Miaoli Update: Ganbei!

Gongguan county is filled with more elderly farmers and elderly. The old men of the community had invited us to drink with them and enjoy the night.

Previously in Taipei, I attempted to make macaroni and cheese for the Redefine Tourism Mixer team, and it was an utter FAILURE. I had looked for Kraft Dinner, but couldn't find any, I had to make it from scratch...

Similarly in Miaoli, I was asked to make some food for them... After I heard that, I tried to think of a dish that was near to impossible to mess up. I decided to go for a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. I have never made myself a grilled cheese sandwich, but it was quite easy as expected. With the confidence I gained from lunch, I made two batches, one vegetarian, another with meat.

After hearing positive remarks on my food, we headed off to meet at the convenience store down the street which is a common location for people to meet up. You could see that the party had started with bottles of beer already open and food laid out. We brought our own food to share! It felt like a small potluck, and although I had no clue what they were speaking, I enjoyed the smiles on everyone's faces with the frequent cheers as we finished our cups of beer. I hope to learn as much Mandarin/Taiwanese as I can during my stay and use it on my friends back in Canada!

Miaoli, with heritage of Hakka culture (Aboriginal), they have a street filled with various Hakka food options. I was taken to experience the Hakka culture breakfast and the food was delicious! I had some noodles, dumpling soup, duck blood just to name a few.