I remember taking this picture of a two-color croissant more than I remember eating it. I’m guessing eating it was unmemorable at best. But you know me and chocolate croissants.
This, on the other hand. Now we’re talking. This was my 1st traditional Taiwanese meal. Lu rou fan. Known in English as braised pork rice. The meal in a bowl was delicious. And the experience was interesting. I went to Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice, a place that is famous for, you guessed it, braised pork rice. But it was no fancy tourist-filled place. It was an authentic hole in the wall. Bright fluorescent lights. Little décor or ambiance. I was sat at a 4-top with a young woman already eating. That was fortunate. I tried to asked for a Diet Coke with my meal and was turned down. She explained there are no drinks to order. You wash everything down with water from the pitcher sitting on the table. This knowledge came in handy throughout my trip, in Korea as well as Taiwan. And as I learned on Day 1, if I wanted to napkin, I had to pull it from the dispenser hanging on the wall. All around, a very authentic Taiwanese dining experience!
After lunch I got an orange Danish with lemon icing. I only know this because of the picture. Otherwise I have no memory of it. But it looks an awful lot better than that two-color croissant from the morning, doesn’t it?
That night at Taipei 101, I got soya sauce chicken with lo mein. Nothing fancy. Very tasty.
And then there’s Ice Monster. Ice Monster is a place that serves the most incredible ice dessert. I got Fresh Mango Cotton Flower Sweet, the specialty of the house. There’s a side of mango, some sorbet and ice cream. But then there’s the icy beast. Can you see how finely that mango-flavored ice is processed? It felt no heavier than air in my mouth. And each strand melted the second it hit my tongue. It was a frozen masterpiece.
Fly to Taiwan. Go to Ice Monster. Get this icy slice of heaven. If you want, stop into Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice first to get some lu rou fan as an appetizer. Then after the frozen delight, fly back home. It will have been worth the trip.
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