Beef Stew

4/6/2012

Tried to head out to visit a supposedly famous farmers market today; but they were closed due to a longer observation of the tomb sweeping tradition. But dinner (and lunch) today was dirt cheap. The cost of living can change so fast from county to county and district to district. We had a lot of different breads stuffed with meats and vegetables (bao) for lunch and had the stewed beef noodles for dinner. Had relatives over but we were in the ‘who-gives-a-shit and let-us-explode-with-food’ attitude and bought a ton of food. We were able to feed 7 people [all of whom are adults] for about 700NT (less 25USD) and still managed to produce leftovers.

Many people may question the integrity of such a cheap meal but let me insure you, there were no shortcomings of such a meal; not even the skimping of beef was present. Another thing about Taiwanese cuisine is that it is adapted from so many different cultures when different countries ruled Taiwan. Although similar to others it has its own unique twist and I find it rather refreshing; most dishes don’t heavily rely on spices and brings out the natural flavors [from my understanding it’s not easy to do]. Light, fresh, fililng.