The Chinese, never at a loss for vivid description, refer to 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. 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’).
Things to know: Restaurants almost always have table service
although some hotels have buffet/barbecue lunches. Most bars have counter service. There are no set licensing hours and alcohol is widely available.
National specialties:
•
Cantonese food: Fried shrimp with cashews and deep-fried spring rolls and tarts.
• Pekinese food:
Peking duck, steamed prawns, eels with pepper sauce and ham marrow sauce.
• Szechuan food:
Mother Ma’s bean curd, aubergine with garlic sauce, fried prawns with pepper sauce, minced chicken with
Gingko nuts and fried breads.
• Shanghai food: Shark’s fin in chicken, mushroom with crab meat,
ningpo (fried eel), shark’s fin soup and West Lake fish.
• Taiwanese food: Spring rolls with peanut butter, sweet-and-sour spare ribs, bean curd in red sauce, oyster omelette and numerous excellent seafoods.
Tipping: Tipping is not an established custom, although it is on the increase. Taipei hotels and restaurants add 10% service charge and extra tipping is not expected.
NightlifeTaiwan 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 modeled 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. Many shops are open at night.
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