Taiwan has grown on me. Ok, I still need a translater everywhere I go, but that's to be expected. I am just a dumb white boy (red hair barbarian is the correct Chinese phrase for my kind), so a lot of the subleties are just lost on me.
At least there is common ground though. It started a while back when I started to cook for my in-laws and extended family. Gosh, a family of foodies! What a delight. And guess what: Taiwan is an entire island filled with foodies. Everywhere you go there is food, drink and such. From small eateries, mobile food stands and night market food to expensive restaurants exploring every cuisine in the world.
The best is also the cheapest. A steaming bowl of noodle soup filled with stewed beef brisket is easily available, and very good. You can find this at a stall that (surprise, surprise) does one thing only. These guys have the procedure down pat and it tastes consistently fabulous.
Today was the day we would do noodle soup. After settling on a local eatery, the feast could start. Within minutes bowls of home made noodles in a sweet, salty and spicy dark broth arrived, the rest of the bowl filled with a cabbage/ lettuce like green vegetable, some type of pickle and succulant beef. I could taste 5 spice powder, garlic, anise and soy sauce. It all worked, a little spicy, not too sweet not too salty, yin and yang in a bowl of noodle soup.
The ritual involves constant eating until blissfully satisfied, conversation optional. After I finished, the sad remainder consisted of a pair of used chopsticks, a bowl, a soup spoon and some paper towl. A battle field indeed. This war had a clear winner: the ones eating the soup.
Until the next time we eat beef noodle soup
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