初访台湾

 

 

台湾是我最近的东亚之旅行程中的第二站。和南韩一样，这是我第一次前往台湾，因此我对此行早已迫不及待。

Taiwan was the second stop on my recent Asian Tour. Like Korea, this is my first visit and so I was ready and anxious upon arrival. 

 

 

提到台湾，我的脑海里立刻会蹦出“行夜市觅食”这个词。台湾夜市美食的口味和种类丰富得令人难以置信。后文会对此加以详述。

Taiwan can be best summarized and remembered by “Night Market foods”. The selections and varieties offered are beyond belief. More details on this later.

 

 

台湾在过去5年里接待了大量大陆游客，在业务收入重振的驱动下，当地的景点和设施也得到了改善。但是随着台湾新政府在2016年5月上台执政，大陆旅游团数量也出于政治原因而被削减。台湾旅游业因此调整战略向其他亚洲国家和北美游客进一步开放市场，并慢慢填补了这个空缺。这也意味着在我们游玩当地的博物馆和其他景点时，不必再忍受乌央乌央的大陆游客群以及他们的一些不文明行为。

Taiwan was receiving a lot of Mainland tourists over the last 5 years and attractions and facilities were improved, driven by revenues revived from the business. With the changing of the ruling government in May, 2016 the tour groups were cut back for political reasons. The tourist industry adjusted by opening up to other Asian countries and North American tourists and this void is slowly filled. What it meant was that when we visited museums and other attractions, we do not have to content with mainland tourist crowds and some of their unruly behaviours.

 

 

1）美食 — 我们逛了三个夜市和一些（有日间市场）的小镇，当地路边摊供应的美食令人叹为观止。我们既品尝了异国风味也吃到很多传统食品，这些美味佳肴让我们大快朵颐。有一些更具特色的美食可能读者也是耳熟能详，比如臭豆腐、白凉瓜奶茶、椒盐-鸡、杏菇、鱿鱼，蚵仔煎、卤水内脏和牛肉面等。由于小吃种类太多，这里就不一一枚举了，但它们通常都是以鸡肉、牛肉、羊肉和海鲜为主。当然还少不了甜点和冰激凌。

1)Food – We visited 3 night markets and a few small towns (with day markets) where roadside stands served up incredible foods. We sampled both exotic and traditional foods, and they were all delicious. Some of the more interesting ones that may be familiar to the readers included – Stinky To-fu, white bitter melon milk-tea, spicy salt (chicken nuggets, mushroom, squid),  oyster pancakes, marinaded innards and beef noodles. The selections are just too numerous to mention here but they mostly centred around chicken, beef, lamb, and seafood. Of course there are desserts and ice-cream galore.

 

夜市是由每晚集中出摊的半永久摊位构成，是众多餐馆的生意延伸。在这车辆禁行，而行人可倘佯期间的4-5个街区之长的街道上，生意界限分明。夜市摊位的现场烹饪过程也已经成为一道独特的风景，空气中弥漫的食物香气和吸人眼球的小吃成品令人不禁垂涎三尺。

 

The night markets are semi-permanent stalls assembled each night, many of them extensions of restaurants onto the curbside and the streets where vehicles are prohibited and pedestrians get to walk an unimpeded 4-5 blocks of the designated streets within the night market boundaries well defined by markers. The cooking processes at the stalls became part of the attraction with aromas filling the air and finished foods were prominently displayed to enhance one's appetite. 

 

能走出这美食应接不暇的夜市之诀窍是和朋友们一起逛夜市，边走边让你的胃尽快消化，且轮着购买不同食品，并浅尝截止。但第二天你总会想再重游夜市，以弥补前夜所错过（乃至不同的夜市）的某些美食。

 

The secret to surviving this onslaught is to take turns and buy different items with your friends, consume small samples and share the rest as you walk in a group merrily down the streets and space your stomach capacity. You will always want to come back the next night because you missed out on something on the previous visit (even from a different night market).

 

 

虽然我们每顿午餐和晚餐都会吃到台湾当地特色美食，但我们仍不惜多花钱而品尝全台湾，可能也是全世界最美味的小笼包。最终，我们在位于台北101大楼的鼎泰丰餐厅完成了这个心愿。那里的小笼包皮薄如蝉翼，里面包裹着饱满鲜嫩的肉馅与汤汁，令万锦市、西雅图和香港鼎泰丰以及其他餐馆里的小笼包无以比拟。这趟额外的美食之旅可谓不虚此行。

 

While we got to dine on local Taiwan cuisine every lunch and dinner, we also decided to pay extra to sample the best Xiaolongbao in Taiwan and possibly the whole world. At Din Tai Fung Restaurant under the Taipei 101 Tower building, the quest ended. The dumplings were made with the thinnest pastry (skin) and the juiciest fluids were flowing inside with the tender minced pork fillings. Compared to their franchises in Markham, Seattle, Hong Kong and other restaurants, this place holds the championship. It was all worthwhile to take on this extra eating excursion.

 

 

2）政治 — 在与台湾人进行交谈时，我注意到他们经常参与政治讨论！当地人通常会加入蓝营（国民党）或绿营（民进党）这两大主要执政党之一，而不同政治派别的家庭成员常常会进行激烈的政治辩论。大多数台湾人都渴望维持现状，即不统一、不独立、不打仗。他们感觉大陆的军事力量对他们构成威胁，他们也目睹了“一国两制”下的香港所发生的一切。为台湾特别设置的允许其在统一后保留自己军队的额外条款并不能说服台湾人接受统一。而台湾政府在外交界和国际组织中陷入孤立的事实只会进一步增强台湾人民，尤其是年轻一代抵制任何和解的决心。

2)Politics – In talking to Taiwan people, I observed that they are constantly engaged in political discussions! People are affiliated to one of the two major governing parties – the Blue Camp (Kuomintang) or the Green Camp (Democratic Progressive Party) and they conduct aggressive political debates within the household amongst members of different political stripes. Most of them desire the status quo - no unification, no independence, and no war. They feel threatened by the Mainland with military forces and they observe what happened in Hong Kong under the “One-country, two systems”. The special and extra provisions offered to Taiwan under unification with the retention of its own military cannot convince the people to accept it. The isolation of the government in the diplomatic world and global organizations only strengthen the resolve of the Taiwan people to resist any reconciliation, especially with the younger generation.

 

 

在台湾之行中我们去了很多地方，还购买了很多保健品，包括绿茶粉以及用甲鱼和灵芝制成的丸剂。由于我们成功说服粤语导游让我们每天早上多睡一个小时，因此这是一趟非常愉快而又惬意的旅行！

We went to many places and purchased many health products including Green Tea Power and pills made out of Terrapin and Ganoderma. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable trip since we were able to convince the Cantonese speaking guide to let us sleep in for an extra hour every morning!

 

 

下一站——中国大陆！

Next stop – China!