is buzzing, even mid-week. rooms, who tend to focus on the drinks, founder Casey Chu says around 80% of The dozen or so tables are full, mostly at most offering some bar snacks or the customers go for draft. He launched with locals enjoying food with their simple meals. The exceptions are the big the space with two friends back in 2016 drinks. Redpoint serves hearty American commercial breweries, such as U.S. pub- because “we love beer and we love cats.” dishes, some of which include their beer restaurant Gordon Biersch and Buckskin Chu believes it’s the novelty that makes blends in the recipe, such as pork chops Beerhouses. Buckskin matches its variety people choose draft. “You can only have smothered in Redpoint Rock Monkey of German lagers – from the pale Munich the experience of drinking draft beer in Stout Gravy. Helles to the jet black Schwarzbier – with a bar, since most people won’t have the Offering food is the secret to having international fare that is heavy on sea- equipment for it at home,” he says. a successful bar in Taiwan, says Pierce. food and meats. Even its pop-up stall in Hung of BEERAMMO says the pro- Before taprooms, he notes, the one place Taipei 101 has twinned the six taps with portion of customers opting for draft beer you’d definitely catch locals enjoying five alcohol-infused flavors of ice cream. there is closer to 60%. The bar’s nine alcohol would be at a rechao, a type of The Schwarzbier with Oreo is said to be a taps are more than a little outmatched rough-and-ready eatery that sells Tai- particular favorite among customers. by the roughly 120 bottled and canned wanese stir-fry dishes and where no meal Food or no food, what is cer- varieties on display. One of the patrons, is complete without a generous helping of tain is that when people are given the Hong Kong student Chilli Law, is proof affordable beer. choice, they love to drink draft. Despite of the allure of the numerous non-draft “Taiwanese combine drinking and Redpoint’s wall of alluring bottles, options. While enjoying a few of these

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BuffaloMeat PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK When You Drink, Don’t Drive

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with a friend, she mentions that they by the white lab-coat-wearing bar staff – way of saying pre-mixed cocktails are not were attracted by the “beautiful colors” are housed in an industrial-chic slip of a as strong as those crafted on demand. on the labels. space, where seating is sparse. I try the South Island Fizz, a tongue- Like many others, I’ve always pre- Having a pre-mixed and pumped gripping, sweet-and-sour gin-based con- ferred draft because not only do you tend cocktail is a novel idea, and requires coction, followed by the Rum Cocktail, a to get a bigger serving, it usually also some time for people to get used to, says blend of dark rum, pandan (an aromatic tastes fresher. That’s not necessarily true, Victor Chung, Draft Land’s chief bar- Asian leaf used in cooking), and stout. It however, especially in Taiwan. tender. “Sometimes people come in and proved less easy to drink, but the smell Charles Bamforth, a professor at the ask for beer because they see all our taps, reminded me of Christmas. University of California who has dedi- so now we have some beer cocktails.” The Draft Land formula seems to be cated his life to the study of beer – he’s One of these is mixed with an IPA and working. At the beginning of 2019, Zou been nicknamed the “Pope of Foam” another with stout. opened a branch in Hong Kong, and – explains in an email that if the beer’s Angus Zou, Draft Land’s founder, according to Draft Land’s website, pre- been sitting for a long time in the keg, “it sought to create a less intimidating place mixed cocktail taprooms will soon be can also be vastly inferior to a bottled or for Taiwanese to drink cocktails than the serving customers in Tokyo and Seoul. canned beer.” upscale cocktail bars in town, says Chung. A second Taipei location should also be That will often be the case if the Zou would know; he opened Alchemy, ready for business early this year. weather is hot and the beer is not kept one of Taipei’s first speakeasies several Taipei’s come a long way since the refrigerated, Redpoint’s Pierce points out. years back, but has since sold his share. days when all you could get was Taiwan “A lot of these bars and restaurants Chung explains that his boss wanted to Beer. The fact that the city has been around the city have a warm keg, stick open a bar where the customer wouldn’t chosen to host this year’s Sea Brew, a huge it out back in the middle of summer, and feel pressured to be knowledgeable about gathering and trade fair in October for when they bring it in and put it on tap, flavors, palates, ingredients, and gar- brewers in Southeast Asia, shows just how they put it on a flash-chill,” he says. “The nishes, or fork out NT$400-500 for a far the island has come. Indeed, there’s a flash-chill makes the beer that’s going drink that, in the end, they might not lot to celebrate with this rapid expansion through it super-cold right at the point of even like. In Draft Land, just like in the and enrichment in drinking options in the sale, but that beer has been warm forever, beer taprooms, you can ask to sample the city, but it’s nice to know that bar owners which degrades it.” options until you find one you like. Most are keeping it in perspective. All good taprooms keep their beer glasses, albeit smaller at 90-150 milliliters, When I asked Beer Cat’s Chu which refrigerated. Redpoint stores its kegs in a are priced at only around NT$200. was more important, the beer or his cats, cold room behind the bar. Draft Land’s cocktails are “mellower he laughed and after a lengthy pause, “If there are too many beers ‘on tap,’ and smoother, the alcohol kick comes said: “That’s a tough one. I’d have to say then there is an increased likelihood that later,” says Chung, which may be a nice the cats. You can drink beer anywhere.” at least some of them will be lingering too long and developing off flavors,” Bam- forth writes. He advises asking the bar- tender which beer sells the best, because “that is an indicator that it is likely to be the freshest.”

Not just beer

Taipei’s love affair with draft has even expanded beyond the usual hops and barley. On a lane just off Dunhua East Road is Draft Land (No. 2, Lane 248, Zhongxiao East Road, Sec. 4), Asia’s first dedicated cocktails-on-tap bar. Its bank of 18 taps – so stark and shiny they look A BEER AND A CAT AT BEER CAT PHOTO: SERGIO PALMA like medical devices, an effect enhanced

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 37

Zhou Xiaologbao PHOTO: STEVEN CROOK Drink Responsibly

Draft beer.indd 37 2019/12/28 下午9:39 STANLEY KO

A TASTE FOR GREAT SERVICE

As the Ko Hospitality Group opens gnoring the “Opening Soon” sign on the door of Ramen Nagi restaurant in Palo Alto, California, it first U.S. restaurant, CEO Stan two curious pedestrians try the handle. The door Ko talks about the family business I opens, but not far. A bleary-eyed but smiling man at the threshold dashes and why he’s fiercely dedicated to their hopes of tucking into bowls of rich broth, steaming the dining experience. noodles, and tender pork. “Sorry,” he says, “we’re not open yet.” The hungry diners don’t know it, but the man who has gently turned them away is Ramen Nagi’s publicity- BY JUNE D. BELL shy co-owner, Stan Ko [a 1999 graduate of the Columbia Business School]. Ko leads a growing 750-employee hospitality business that includes everything from casual ramen noodle houses to overseas franchises of Ruth’s Chris Steak House to buzzy Michelin-starred eateries. Unlike Satoshi Ikuta – Ramen Nagi’s founder, celeb- PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID BUTOW rity ramen master, and Ko’s business partner – Ko prefers to operate behind the scenes. He travels the globe over- seeing the family business, the Ko Hospitality Group, which was founded in 1989 by Ko’s father, William, and

38 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020

Stan Ko.indd 38 2019/12/28 下午9:44 STANLEY KO

includes 35 Ramen Nagi restaurants in ment when the clothing chain had just Coca-Cola’s vast operations and decision- Asia. Ko, the president and chairman, eight stores. She eventually ran the com- making processes. Six months later, he keeps an exhausting schedule, logging as pany’s buying offices in Hong Kong and returned to the family business. many as 200,000 miles a year in the air. Asia. Ko’s father was employed by Pan “That’s why a lot of younger people A recent trip – on which he bounced Am airline, and the couple owned and ran gravitate to startups,” Ko explains. from Taiwan to China to California to a Chinese restaurant. “My dad worked “Besides working for a salary, you want New York and then back to California – basically every day, 24/7,” Ko says. to give meaning to your life. Having has left him incredibly jet-lagged; yet he William Ko’s gregarious personality some impact on what’s going on is very is gracious, and sits down with us for an and business skills made him well suited rewarding. Not being able to see your interview, punctuated by sips of hot black to the restaurant industry. He eventu- impact is kind of discouraging.” coffee from a café two doors down from ally left Pan Am to focus on restaurants, Ko, a member of the Columbia Busi- Ramen Nagi. opening a franchise of San Francisco- ness School’s Family Business Program’s based Swensen’s Ice Cream in Taipei in advisory board, credits his classes in Food and family 1982. The time was right for family-style entrepreneurship and business manage- restaurants that served American food ment with helping him guide the Ko Hos- The sleek 60-seat noodle shop is the and breakfast all day, Ko says, because pitality Group’s transition to professional first foray into the U.S. market for the Ko the growing middle-class was eager to management. He also says that what he Hospitality Group and chef Ikuta. Exec- spend its disposable income on dining learned in those classes helped him posi- utives spent three years considering sites experiences. His parents were “ahead of tion the company for growth as it added before choosing Palo Alto, which boasts the curve,” he says, in anticipating Asian Asian franchises of American restaurants. a small but vibrant downtown where Sil- customers’ desire to patronize restaurants. icon Valley entrepreneurs, Sand Hill Road Ko joined the family business after A world of dining financiers, and Stanford students and fac- graduating from the University of Cal- ulty rub elbows at sidewalk café tables. ifornia San Diego with an economics In 2008, Ko became president of “Depending on who you speak to, it’s the degree. After spending five years working the Ko Hospitality Group and its sub- center of the universe, right?” Ko says, with his father, he enrolled in Columbia sidiaries, Hasmore Ltd. and the Has- grinning. “It’s a good starting point.” Business School. He took a job with the more Restaurant Group. His father died Ko knows the San Francisco Bay Area Coca-Cola Company after graduation in 2014, and his mother is still involved well. The oldest of three brothers, he was but quickly became disenchanted. Com- in the business. Ko and his brothers born to Taiwanese immigrants in the sea- pared with the vital hands-on role he’d work together, each in a leadership side town of Monterey. His mother, Rosa- held in the restaurant business, Ko real- role. Edward Ko (a 2014 graduate of linda, joined the Gap’s accounting depart- ized he exerted negligible influence on Columbia Business School) is executive

In a restaurant, you are manufacturing “a product, but you’re also manufacturing an experience.

— Stan Ko ” Preparing a savory meal at the recently opened Ramen Nagi in Palo Alto.

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 39

Stan Ko.indd 39 2019/12/28 下午9:45 STANLEY KO

students on a Chazen Global Study Tour had a chance to dine there, thanks to Ko’s hospitality. Equally challenging to book – and in the same building – is Shoun RyuGin Taiwan, a two-starred Michelin restaurant whose chefs craft Instagram-worthy dishes using seasonal, local ingredients. Ko shuttles regularly between the company’s holdings. He has no trouble sleeping on flights, a boon to his schedule. His days are packed with meetings and reviews of architectural plans, plus sampling menu items, and providing feedback to chefs (Ko demurs diplomati- cally when asked to name a favorite cuisine or restaurant but is quick to praise the vibrant restaurant cultures in Tokyo, San Francisco, New York, Paris, and Taipei), squeezing in a workout, devoting “hours and hours” to answering emails, reviewing financial reports, and when he’s home in Taipei, spending time with Michelin-starred restaurant RAW in Taipei City. his wife Annabelle and sons Owen, 17, and Henry, 15. “I don’t see myself as a top executive,” Ko says with a shrug. “I’m doing the best I can, like everybody else.” Whether you’re a young student couple or the That humility and work ethic aren’t CEO of Samsung, we’re going to give you the lost on his staff. “When he sets a goal, he will try everything in his power to reach “same service. it,” says Eric Wang, Hasmore’s senior vice president, who is based in Taipei. — Stan Ko “If he does not succeed the first time, he will try again and again until the goal is reached. If you need to practice 200 times to be perfect, he will be there with you to vice president of corporate services, over- frees them to make long-term, strategic make sure you can deliver the perfection seeing accounting, human resources, con- decisions. ” every time, because that is how he does it struction, marketing, and information On the other end of the dining spec- himself. Sometimes you can really hate it, technology. David Ko is executive vice trum, the Ko Hospitality Group’s hold- but once you understand it, you will try president of casual dining concepts, such ings include two Michelin-starred restau- your best.” as Ramen Nagi. rants. One is RAW in Taipei City, where When Ko returned recently to Palo At the Ramen Nagi in Palo Alto, chef André Chiang and his staff metic- Alto to check on operations at Ramen diners have been queueing up on the side- ulously craft eight-course tasting menus Nagi, he took the role of maître d’, gra- walk for up to 90 minutes for the hearty showcasing “bistronomy,” which the res- ciously greeting queued diners and soups that have earned rave reviews on taurant’s website describes as “a new assuring them, apparently unnecessarily, Yelp. A second location is opening this wave of cooking style born in Paris, that the food would be worth the wait. fall in a mall in San Jose, and the com- offering experimental haute cuisine at a He consistently models hospitality pany is scouting locations for a third site, reasonable price.” for his employees and executives, says possibly in San Francisco. The New York Times recently fea- James Young, Hasmore’s culinary direc- “We believe in controlled, sustainable tured the restaurant, which has also been tory. “He’s not one of those owners who growth,” Ko says. Because the business recognized for its unique architecture comes in and stands in the back. He likes is privately held, the brothers don’t have and design. The 60-seat restaurant’s sole to be hands-on.” to answer to stockholders. “You’re not drawback, foodies say, is the near-impos- Like Ko, Young is a Bay Area native chasing quarterly profits,” he says, which sibility of securing a reservation, though and the son of Chinese restaurant

40 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020

Stan Ko.indd 40 2019/12/28 下午9:45 STANLEY KO

owners. A Hasmore employee for 12 says. Whether customers eat at the fami- I hate those restaurants where you have years, Young worked his way up from ly’s Michelin-starred restaurants or slurp to earn the respect of the staff. We’ve all a line cook to an executive role. Ko has up a $14 bowl of noodles, they deserve been to one of those restaurants. I’m sen- been an excellent mentor, exemplifying the same quality ingredients and atten- sitive to that. It defeats the whole feeling hard work and modesty. “He’s very low- tion to detail. of what a restaurant should be like.” key and humble,” Young says, “and Ko praises In-N-Out Burger, a family- Restaurants are in a class of service that’s how I like to operate too.” owned West Coast chain beloved by its all their own, he muses, because unlike devotees, for its consistently stellar atten- retail, they take on production and ser- A gracious host tion to its customers. “It’s not like ‘We’re vice simultaneously and in the same loca- really busy so we can be curt with you tion. “In a restaurant, you are manufac- To Ko, running the family business at the register’ or ‘Don’t bother me, I’m turing a product, but you’re also man- means ensuring that meticulous care is really busy and my apron is dirty.’ It’s ufacturing an experience,” Ko says. “It lavished on every patron and that every like the Michelin of fast food,” he mar- takes a unique skill set to do both well.” dish meets exacting standards. And Ko is vels. At his own dining places, Ko says, a master at it, says Young, who watched “whether you’re a young student couple his boss in action at Ramen Nagi in Palo or the CEO of Samsung, we’re going to — This article originally appeared Alto and wasn’t surprised to see Ko take give you the same service.” in the Fall 2018 issue of Columbia the initiative to greet guests and thank But then he changes his mind. “Actu- Business, the publication of Columbia them for their patience. ally,” he clarifies, “I want to show the Business School, and is reprinted with Restaurants should always make student couple greater hospitality, because permission from the publisher. diners feel like treasured visitors, Ko they can’t afford to come here every day.

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Stan Ko.indd 41 2019/12/28 下午9:45 CATCHING UP

eturning to Taiwan after a five- year absence, my initial reac- tion was that prices seemed R a lot higher. Currency fluctu- ations didn’t help, as I was getting only NT$40 per pound rather than the $50 or so when I left. Friends confirmed my suspicions. Those habitually dining out complained of restaurants now aiming for NT$400 per head compared to NT$300 previously, and even of ordinary lunchboxes costing NT$100. Those regularly cooking at home said much the same about prices for meat, fruit, vegetables, and – oh-my-word – milk. Nor did it help that I arrived in spring, just before fruit and vegetable prices entered their expansive summer season. Nevertheless, this period seems to have gone on longer, and many prices trebled instead of the doubling I remembered. There seems to be little explanation for this increase in terms of supply and demand. While Taiwan’s population grew by around 1% over the last half-decade, Council of Agriculture statistics show steady or even increased production in most food categories. Only the fish catch CATCHING UP has shown a decrease, of around 20%. My next surprise came in shopping for eggplants. In the UK I had searched assid- AFTER FIVE uously for something approaching Tai- wan’s long, thin variety. In Taiwan I’m now being offered the large, near-spherical YEARS AWAY type I grew up with – but never particularly liked – promoted as an exotic import. Other good news for ratatouille lovers After living in Taiwan for two decades, is that zucchini is much more widely available than five years back, and with toma- regular Wine & Dine contributor Mark toes were two of the few things to have Caltonhill returned to his native UK at the dropped in price once the summer season ended. Another positive development is the end of 2013. Now he’s back and looking appearance of Brussels sprouts on super- at what has changed on the food scene. market shelves, although they are anything but cheap. Probably the most exciting items to have become more economical are certified organic vegetables. I recall that they used STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK CALTONHILL to be about two-and-a-half times the price of regular leafy greens, whereas now they are only about NT$10 more per bunch. As I settled back in Taiwan, I wondered whether there might have been a new “egg tart phenomenon” during my absence. In the late 1990s, a craze for the Portu- guese-style confectionery led to hundreds

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of stores opening within a short time span, huge popularity among consumers for a while (even causing a reported egg shortage), and then a sudden end to the fad. A similar obsession followed with Krispy Kreme doughnuts in 2013 and the short-lived Black Thunder chocolate bars in 2014. When I asked friends about the last five years, however, all they could suggest were the claw-machine arcades that are now found in every neighborhood. I’ve rarely seen anyone in them, though, and wonder if they’re merely some kind of money-laundering venture. Perhaps the nearest thing to an “egg tart phenomenon,” I concluded, are the various fashions in bubble tea, a market now valued at about US$1 billion per Louisa Cafe year domestically. But this is more of an evolution than a revolution, and certainly was well underway before I left. Even its potential for Facebook or Instagram- Speaking of coffee, one of the most 7-Eleven has entered the market, which friendly selfies is as important as its full- visible changes I noticed is the prolifer- has expanded to include such innovations on creamy taste. ation of Louisa Coffee shops, a brand as bubble tea cake and the “pearl milk- I was probably not hip enough to have tea pizza” that Domino’s Pizza is market- Tea and coffee politics been aware of five years ago. Espe- testing this winter. cially popular with students and younger Judging from queue lengths in Tai- There was no queue at all outside office workers, it has grown – from a pei’s eastern shopping district, Tiger my local Yifang tea-shop franchise, for single takeaway stall in 2006 in an alley Sugar – with its bands of caramelized reasons seemingly having to do chiefly off Minsheng East Road – to being the sugar sticking to the sides of the trans- with politics. In August 2019, the Hong nation’s number-three brand behind Star- parent cups to create a tiger-skin-like pat- Kong representative of the now global- bucks and 85°C. Despite being only tern – seems to be the latest rage. Possibly ized Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea ( slightly more expensive than convenience ) condemned protesters in the territory store equivalents, its coffee is surprisingly and expressed support for China’s “one drinkable and its snacks quite acceptable. country, two systems” formula. Nat- Most branches have ample seating, elec- urally that didn’t go down too well in trical sockets, and free Wi-Fi, and in stu- Hong Kong or Taiwan, and sales plum- dent neighborhoods they are generally as meted. I have made six visits to the store quiet as libraries. to take a photo without once finding a It’s hard to remember Taiwan in the customer present. days before coffee, but in my own early A year earlier, a similar political devel- years here my suitcase would be half opment took place in Taiwan’s US$2 bil- full of ground coffee and filters when I lion-plus coffee industry when 85°C returned from annual trips home. The Bakery Cafe capitulated to China. Beijing other half was usually cheese, another reacted negatively when the Los Angeles item that was hard to find here, especially branch of the Taiwan-based coffee com- outside the big cities. Getting something pany welcomed visiting Taiwan Presi- better than meltable, orange, plastic-like dent Tsai Ing-wen. 85°C then quickly squares required a special trip to one of announced that its “firm support for the the high-end supermarkets. ‘1992 consensus’ [a vague One China That is no longer the case. Many formulation] has never changed,” but shops have a reasonable range – if not at customers in Taiwan were not pleased. By reasonable prices – and Carrefour and now, consumers seem to have forgiven or Costco have dozens of cheeses to choose forgotten, so maybe Yifang just needs to from: hard or soft, mild or stinky, and Tiger Sugar be patient. white, blue, or green, as well as orange.

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 43

Cathcing up.indd 43 2019/12/28 下午9:45 CATCHING UP

The hypermarkets have also radically In general, the craft beer explosion ation of “Western-style” all-day break- improved their wine selections, the best currently underway in Taiwan hasn’t fast joints. My use of quotation marks of them surpassing many of the choices I been entirely satisfying. The initial flavors should say it all. found back in the UK. tend to be fine, though sometimes a little Which brings us finally to restau- Locally produced alcoholic beverages too hoppy, but there is rarely any follow- rants. Being a restaurateur is a notori- have also undergone significant develop- up taste and invariably no finish. Hope- ously precarious profession. Indeed, sev- ment, especially in the beer market. One fully some of the dozens of craft beers eral of my old hangouts have closed for major player to have come from nowhere fighting for shelf space will come through whatever reason, but there is never a is Buckskin, and though initially I was in the long run. shortage of people willing to take their wary of trusting the brewing ability of the That said, none of these brews tastes places, it seems. makers of Mr. Brown coffee and Kavalan as bad as the latest offering from TTL: At the top end, the Michelin Guide whisky, their Marzen beer is a highly wel- a non-alcoholic version of its popular Taipei update came out just as I touched come addition to the market. (More on Gold Medal Taiwan Beer. In fairness, the down in Taiwan, and includes three new Buckskin in this issue’s feature on draft product is called a “beer-taste beverage,” two-star restaurants and four one-star drinks by Dinah Gardner). though even that requires quite a stretch restaurants. Sadly, my income level pre- of one’s imagination. As someone who cludes me from paying NT$3,000-$5,000 probably imbibes too often, I appreciate for a meal, but it is good to see high- the attempt, just not the result. quality Taiwanese cuisine, like that at the One more thing about beer. I’ve Mountain and Sea House () at 94 always wanted to make pancakes with Ren Ai Road, Sec. 2, being acknowledged beer instead of milk, but it seemed such a alongside the usual French and Japanese waste. Now that I’m living in a country cuisines. where milk costs about NT$100 per liter The guide also includes a selection of and TTL’s Taiwan Classic Beer works “Bib Gourmand” establishments – res- out at about NT$65 per liter, I’m finally taurants and even night-market stalls living my beer-pancake dream in the offering “good quality, good value mornings. cooking” – where a three-course meal Another noticeable development costs no more than NT$1,000. These I do over the past five years is the prolifer- intend to check out. Meanwhile, down at the mom-and- pop end of the food spectrum where less Ravi Dadlani, proprietor of Vegan rapid change might be expected, there has Taipei, left; real crockery at the Zhan- been at least one exciting development in zihao restaurant, below. my local Wuxing Street neighborhood. Perhaps not surprisingly since the fresh market, night market, and restaurants in the area all grew up to cater to the nearby postwar military veterans-and-dependents’ villages, there are at least a dozen beef noodle outlets. Almost without exception, these serve their fare on melamine “crockery,” and although I am by no means a food snob, I do think that eating off plastic detracts from the dining experience. But Zhan- zihao (; no English name, no English menu) at No. 91, which opened in 2018, uses the same Tatung ware I have at home. So despite being vegetarian, I am more than happy to take friends and family to eat there. The food isn’t bad either. Speaking of vegetarianism, while there is a lot of online chatter about vegetarianism and veganism – especially as concern over climate change increases – not

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much seems to have changed domestically. There have always been vegetarian restaurants, even in small towns, usually run by Buddhist or Yiguandao religious groups. And while Western-style restaurants will have vegetarian (although not necessarily vegan) options on their menus, there are also local restaurants that have absolutely nothing suitable, unless you don’t mind a portion of rice and a few leafy greens that were boiled in the same water that cooked meat products. Indeed, last year the Bafang Yunji ( ) chain suddenly stopped selling its highly popular vegetarian dumplings without explanation, and 7-Eleven removed its microwaveable vegetarian rice that had been a lifesaver for me on cycle trips to the mountains. Fortunately, however, the convenience-store chain has since replaced the dish with four similar items. change since I left five years ago, fed in Probably the best place to find vegan part by Taiwan's culture of long working food is in cosmopolitan Taipei, especially hours. It’s not just in Taipei and other in the more academic and middle-class big cities where 8 a.m.-10 p.m. workdays districts like Da’an, and I am informed are not uncommon, and employees think that Vegan Taipei, which opened in 2017 they gain merit by never leaving their at 130 Rui An Street, has the best vegan desks. I was recently in sleepy Luodong pizza on the island. in Yilan County around lunchtime, and All of which was starting to make me the streets were a veritable sea of pink think that not so much had changed in – foodpanda apparently dominating the Taiwan’s F&B sector, at least not com- market there. pared with previous decades. Then I I’d pretty much given up on finding the was almost run down by a foodpanda latest “egg tart phenomenon,” and with delivery scooter. And after that almost the deadline looming for submitting this knocked off my bicycle by another deliv- article, I retreated to a branch of Louisa erer speeding through a red light. Worse Coffee to type up my notes. It was raining still, over a four-day period in October outside and the cafe was full, so I relo- came news that two deliverers – one from cated to the empty 7-Eleven next door. foodpanda and one from UberEats – were Barely had I and my companion fired up killed in traffic accidents in Taipei. our laptops than a PR woman entered, An investigation by the Taipei City accompanied by a mic-wielding TV pre- Food deliveries, above, and the author government discovered that such inci- senter and a cameraman. They set up a at his first encounter with Haidilao. dents were more common than had been table in the corner, opened a box of some- realized. Four of the five largest food- thing, and started shooting a segment. delivery companies then committed to “Haidilao,” my companion said. photo. The PR woman acquiesced, and a voluntary code of conduct aimed at “Heidi who?” I asked. when they’d finished filming, brought the addressing the problem. For example, the “No, this is what you’ve been waiting pot over and asked if we’d like to sample companies agreed to ensure that delivery for. It’s the latest food fashion. Only the contents. workers held valid motor-vehicle licenses started last month. It’s made by the Chi- My companion gave it 8.5 out of 10, and insurance. They also committed to nese hotpot chain Haidilao () but deducted one point for not being eco- setting realistic timeframes for riders to and includes a kind of heating pad that friendly, since there was a pot within a arrive at destinations, with due consider- finishes the cooking in the pot. Takes pot and every ingredient came in its own ation for weather conditions. around 15 minutes. It means the ingredi- pouch. I gave it a 3. My friend is prob- This massive growth in online- ents are healthier and taste fresher.” ably more in touch with Taiwan’s culi- booked, two-wheel-delivered meals I snuck over and asked in my best nary pulse, but we’ll see how long this is undoubtedly the biggest noticeable tourist-style English if I could take a particular fashion lasts.

TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 45

Cathcing up.indd 45 2019/12/28 下午9:45 EXECUTIVE SUITE

MEET KARAN BERRY OF THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Mandarin Oriental General Manager Karan Berry’s 23-year long career in hospitality has taken him from India to Indonesia, and now to Taiwan. To successfully run a luxury hotel, he says, you need to understand and respect not only the most visible parts of the operation, but also all of the various back-end roles – what he calls “the heart of the house.”

Karan met with Taiwan Business TOPICS Deputy Editor Jeremy Olivier to discuss his background, his human-centered management style, and his thoughts on the travel and tourism industry in Taiwan.

What was your early life like and got to learn about the different aspects environment, managing such expecta- what got you interested in a career in of running a hotel, from the front desk tions can be very challenging. hospitality? to all of the back-end operations. I also In addition, the aspirations of young I was born and raised in India. When was required to train in all the different workers are changing. We used to work I was a child, my father worked in a areas, no matter how menial, which for maybe one or two companies for job that required that he and the family was humbling and gave me a sense our whole careers, and that is not the travel often. We moved from city to of respect for the people that work in case anymore. It is now getting harder city, experiencing the cultural diversity those roles. to ﬁnd the right person for the right role of the country. During that time, I was in this business, especially a high-poten- also exposed to hotels and the different What is the most enjoyable part of tial employee who is willing to stay for functions they serve. working in the hotel field, and what is the long term. After university, I started looking for the most challenging? career opportunities and discovered a There is an extremely fun and What have you found to be the most management program run by a famous exciting dynamic to working in hotels. signiﬁcant characteristics of the business Indian luxury hotel company, The The hotel industry is very fast-moving environment in Taiwan? What are the Oberoi Group. The program selected and is constantly developing. It’s also main ways in which it differs from other around 25 delegates from across India a highly value-based industry; hotels markets where you’ve had experience? and I was lucky to be one of the suc- cannot just compete based on price. I’ve managed hotels in India, Indo- cessful candidates. What is very important here is our nesia, and now in Taiwan. I think that It was a very challenging program. value proposition, what we bring to the although Taiwan is a smaller market, There were theoretical and hands-on table as a luxury hotel. it is also quite international. There’s a courses, and it culminated in a yearlong On the other hand, this is still a ser- diverse mix of hotel brands here, which stint as an assistant manager for one of vice industry, and that means that adds to the overall business environ- the Oberoi hotels. It was also the first we are dealing with human beings. ment. It’s also a very sensitive market, time I was away from my parents for an We have to consider both our guests’ both politically and economically, some- extended period, so I had to learn how expectations and the emotions and thing that requires constant innovation. to take care of myself. ambitions of our team members. We’re Businesses here are consistently evolving At the same time, it was a really not machines, and there is no one-size- and adapting to new trends and cus- important direction for me to take. I fits-all solution. In such a competitive tomer preferences.

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The culinary economy is very events would give an extra boost to strong here. For example, Taipei has international tourism here. 24 Michelin-starred restaurants. This really bolsters the tourism market If you had one piece of advice for and gives rise to a lot of innova- young professionals going into your tive thinking. The night markets and industry, what would it be? diversity of food choices are special I would encourage them to be aspects of Taiwan that bring in tour- confident in themselves, and most ists from many different countries. importantly, to have a positive atti- The labor market is another impor- tude. Skills can be fine-tuned over a tant aspect and I think people here are period of time with the right training. extremely special. Taiwan has a pool However, the right person with the of talented people who are very ded- right outlook can go a long way. icated to their work, and the level of Young people should also be English-speaking ability among Tai- willing to take things one step at wanese employees is quite high. I have a time and not put too much pres- been fortunate here at Mandarin Ori- sure on themselves to constantly be ental to oversee a local team that is moving upward. Everyone is in such a able to adapt and deliver great, per- hurry to grow in their careers nowa- sonalized service to our guests. days and this is a good thing, but one important for me to make ethical and has to be a bit careful. You need to take What do you consider to be your correct decisions because the whole the extra time to cover all of your bases main strengths as a manager? Any team really looks up to me. before you move on because once you weaknesses? Do you have a certain do get that upper-management position, philosophy of management that you What do you regard as the strengths your team will look to you to lead them follow? and weaknesses of the tourism market on all fronts. I am very good at hands-on man- in Taiwan? What needs to be done for agement. I work closely with my team it to reach its potential? How do you like to spend your lei- and communicate clearly to them my Taiwan has a rich mix of many dif- sure time? What do you find is the best strategy and vision. ferent cultures, with a diversity of foods way to get “recharged?” I’m also very detail-oriented and and traditions. It has a beautiful cli- To be honest, it can be hard for me well-prepared. I spend 99% of my time mate, friendly faces, a feeling of genuine to disconnect and enjoy my time off. on planning because if a plan is put hospitality, and a unique natural envi- I really enjoy the buzz, the action, the together well, you only need to spend ronment, all of which make it an ideal feeling of being involved when I’m at 1% of your time on execution. destination for both leisure and busi- the hotel. In this industry, creating lasting cus- ness travelers. However, I really believe in keeping tomer relationships and maintaining It is also a very safe place and one of a balance between work and life. One transparency with hotel owners are two the best places in the world for expats way I do this is to stay fit. Most morn- essential objectives, both of which I am to live. The quality of life is very high ings I go to the gym, where I do cardio skilled at. and the infrastructure here is strong and and light weights. Although I don’t That being said, as a manager well-organized. get a lot of time to watch it, I am a big of hotels in multiple different coun- However, while Taiwan is attractive football fan (Liverpool is my favorite tries, I am not very strong at learning to international travelers, it needs to team), and a fan of cricket as well. I new languages. I am also just now get- have a slightly more innovative mindset also love hiking here; Taiwan has some ting around to learning about different to increase its competitiveness in the beautiful natural scenery. industries and markets outside of hos- Asia Pacific market. One approach It’s important for me to spend time pitality, something which I think is would be to create more opportunities with my family. My wife and I have a vital to being a well-rounded manager. for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Con- daughter, who is 16 years old this year. There’s always something you can take ventions, and Exhibitions) tourism. We have really strived to guide her and away from learning about industries MICE travelers tend to spend money inculcate her with the right values, just other than your own. across different sectors in a destination, like my father did when I was growing In terms of a management phi- including restaurants, transportation, up. At the same time, we want to give losophy, I really just like to lead by and retail. her a sense of empowerment and inde- example. Setting the tone, the pace, the The government should also focus on pendence. I think this approach has direction, and being a role model for providing sufficient facilities, training, worked. She has discovered her own my team. As I see it, a general manager and overseas promotions of Taiwan as talents, like playing piano and learning is the financial and cultural conscience- an attractive destination. Also, holding languages, and has already decided on a keeper of the hotel. It is therefore more city-wide, international oriented potential future career in law.

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A Fun-filled Evening at the American Ball

he 2019 American Ball – on the host organizations. Attendees then Valente; Gold Sponsors Amgen, Grand theme of Winter Wonderland – enjoyed a succulent five-course meal Hyatt Taipei, HSBC, and Taiwan Sothe- T conﬁrmed the event’s reputation that featured roasted U.S. beef ten- by’s; Décor Sponsor Versum Materials; as one of Taipei’s social highlights. Co- derloin, paired with Robert Mondavi and Silver Sponsors Corning, Ever- organized by AmCham Taipei and the Winery Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvi- rich, and Prospect Hospitality Co. Ltd. American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the gnon and Chardonnay (from Sergio (McDonald’s Restaurants). ball was held December 7 at the Grand Valente) and Johnnie Walker Double The party featured raffle drawings Hyatt Taipei, with nearly 300 AmCham Black (from Diageo). with attractive prizes throughout the members and guests in attendance. Live music was provided by Sher- night. The grand prize, from United Inside the hotel’s Grand Ballroom, wyne Pereira and his band MODA, Airlines, was two round-trip business- attendees were magically transported to whose pulsating beat kept the dance class tickets to any U.S. destination. a far different climate than subtropical floor packed until late in the evening. Other gift sponsors were the Grand Taipei’s. The wintry theme was reﬂected Dancers could take a break by nibbling Hyatt Taipei, Amba Taipei Songshan, in the room decoration, captivating per- on such late-night snacks as chocolate- CÉ LA VI Taipei, eslite hotel, Ever- formances by the VMJ dance group, the covered bacon, churros, and macaroon rich, Grand Mayfull Hotel Taipei, menu’s Christmas ball dessert, and such sliders. Guests also had the opportunity Hotel Eclat Taipei, Howard Plaza Hotel concoctions as the “White Christmas to get snapshots taken, creating lasting Taipei, Hilton Taipei SinBan, Mandarin Martini” and “Mrs. Claus’ Wildside” memories at the photo booths. Oriental Taipei, Mellow Fields Taipei, available at the cocktail bar. The event was made possible by the Procter & Gamble, Shangri-La’s Far AmCham President Bill Foreman generosity of a number of sponsoring Eastern Plaza Hotel, The Landis Taipei, and emcee Dannielle Andrews, AIT’s companies. These included Grand The Place Taipei, Regent Taipei, Sher- Economic Section Chief, opened the Prize Sponsor United Airlines; Wine wood Taipei, Westin Tashee Resort evening with a toast on behalf of the & Liquor Sponsors Diageo and Sergio Taoyuan, and W Taipei.

GRAND PRIX SPONSOR WINE & LIQUOR SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS DECÓR SPONSOR SILVER SPONSORS

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