A close friend once told me that when arriving in a foreign country for the very first time, a good way to really get to know more about it is to eat its street food. Knowing the food that the majority of citizens eat, gives you a lot of insight on what a country is all about. Is the street food healthy or unhealthy? Cheap or expensive? It's through these simple and rarely noticed things that we can see the differences and similarities between cultures.
I kept this thought in mind when I came to Taiwan. Living in a different country, I already expected the food to be different, and I mentally prepared myself to be open and to try all the new food that I can. I've never been one to be incredibly picky with what I eat; I'm willing to eat a huge variety of food.
I was lucky, because in Lukang, there are street food stalls EVERYWHERE you look. It only takes a few minute walk in any direction to be able to find a stall that sells food. Because of my stay here in Lukang, I got to try all kinds of Taiwanese food that the average Taiwanese eats. It was rare for me to eat in a fast food chain or fancy restaurant. Most days, the food I ate came from different street food stalls from around the town.
Through all of the new food that I tried, I was surprised to find some similar Taiwanese and Filipino food. Both countries had their own version of a certain dish, which I did not expect because I thought that those dishes were served in the Philippines only. Of course, there were also some food that I was already familiar with, given that I have already eaten a lot of Chinese food back in the Philippines. But it was still interesting to see how Taiwan served these certain dishes.
It really fascinated me to find similar dishes, or versions of a dish, from both Taiwan and the Philippines. From my stay here in Lukang, I found four: Douhua (Taho), Tâng-á-bí-ko (Biko), 米血 (Betamax), and 雞捲 (Kikiam).
Douhua (Taho)
I was very surprised to discover that Taiwan had something that was exactly the same with a popular Filipino snack called Taho. In the Philippines, Taho is a soy snack with sago pearls that is usually served warm. Douhua (or Tau Hwe in Taiwanese) is exactly like this, but other toppings can be added aside from sago pearls. Red beans, mung beans, peanuts, jelly, and many others can be added to Douhua. There is also an option for Douhua to be served with ice, so that it can be cold when eaten. It's common for Douhua stores to sell it with several toppings at a time. In some ways, it also reminds me of Halo-halo because of the great variety of toppings that can be placed on top. It's also interesting to note how similar the Taiwanese name (Tau Hwe) is to the Philippine name (Taho).
Tâng-á-bí-ko or Tube Rice Cake (Biko)
I discovered that Taiwan had Bi-ko after I heard my buddy ordering it for lunch. In Chinese, it's pronounced more like "bi-guo", while it's pronounced more like "bi-kho" in Filipino. Despite this slight difference in pronunciation, I knew that it sounded familiar. Lo and behold, when the food she ordered arrived, I saw that it was similar to the Biko that we have in the Philippines. The biggest similarity is that both are essentially rice cakes. They're both essentially made out of sticky rice. However, the biggest difference is that Taiwanese Bi-ko is eaten as part of a main meal, as it's served with meat and cilantro leaves. Philippine Biko on the other hand, is eaten as a sweet dessert.
米血 or Blood Pudding (Betamax/Dugo)
One of my favorite street food in the Philippines is Betamax or Dugo, which is basically a cube of coagulated pork blood. I love eating Dugo with vinegar and other sauces. In Taiwan, I saw that the same stall that was selling the Bi-ko was selling "Duck Blood Pudding" as well, so I made sure to order it and try it. The main similarity between the two is that both are made out of blood, and are cut into rectangles. The difference, however, is that 米血 is blood AND rice in rectangular form. It is also served with some savory sauce. Betamax on the other hand, is just blood all by itself. 米血 can also be served with soup as a meal.
雞捲 or Meat Roll (Kikiam)
Discovering this food happened purely by chance. We were all eating lunch, and this is one of the food that someone else ordered. Almost all of it had been eaten, but they told me to try it when it was down to just two pieces left. I told myself to never say no to trying new food, so I took a bite. To my surprise, it tasted just like Kikiam, which is a Filipino snack and street food. After further research, I discovered that both have a similar way of being cooked, but the contents can be changed depending on the recipe. I am not sure what meat 雞捲 was made of, but I immediately recognized the taste of Kikiam. I can definitely recognize the taste of Kikiam anywhere.
Aside from all of the similar Taiwanese and Filipino Food, I also found it interesting how some of them had similar names (like how similar Tau Hwe is to Taho). I think that the main reason for this is that the Chinese dialect that is spoken in Taiwan is Hokkien, and this is the Chinese dialect that Chinese-Filipinos speak as well. It's possible that the food and their names came from the same origin, which is why they are so similar.
Other food and observations
Aside from all of the similar food, I also got to try so many new ones that I loved. There were also other observations that I made regarding how food that I was already familiar with are served here in Taiwan.
車輪餅 (Wheel Cake)
and 糖葫蘆 (Fruits covered in Sugar)
My absolute favorite new food that I got to try here in Taiwan has got to be the Wheel Cake. It has two covers made out of flour and eggs, and a filling is sandwiched between them. There are a lot of possible flavors for the filling; some examples are red bean, matcha, cream and butter, chocolate, cheese, and many others. Cheese is definitely my favorite one.
If other countries have candied apples, then 糖葫蘆 is Taiwan's version of this. It's a combination of different fruits covered in candied clear sugar, all lined up on a long barbecue stick. The combination for the fruits can vary; examples are strawberry, tomato, plum, guava, apple, dragon fruit, pineapple, and others. It's also possible to add plum powder on top. The one that I tried was a combination of strawberries and tomatoes. At first, I was worried that the combination wouldn't work, but surprisingly it did. It surprised me because it was delicious.
Fried Chicken
I had a shocking discovery here in Taiwan regarding how they eat Fried Chicken. The first is that Fried Chicken stores don't really sell fried chicken and rice as a meal. Fried Chicken is considered to be more of finger food, so rice isn't really a requirement. The second and most surprising one is that they don't eat Fried Chicken with gravy. In fact, after asking around, the people that I talked to didn't even know what gravy was. It's funny how out of everything that I learned here in Taiwan, this is the one that surprised me the most. Gravy is such a staple in the Philippines, to the point that most people don't eat Fried Chicken and rice with gravy, they eat gravy WITH Fried Chicken and rice. They just drown the chicken and rice in gravy. I went to one KFC chain here in Lukang, but they didn't sell gravy as well! In the Philippines, KFC is practically known for their gravy. It was definitely a very surprising discovery for me, considering how I know so many people in the Philippines who just love gravy and Fried Chicken.
Chao Fan and Hot Pot
Both Chao Fan and Hot Pot are food that I've already eaten in the Philippines. At first, I thought that maybe these food would be different here in Taiwan, since they are possibly coming from a more authentic source. However, there's not really much difference between how they are served in Taiwan and the Philippines, and I was really happy to have been able to eat something familiar.
After one month in Taiwan, I believe that my close friend was right about getting to know a country through their street food. Food culture is a powerful thing to learn about. The similarities and differences between Taiwanese and Filipino food, as well as the Taiwanese and Filipino way of eating, has made me realize so much. Once again, I realize that Taiwan and the Philippines are different, but not TOO different. Both countries love rice, but Taiwanese don't eat it with every meal. There are other options, such as noodles and soup. Taiwanese food is also generally healthy, as a lot of meals will contain vegetables of some sort, and the meat is generally not fatty.
One aspect of eating behavior that I found jarring at first was how, if people are eating out, they don't wait for everyone's food to arrive first before eating. In the Philippines, I was used to waiting for everyone's food to arrive before starting to eat, so that everyone can eat at the same time. This was a common habit between my friends and I. If I wanted to eat ahead, I would apologize and mention it first before doing so. Of course it's not an absolute rule in the Philippines, so it wasn't followed all the time. But in Taiwan, they didn't have this concept at all, and this surprised me the first few times, as I was tempted to wait for everyone's food before starting. It took me several days before I got used to this behavior.
Overall, these are the thoughts and observations I've had after one month of staying in Lukang. I can only wait and see what more I will discover after two more months of staying here, and I'm excited for all the possibilities to come.
Photo credits
DISCLAIMER: PHOTOS OF THE FILIPINO VERSIONS OF FOOD ARE NOT MINE. CREDIT TO THE PHOTOS GOES TO THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES BELOW.
Biko: https://titaflips.com/product/biko/
Taho: https://www.aboutfilipinofood.com/taho/
Betamax/Dugo: https://theweekendgypsy.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/food-trip-series-ka-jecs-bangihan-lipa-city/
Kikiam: https://www.angsarap.net/2013/04/05/kikiam/