OK, I cheated. Blogging live from Taiwan, this is not a post about food, but rather about "teas" that are unlike any tea one can have anywhere else in the world (except perhaps regions of China or Singapore with similar traditions). Seeing the local Taiwanese drink their traditional Chinese herbal teas as a ready-to-drink beverage (step aside, soda!) anywhere & anytime makes me really want to drink some tea. This is why Traditional Chinese Herbal Tea claims the #2 spot on my top 10 list of Taiwanese foods that make me want to drink tea. Chinese herbal teas really don't contain any tea, traditionally made with the plant Camellia Sinensis. Instead, they are made with a series of herbs...
Who doesn't love a tea party? Delicious tea, food and great company - sign me up! Lucky me, during my stay in Taiwan this summer, I was fortunate to have been invited to a very special tea party. Unlike any normal tea parties, this tea party was hosted by a group of amazing elementary-school-age children from disadvantaged neighborhoods, as part of their graduation from the "Mindful Young Tea Scholar" program sponsored by Chong Hong Culture & Education Foundation. As with all great tea parties, there was delicious pastry at this unique tea party. However, special traditional specialty pastries were selected to represent the unique history of the particular region the tea party was held. See below for pictures of some...
One of the most popular foods traditionally paired with teas in Taiwan is, drum roll please, fruits & nuts. So ordinary, you may say. Yet, quite the contrary, it's actually extra-ordinary. The Taiwanese fruits & nuts are no ordinary fruits & nuts you maybe familiar with and definitely puts your local Trader Joe's to shame. There is no right answer as to which teas to pair with fruits & nuts. Given the prevalence of tea as well as fruit & nuts consumed in Taiwan, all combinations exist with a casualness I love (green tea with mango? oolong with pumpkin seeds? apricot tea with dried apricot? sure!) and it's all just a matter of preference. If you get to, I encourage you...
Fried dough is another one of those popular foods with different versions around the world, whether it be doughnut, beignet, fritter or churro. The Taiwanese version is called Youtiao ( 油條), also known as Chinese cruller or Chinese doughnut. I have always enjoyed having them with a strong cup of green tea to help brighten the taste. On a hot summer day like the ones I am living in Taiwan, I especially like a cold brewed Purple Bamboo, which I do "on the rocks". That is, I leave 1.5 tspn over an 8oz glass of ice and savor the refreshing green tea on the rocks. The Taiwanese traditionally pair the Youtiao with soy milk. When I am feeling the addition...
It’s hot. It unbelievably hot. It’s my-eye-makeup-is-now-on-my-neck kind of hot. West Coast heat is dry, yet semi-avoidable in the shade. East Coast humidity is unreal and follows me into my lungs. It curls my hair around its clammy fingers and creates beads of sweat in unknown crevices of my body. It sticks around until 4 am, and returns at 9 the same morning.But, the summer’s unrelenting heat allows for some breathtaking sunsets and a never-ending reel of memories featuring sand framed toes. There are perfect moments that blossom when it’s this hot — like when you remember you hid that pint of Jamoca Almond Fudge ice cream in the freezer or know there is a refreshing jar of cold-brewed Kenyan Gold waiting for you in the fridge. This Far Leaves...
