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Notes on Shaobing and Youtiao in Taiwan
A pair of carbohydrates that holds up the morning Before night has fully withdrawn, one corner of the alley begins to move. Dough is laid onto an iron griddle, while in a pot of oil long strips of batter slowly swell. The oil snaps and s... -
Notes on Youtiao and the Structure of the Taiwanese Morning
The smell of oil at daybreak In a Taiwanese breakfast shop,the smell of oil always rises from somewhere.At the center of it is youtiao. At first glance, it looks like nothing more than fried bread.But when its lightness, hollow interior,... -
Notes on Dan Bing and the Thin Egg of the Morning in Taiwan
A thin circle on the griddle In Taiwanese breakfast shops, the most common sight is a thin circle spreading quietly on a hot griddle.An egg is cracked, folded, and lightly pressed with the back of a knife.From this sequence comes dan bin... -
Notes on Xian Doujiang and the Structure Behind Set Soy Milk in Taiwan
A dish that settles between steam In a Taiwanese morning, inside the steam rising from soy milk,a bowl appears that is neither porridge nor soup.This is xian doujiang. It sits apart from sweet soy milk.It resembles chawanmushi or soft cu... -
Notes on Xian Doujiang and Youtiao in the Taiwanese Morning
Savory soy milk, the hardest dish to explain In a Taiwanese breakfast shop, there is one dish that is often the hardest to understand.It is xian doujiang. Literally translated, it means savory soy milk.In practice, it is not simply a sou... -
Notes on Fan Tuan in the Taiwanese Morning
A different kind of density Fan tuan, sold at Taiwanese breakfast stalls, looks similar to Japanese onigiri.The idea behind it is different. The main difference is the rice.Japanese onigiri uses non-glutinous rice.Fan tuan uses glutinous... -
Notes on the Sweet Soy Milk That Moves a City
Why the mornings in Taiwan begin with something warm and white Behind the counter, a large pot holds a white liquid. On the iron griddle, the skin of a savory egg crepe (dan bing) pops and hisses. The smell of frying oil drifts past the ... -
Notes on the Quiet Power of Black Tea Soy Milk in Taiwan
Some Mornings, Sweetness Wins I stand at the counter of a breakfast shop.My turn is almost here.In my mouth, the usual order is already formed. Iced soy milk.Half sugar. There is no real reason to hesitate.I know this is the optimal choi... -
Notes on Riding YouBike in Kaohsiung
A city where distance behaves differently Walking through Kaohsiung, my sense of distance shifts. The roads are wide.The blocks are large.An MRT station and a market, or a station and a restaurant, sit just far enough apart. Fifteen minu... -
Notes on Taiwan’s Anything-Goes Breakfast
1949, Yonghe, Mei Er Mei — Layers Left on the Morning Table In the morning in Taiwan, I step into a small shop marked zaocan.I look up at the menu on the wall. Text and photos fill every gap.I cannot tell where to begin. Egg crepes.Rice ...
