Right when I arrived and attended student orientation, one of the speakers recommended we all try Tainan’s mangos. I will say that this is one of the best recommendations I have every gotten. Summertime is mango season in Taiwan, and Tainan grows exceptional mangos. Not only are the mangos sweet and juicy, they are enormous! They are full of meat and have a skinny skinny pit. I am very grateful that I have found the best mangos I have ever had.
Since summertime is mango season, and summertime is very hot, mango and ice are the perfect combo. When I traveled to Anping for an excursion provided by TISLP, I had to get my hands on a mango ice dessert. This treat did not disappoint as it was loaded with mango and the ice was drizzled with condensed milk. On top, there is green mango flavored ice cream. I will definitely be asking my language partner to introduce me to another yummy dessert.
During my homestay weekend. My host mother showered me with food. Wherever we went she asked me if I had tried a specific thing, and if not, she’d order some. This was one of those things: rice cake. This rice cake stand was swarmed by locals. Inside of the rice cake was pork and shrimp, you could also top this with a thick soy sauce, raw garlic, and hot sauce. This was freshly made and unlike anything I have ever had before.
One of the many places my host mother introduced to me was this Japanese restaurant. This was a very casual place to get some lunch. This place had usual good sign for good food— many many people eating! This sashimi tasted very fresh and the seafood salad was something I hadn’t tried before. I do recommend trying Japanese spots in Taiwan, they tend to be very good places to eat!
My host mother also brought me to Tainan Flower Night Market, the largest night market in Tainan. This is Milaysian soup! It is full of pig intestine, fish balls, and blood chunks. While this may sound a bit scary, the flavor was amazing. I was hesitant at first, but since my host family recommended it, I dove right in, and I am very glad that I did. I really enjoy how there were no noodles in this soup, since most food in Taiwan have either rice or noodles…so this was low in carbs!
Program: Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program, Tainan, Taiwan
Term: Summer 2019