Food and Travel, Stories Unfold: I Love Taiwan : Episode 2

Rise and shine everyone! It's Day 2 in Taipei!!! Body aching and legs wobbling from all that walking the day before, we still managed to push ourselves up and embark on another exciting day ahead! This time, we headed to 'Jiu Fen Old Street' (九份老街), a place where food, local tea, arts and crafts, anything you wanna find, its all there!!

After a heartily breakfast, the MRT was our main transport again. We then changed stations at Taipei Main Station and took the Taiwan Rail (台铁) to a little town which sadly, I've forgotten the name. Anyway that aside, we then took a chartered bus, up the mountains till we reached our destination. The whole journey took about 90 minutes, but trust mii, everything is worth-it once you've reached there. It was raining that day, but believe mii, rain or not, that place was PACKED with people!

Food was everywhere! Food was here and there! Boasted with lavishing foodstuff, our mouths watered, eager to try on everything sold there. A tip while travelling in Jiu Fen, if you want to have a taste of everything there, do travel in groups, as with each member buying different foodstuff, you really could at least get a picture of the taste of each delicacy.

Super cool grilled corn

Fishballs, very spongy, only $25

Hand-made delights

Special Taugua

Love at every bite

Search for this brand.

My recommendation would strongly go to the Taro Balls, but not just any Taro Balls, try to search for 'Ah Gan Aunty Taro Balls', in which the shop is situated a climb away from the main street there. Sweet, cooling and wonderful, you'll be amazed on how they we made traditionally. They cost $40 per bowl.

Search for this shop of taro balls

Sweet and cooling, just nice!

Also, do try the smelly toufu. Yes, it IS SMELLY! But once you get a bite of it, you wont stop at all! It costs $55 per bowl, and don't get the fried ones, get the ones cook in sweet sour spicy soup, that's the best! Well, not many of us fancied it, especially Candy Lee running away frantically whenever a smelly toufu shop is just a smell away! XD

Stinky delights!

Yes, Taiwan is also famous for their meat-balls, but the shape and taste of their meat balls are totally different from what we have here. For $50 per piece, one should try this local delicacy, but don't expect too much from it. For mii, it was just so-so, but who knows, you might just love it.

Good to try, you'll never know XD

Also sold there is the dish which I've introduced in Episode 1, 'lu wei'. Here, the dish is cooked differently, and if you are a blood-sucking lover, do try the 'pig's blood cake' (猪血糕). According to my friend Jen Boon, its taste was just fantastico! I just looked on anyway.

Besides these, there are soooo many more foods sold there, some I will explain in my next episode of I Love Taiwan.

Must try, peanut popiah ice-cream!

There are also so many arts and crafts there, but do get a good bargain. Because you might get an even lower price for that same product elsewhere especially in Taiwan's night-markets. Stay tuned for episode 3 then! XD