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Notes on Guotie in Taiwan
A golden row set apart from boiled dumplings Boiled dumplings (shui jiao) appear first in this account only to clarify what guotie is not. In a Taiwanese eatery, if one orders under the single word dumplings, no sound of iron plates is h... -
Notes on Taiwanese Boiled Dumplings
A staple carried from northern kitchens into island daily life At dusk, when I walk along a market street, red characters reading “shui jiao” appear again and again on shop signs. Through glass windows, families sit around round tables, ... -
Notes on the Golden Flight Circle of Northeast Asia
A network of city airports linked like an aerial subway I sit by the window in the departure lobby of Taipei Songshan Airport. Beyond the glass, aircraft from Japanese carriers line up, and between them appear the tails of China Eastern ... -
Notes on Taipei Songshan Airport
A military runway embedded in the middle of the city When approaching Taipei on a flight from Haneda, the city suddenly rises toward the window just before landing. On the rooftops of old apartment blocks sit black water tanks, laundry m... -
Notes on Soy Milk in Taiwan’s Breakfast Streets
A record of a white liquid that holds the morning together Mornings in Taiwan often begin with a warm, sweet smell. It is the scent that drifts out from deeper in an alley, the distinct aroma of soybeans. When I step onto the street, man... -
Notes on Soy Milk Geopolitics in Taiwan
A daily drink sustained by movements of people and grain Taiwanese mornings often begin with the smell of soy milk (doujiang). A thin trace of steam sits at the rim of a paper cup, and white liquid lines up at the front of small shops. Y... -
Notes on Bao and Jiao in Taiwan
Two lineages of wheat carried across the sea Inside Taiwanese eateries, red paper menu tags hang in rows along the walls. The words repeat: shui jiao, tang bao, hu jiao bing, sheng jian bao. To Japanese eyes, they often look the same. Me... -
Notes on the Taste of Taiwan Before 1949
A record of what filled the stomach before wheat arrived When I walk through Taipei’s night markets today, I see signs for beef noodle soup, xiaolongbao, and dumplings. Steam rises. Noodles are lifted from boiling water. Bamboo lids open... -
Notes on the Divide of Sweet and Salty Across Taiwan
A pattern of sugar in the south and salt in the north, traced through everyday meals Braised pork rice (lu rou fan) often appears when sitting down in a Taipei diner. A few days later, a similar-looking bowl appears in Tainan under a dif... -
Notes on the Five Bowls of Braised Pork Rice in Sanchong
A working district across Taipei Bridge where migration settled into everyday meals New Taipei City, Sanchong District.Only a single crossing of the Tamsui River separates it from Taipei City. Yet this area, though not a tourist destinat...
