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Country Guide > East Asia > Taiwan | |
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Social Profile Food & Drink The Chinese, never at a loss for vivid description, describe their cuisine as an 'ancient art of ultimate harmony: pleasing to the eye; mouth-watering; and a delight to the palate'. Culinary styles come from all over China including Canton, Hunan, Mongolia, Peking, Shanghai, Szechuan and Taiwan. Cantonese food is more colourful and sweeter than that of other regions. Dishes include fried shrimp with cashews, onion-marinated chicken, beef with oyster sauce and sweet-and-sour pork. Pastries include steamed dumplings stuffed with meat, sweet paste or preserves, buns, deep-fried spring rolls and tarts. Pekinese cooking is mild, combining roast or barbecued meat (often cooked at the table), vegetables and flat pancake wrappers. Dishes include Peking duck, carp cooked three ways, steamed prawns, chicken-in-paper, diced chicken in heavy sauce, eels with pepper sauce and ham marrow sauce. Szechuan cooking is hot and spicy, based on red chilli pepper and garlic. Dishes include Mother Ma's bean curd, aubergine with garlic sauce, Gungbao chicken, fried prawns with pepper sauce, and minced chicken with Gingko nuts. Fried breads make a pleasant change from rice. Shanghai cooking is mostly seafood with rich salty sauces. Dishes include shark's fin in chicken, mushroom with crab meat, ningpo (fried eel), shark's fin soup and West Lake fish. Hunan has both spicy and steamed dishes including steamed ham and honey sauce, diced chicken with peanuts, steamed silver thread rolls and smoked duck. Mongolian cuisine comprises two basic dishes of Huoguo ('firepot' - meat dipped in a sauce based on sesame paste, shrimp oil, ginger juice and bean paste) and barbecue (various slices of meat and vegetables cooked on an iron grill and eaten in a sesame bun). Taiwanese cooking is mostly seafood with thick sauces. It relies on garlic in the north and soy sauce in the south. Dishes include spring rolls with peanut butter, sweet-and- sour spare ribs, bean curd in red sauce, oyster omelette and numerous excellent seafoods. More information on Chinese cuisine can be found by consulting the corresponding sub-sections in the sections for China (PR) and Hong Kong (SAR). Restaurants almost always have table service although some hotels have buffet/barbecue lunches. Most hotels have restaurants offering both Western and Chinese cuisine and some of the larger hotels offer several styles of Chinese cooking (the Chinese word for hotel, fan-dien, means 'eating place'). Most bars have counter service. There are no set licensing hours and alcohol is widely available. Nightlife Taiwan has an abundance of nightlife, and Taipei in particular is lively at night. Western-style entertainment can be found in hotels, and in the many discos, clubs, restaurants and cinemas in Taipei. Popular amongst local people are KTVs, a type of sing-along club modelled on Japanese karaoke bars; and beer houses, which sell draught beer and snacks. The northern district of Tienmu contains a street of open-air beer houses. The visitor can also sample both traditional and modern tea houses, open all day and in the evening. In the tea-growing countryside around Mucha, it is possible to visit all-night tea houses and sip locally produced teas such as 'iron Buddha' tiehkuanyin tea. High-quality meals and snacks are also provided. These tea houses are popular with local families, particularly on special occasions. Back in Taipei, there are night markets selling a variety of items, both modern and traditional. These are bustling with browsers and bargain hunters, whose persistence can be spectacularly rewarded. It is advisable to take a pen and paper to assist in the bargaining process, as most vendors speak only Chinese. Taipei's largest night market is probably Shihlin Night Market, famous for its good-value clothing and food. Snacks such as oyster omelettes, pork liver soup and papaya milkshakes are available. Many shops are open at night. Shopping One of the best ways to shop is to visit the night markets (see above). Purchases include Formosan sea-grass mats, hats, handbags and slippers, bamboo items, Chinese musical instruments, various dolls in costume, handpainted palace lanterns made from silk, lacquerware, ceramics, teak furniture, coral, veinstone and jade items, ramie fibre rugs, brassware, handmade shoes, fabrics and chopsticks (decorated, personalised sticks of wood or marble). Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-2200. Special Events There are numerous festivals through-out the year, all with variable dates. For an up-to-date list, contact the Taipei Representative Office in the UK or the Taiwan Visitors' Association (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of special events occurring in Taiwan in 2005: Jan 1-31 Kending Wind Bell Festival. Jan 29 Chinese New Year. Feb 1-28 Lantern Festival (various locations). Feb 23-26 God of Wealth Festival. Apr 5 Tomb Sweeping Festival. May/Oct Burning of the Plague God Boats. Jun Taipei Chinese Food Festival. Jun 11 Dragon Boat Festival. Jul-Aug Ghost Month Festival, Quianggu. Aug 30 Chung Yuan Ghost Festival. Sep 19 Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Sep 28 Birthday of Confucius. Oct 10 National Day. Nov 12 Birthday of Dr Sun Yat-Sen. Social Conventions Handshaking is common. Casual wear is widely acceptable. Ancient festivals and customs are celebrated enthusiastically and traditional holidays are important. Entertainment is usually offered in restaurants, not at home. Visitors are not expected to entertain. Chinese culture in the form of drama, opera and art is very strong. Despite rapid industrialisation and development, the way of life is very much Chinese, steeped in tradition and old values. Tipping: Tipping is not an established custom, although it is on the increase. Taipei hotels and restaurants add 10 per cent service charge and extra tipping is not expected. It is not customary to tip taxi drivers. The standard tip for porters is NT$50 per piece of luggage. |