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Notes on Nasi Kandar Pelita at KLCC
Where Night and Curry Meet Beneath the Towers When I look up, the Petronas Twin Towers are lit above Kuala Lumpur.Glass and steel hold their shape against the night. I lower my gaze.Below them sits a large semi-open dining hall, filled w... -
Notes on Sweet Potato Balls in Taiwan
Golden Spheres at the Night Market Sweet potato balls, known locally as digua qiu, are the reason a small crowd gathers at the edge of the night market.Inside a large wok, golden and purple spheres keep moving. Oil drains with a rough so... -
Notes on Sweet Potatoes in Taiwan
An Island Shaped Like a Root Sweet potato, known locally as digua, is often used to describe the shape of Taiwan itself.When I unfold a map of the island, I see what people mean.Long from north to south.Slightly curved. This comparison i... -
Notes on Blanched Greens in Taiwan
An Accounting System for Guilt At the start of the meal, I order blanched greens, known locally as tang qingcai.Braised pork rice and meatball soup line the table.Steam rises, but the colors stay mostly brown. At this point, many people ... -
Notes on the Taiwanese Drink Holder
The Logic of a Cup Hanging from the Wrist Walking through Taipei’s MRT stations or night markets, I notice a small but strange scene.People operate their phones with one hand.From the other wrist, a drink hangs. The bag is small.There is... -
Notes on Wheel Cakes in Taiwan
A disk that crossed the sea Wheel cakes, known locally as che lun bing, appear repeatedly as I walk through Taiwanese streets. A round iron mold.A flat disk.Something sealed inside. At a glance, it looks like imagawayaki from Japan. But ... -
Notes on Fried Oreos in Taiwan
A black cookie beside the salt-and-pepper chicken This piece begins with fried Oreos, sold in Taiwanese night markets, most often beside salt-and-pepper chicken. While watching a stall prepare fried snacks, something familiar enters the ... -
Notes on Pizza Hut in Taiwan
Whether It Is Strange, or Simply Accurate When I first looked into a Pizza Hut in Taiwan,many visitors seem to share the same reaction. Is this meant as a joke? Next to familiar margherita and pepperoni,there are names that ignore contex... -
Notes on Oreo as Black Gravel in Taiwan
Black cookies, relocated Oreo cookies exist in Taiwan.There are limited flavors and seasonal packages, and they make reliable souvenirs. But when Oreo appears at night markets or street stalls, it is no longer a Nabisco cookie.It is drop... -
Notes on the Texture Called Q in Taiwan
A word that appears before flavor Walking through the streets of Taiwan, I keep noticing a single letter. On night market signs.On convenience store snacks.On frozen food packages. The letter is Q. People say things like very Q, or Q-lik...
