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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
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<title>We Ate Taiwan: 98年 3月 6日 – Yángmíngshān</title>
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<h1><a href="index.html">We Ate Taiwan</a></h1>
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<h1 class="tyfont-size-h3">98年 3月 6日 – Yángmíngshān</h1>
<figure class="tymedia">
<img alt="Sea scallop custard" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/yangmingshan_large.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Sea scallop custard</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Monica and I rise early and, unlike yesterday’s beautiful start, today picks up where last night left off. I am impressed. If this was New York City, it would be a serious weather event with localized flooding and interrupted subway service. Here it is just typical weather.</p>
<p>The rain is making it hard to enjoy some of the planned sight-seeing. Today we have a reservation (thanks to Monica’s parents) at <a href="http://www.shi-yang.com/en/">Shi Yang Shan Fang</a>, which is a very fancy establishment on Yángmíngshān. Yángmíngshān is a mountain north of the city. The view is supposed to be beautiful and the restaurant is on the grounds of a fine garden, but we will be unable to see either of these things. It is pouring rain and only 9°C up on the mountain. I am not prepared for this kind of weather.</p>
<p>To get to Yángmíngshān, we need to take a bus to the MRT station to another tiny bus that will take us up the mountain. The whole trip is similar in length to the trip from Brooklyn to Flushing. In order to be on time for lunch we leave at 10:20am.</p>
<p>I cannot say much about the trip itself. It’s cloudy and foggy and the minibus bounces around on the way up. I close my eyes and try to sleep to avoid the motion sickness. I would not have been able to see much anyway.</p>
<p>It is as cold and wet at the top as we expected. Monica’s mother checks in at the main gate and we are admitted. From there it is a short walk up the main drive to the restaurant. We are surrounded by trees, bushes and some brave flowers. Beyond that is fog. We are greeted at the restaurant door by a barefoot host in traditional garb. In the entrance, we remove our own shoes and proceed down a hall to a screened-in, semi-private dining room. The floors and seats are covered in tatami. A steaming kettle of hot water awaits along with short mugs of whole leaf green tea. There is no heat. When I take a drink of tea, I can see my breath in the air when I exhale. Our dining room has a full wall of windows that look out on the garden and beyond, probably to the city below. Right now we see only a drape of clouds.</p>
<p>Making a quick visit to the bathroom before eating is an experience in itself. You have to go outside. The hallway we entered on ends in a small stone foyer where many pairs of slippers are gathered. I borrow a pair and step out onto a damp wooden deck. Hugging the building to stay out of the rain, I round a corner and find the entrance to the toilets. They look and smell beautiful. The urinals are full of ice. Candles, probably scented, are the only decorations. Everything is stone and glass. After taking care of business, I exit to the sink. Looking up at the enormous mirror I see that I am directly opposite a beautiful view of the garden and whatever lies beyond. On a clear day a trip to the restroom likely ends in a spectacular view.</p>
<p>The restaurant offers only two menu options: the regular meal and the vegetarian meal. Each meal is a multi-course adventure of unique dishes. The restaurant’s food matches the decor: subtle, sophisticated, and influenced by the Japanese. We start with the whole leaf tea, then ginger tea, and then an aperitif which is a fruit wine. Then the magic begins.</p>
<p>First let me say that this is the most beautifully presented meal I have ever had. Each course (there were 14 total) is prepared and offered as an individual work of art. Fresh flowers are a decorative motif. The timing of each course is clearly thought out. I never feel rushed and only at the end am I pleasantly stuffed. The variety of items is comprehensive: shellfish, pork, chicken, tofu, bean curd, fish, roe, fresh and cooked vegetables, rice, mushrooms, grains, fruit, and three different kinds of tea.</p>
<p>We begin with a trio: grilled eggplant – vibrant purple in color and served cold; tofu with peanut flavor; and abalone over sweet potato. Monica is disappointed that I am not excited by the abalone, but it’s not my favorite type of thing. It is good. At any other restaurant, I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it. The sweet potato is excellent. The tofu, apparently made in-house, is singular.</p>
<p>Next is an egg and sea scallop custard. Monica loves egg custard. This one is smooth and delicious.</p>
<p>What follows is a complicated dish. Pockets of bean curd are filled with lotus root and sticky rice. This is topped with an anchovy, shaved onion, and two types of sauce, one of which is a bright green lime sauce. The whole neat package of flavor is accompanied by broccoli and pumpkin. Both are perfectly cooked. I particularly enjoy the lime sauce.</p>
<p>The next course is a palate cleanser. Monica translates it as small cups of vinegar, and I’m a little nervous. However, when I take a drink it is sweet, slightly sour, and very refreshing. It may be vinegar but it’s unlike anything I am familiar with.</p>
<p>The staff then brings sushi. In this case, we have smoked salmon rolls topped with salmon roe; an asparagus hand roll topped with tuna; another hand roll; and sides of green bean, corn and what appears to be a kind of cactus leaf. All of this comes with the traditional soy sauce, wasabe, and a less traditional but excellent garlic dressing.</p>
<p>After the sushi we have another palate cleanser, a vinegar of a different flavor and color. It is equally satisfying. Following that is my favorite course in the meal. It is difficult to describe. There are three parts: whole shrimp sliced in half lengthwise and seasoned with cracked black pepper; cabbage; and jellied chicken stock that was frozen, breaded, and deep fried. It is strange and wonderful. Imagine if tofu tasted like chicken soup and you’ll have some idea of what it was like.</p>
<p>The next course is another odd and wonderful creation: sticky rice with mushrooms and meat flavor wrapped in salami. Monica was lucky with this course. Her sticky rice ball contained some of the meat that was used to flavor the rice. Even without the meat, though, it is very good.</p>
<p>The peak of the meal is the soup: great pot of chicken, mushrooms, and root vegetables topped with a dried lotus flower. We watch as the flower, placed on the surface of the soup by the server, wilts and melts into the soup before serving ourselves. I’m not a big fan of the mushrooms (this is an example of Taiwanese people eating food for the texture), but the soup broth is wonderful.</p>
<p>After we finish the soup there is a short break before they bring out the desserts. First is fruit: 蓮霧 (liánwù, “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_apple">bell fruit</a>”), 棗子 (zǎozi, <a href="http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/indian_jujube.html">indian jujube</a>), and pineapple. I have to say that pineapple tastes different here. It’s as if they successfully crossed pineapple with coconut. If I were going to make a Piña colada with one of these, I would need any coconut rum. It’s really great. The fruit is thoughtfully presented for eating in order of strength/sweetness, from right to left, beginning with the bell fruit. To offset the sweetness, the fruit is served with nice, tart strawberry juice. Somebody pinch me.</p>
<p>The second-to-last course is taro pudding topped with a grain meal and gold in sweet sauce – sweet by Chinese standards but not to me. It is smooth and subtle and an excellent way to close the meal.</p>
<div class="figure-grid tymargins-off">
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<img alt="Stuffed bean curd" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang01.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Stuffed bean curd. <a href="#shiyang01" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="tymedia zoomable" id="shiyang02">
<img alt="Fruit vinegar" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang02.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Fruit vinegar. <a href="#shiyang02" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
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<figure class="tymedia zoomable" id="shiyang03">
<img alt="The sushi basket" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang03.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">The sushi basket. <a href="#shiyang03" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
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<figure class="tymedia zoomable" id="shiyang04">
<img alt="Shrimp and jellied chicken stock" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang04.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Shrimp and jellied chicken stock. <a href="#shiyang04" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
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<figure class="tymedia zoomable" id="shiyang05">
<img alt="Chicken soup" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang05.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Chicken soup. <a href="#shiyang05" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
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<figure class="tymedia zoomable" id="shiyang06">
<img alt="Dessert pudding" data-lazyimage="resources/photos/shiyangshanfang06.jpg" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' /%3E">
<figcaption class="tymedia-caption">Dessert pudding. <a href="#shiyang06" class="zoomin tybutton">Zoom In</a> <a href="#_" class="zoomout tybutton">Zoom Out</a></figcaption>
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<p>Our experience ends when the server places another dried lotus flower in a teapot, resulting in a bright, light yellow tea. Now I am full. Reluctantly, we gather our shoes and make our way. We have to catch a bus back down the mountain.</p>
<p>Our afternoon is comparatively uneventful. In search of shoes (still) and a bathing suit (I forgot to bring mine) we visit <a href="http://www.sogo.com.tw/">SOGO</a>, one of the large department stores in Taipei. I won’t say much about this experience. It is like going to a less crowded Macy’s. I will say that customer service here in Taiwan is superior in every way to service in the US. People still care about their jobs here. It probably won’t last forever, given the influence of western businesses and culture, but for now it’s nice to experience.</p>
<p>Monica finally succeeds in finding new shoes. We can now look for other things. Before we can find a swimsuit, we realize we are late to meet Monica’s cousin Jennifer for dinner. We run to the subway and hustle to <a href="http://www.taoban.com.tw/">Taoban</a>. Taoban is a poor man’s Shi Yang Shan Feng. They serve set meals in a modern Japanese style, and the food is good. It’s just not as good as what we just had, and after such an enormous lunch our appetite has not quite recovered.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, we enjoy fruit and seafood salad, soup, and some skillfully cooked meat; I have pork tenderloin and Monica has lamb chops. For dessert, I opt for something familiar and have blueberry cheesecake. In between courses we enjoy many cups of tea and mini-cups of a vinegar drink similar to what I first tasted at lunch.</p>
<p>Monica’s cousin has had an interesting life. Her family traveled often when she was young (her parents are university professors) so she has lived in Iowa and Alabama and studied at Penn State and the University of Michigan. She now teaches at a private university in Taiwan. She and her husband, also a professor, lament the poor attitude, lack of discipline, and immaturity of modern Taiwanese college students. I can’t help but think that their observations would be shared by teachers in American high schools.</p>
<p>Dinner is done and once again I am overstuffed. I’m going to need a diet when I return home. I’ve eaten my way through my first week in Taiwan (and enjoyed almost all of it). After parting ways with her cousin, Monica and I try to do a little more touring, but we are both tired, full, and ready to get out of the persistent rain. We hail a cab and head home.</p>
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<h2>Journal Entries</h2>
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<li><a href="98-03-01.html">98年 3月 1日 – Arrival</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-02.html">98年 3月 2日 – First Outings</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-03.html">98年 3月 3日 – Beef Noodles</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-04.html">98年 3月 4日 – Dànshuǐ</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-05.html">98年 3月 5日 – College</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-06.html">98年 3月 6日 – Yángmíngshān</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-07.html">98年 3月 7日 – Sightseeing</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-08.html">98年 3月 8日 – Běitóu</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-09.html">98年 3月 9日 – Shìlín</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-10.html">98年 3月 10日 – Huālián</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-11.html">98年 3月 11日 – Taroko Gorge</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-12.html">98年 3月 12日 – 101</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-13.html">98年 3月 13日 – A Taste of Home</a></li>
<li><a href="98-03-14.html">98年 3月 14日 – Return Trip</a></li>
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<h2>About My Trip</h2>
<p>In 2009, my girlfriend and I visited her home country of Taiwan. During our two week vacation, I wrote daily notes of my experiences and together we took over a thousand photos. Those notes and photos have been compiled into this travel journal.</p>
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<p>© Copyright 2009—2020 by <a href="http://www.aaronpinero.com/">Aaron Pinero</a> except as noted.</p>
<p>Photographs may not be used in any other medium without permission. In most cases, we’d be glad to let you if you ask.</p>
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