Eating My Way Through Taiwan: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

I know this sounds more like a post on exercising, but really it’s about food. Over the Lunar New Year, I was invited to a number of traditional Lunar New Year meals.

There are a number of foods that are traditional to Lunar New Year. Many of the foods that are eaten have a purpose. They are representative of something. Here is a list of Traditional foods for Lunar New Year.

Mustard greens – They are served as a vegetable, and they represent long life. The eating of Mustard greens is a wish for the long life of those eating the meal with you.

Taiwanese Black Chicken

Whole chicken – Usually a whole chicken is served in one form or another. In all of the Lunar New Year meals I ate, the chicken served was a Black Skinned Chicken prepared as a soup. The Chicken symbolizes starting a new family and for those already married, bringing wealth to the whole family.

Fish – The Mandarin word for fish is Yu, which is pronounced the same as the word for abundance. It is noted that although every family prepares fish, it is symbolic to not eat all of it as this ensures you leave something for the remainder of the year.

So, nearly every Lunar New Year meal includes these foods. I was invited to three Lunar New Year meals this year and all of these things were included in each one. But there was one other common food that was served. It is a special dish that is peculiar, I think to Taiwan, and it's called "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall," or in Mandarin Fo Tiao Qiang (phonetically: Fwu Teeow cheeahng). There is a story that goes with the name:

A Fu Zhao scholar was picnicking with friends. He took all the food that he had, put it in a wine jar and heated it over a fire. The smell drifted off the food and across the landscape until it reached a Buddhist monastery. The monks smelled the food and couldn’t resist inviting themselves to the picnic. So they jumped over the wall and descended upon the picnic. A poem was written to commemorate the meal. There was one line that was written in praise of the food that went like this, “Even Buddha himself would jump over a wall to taste this dish.” I didn’t realize that Ancient Buddhist Monks were such poetic souls.

So what is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? It’s a form of Shark Fin Soup. There is an extensive list of ingredients.

Shark's Fin, Abalone, Quail Eggs, Chicken, Ginger, Dry Sherry, Bamboo Shoots, Lamb, Pork, Ham and black Mushrooms.

That’s a lot of different ingredients, but here’s the real story! These things are added on the first day. It takes two days to make this soup:

On the second day you add Turnips, Carrots, Cinnamon Sticks, Anise, Chicken Stock, more Sherry, double dark Soy Sauce, Bamboo leaves, and a large Lotus leaf.

Apparently, you just walk through the traditional market and ask for one of everything. I think the reason it takes two days is because no one has a pot big enough to cook it all at once.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Now for the thing for which you’ve all been waiting. Is it tasty? If you know me or you’ve read this blog for a while you probably will guess that I’ll eat anything, at least once. My philosophy is that if they eat it somewhere in the world it must be good to eat. Well, when I say good I mean it probably won’t kill you. I don’t like everything I try and I’m way too polite to say, “I wouldn’t eat that if it was the only thing between me and starvation.” I generally, eagerly try whatever is placed before me. But I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that I would jump over a wall for this soup. I think that Shark Fin is a little too strong flavored for me. Buddha seems to enjoy it more than I do.

Note: I have to get better at taking my camera with me everywhere. I sometimes feel that its rude to whip out my camera and start shooting the food and the people so I keep it put away or don’t bring it. Then I have “borrow” from other blogs to get the pictures.I always try to give credit. I may infringe copyrights but at least I’m polite about it.

Photo Credits:
Black Skinned Chicken.
http://www.sharemykitchen.com/worlds-most-unusual-foods-part-one/

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
http://www.foodblog.sg/vegetarian/go-east-for-good-fusion-greens/

Thanks to these excellent blogs for these pictures.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Taiwanese Traditions:  Lunar New Year:  The Legend of Nian
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  A Traditional Restaurant

Taiwanese Traditions: Xin Nian Kuai le

Happy New Year
(click on images to enlarge)


Lunar New Year

Exodus 12:23
“For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

This moment takes place in ancient Egypt. Israel has been in bondage as slaves in Israel for 400 years. Moses has been called by God to deliver the people of God. Nine of the plagues have already played out. The Nile had turned to blood. There had been plagues of frogs, lice and flies. Disease had killed the cattle. The people suffered from boils: Hail fire and thunder. There were locusts that destroyed the crops. Three days of darkness and now the scene was set for the most devastating of all; the death of the first born. So God called the people to prepare.

He gave them direction (Exodus 12:3-12) to prepare a special meal of lamb and bitter herbs: These things being symbolic of The Lamb of God and the bitterness of their bondage. They were to prepare to leave. And eat in haste. There was one final instruction in Exodus 12:22:

Exodus 12:22
22 “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.

By now some of you think that I made a mistake. The title says “Happy New Year,” why talk about Israel, the plagues and Passover.

There is an interesting tradition in Lunar New Year. Normally, when you greet a neighbor on the street you would say to them Ni hao (Knee How) or Zao an (dzow ahn) or just zao (dzow). Ni hao means hello, Zao or Zao an means Good morning. However, yhe Lunar New Year Greeting  is Gongshi (gong (o as in home) shee) gong shee. The word gongshi translates as congratulations. Why congratulate people? This is where the Passover comes in:

One of the traditions of the Lunar New Year, is the cleaning of the house. People clean their houses. It’s like the annual deep cleaning. What we call Spring Cleaning. The trash trucks came down our street twice a day for the last week as people brought a year’s accumulation down to the street to be disposed of. People were making preparations to leave their homes for nine days. The Bible tells us that God told the Israelis to prepare to travel.

Exodus 12:11
11 ‘And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.

This is the biggest travel week of the year in China as people rush home to participate in the New Year’s Eve traditions with their families.

The second similarity between Lunar New Year and Passover is the blood on the doorway. God told the people to splash the blood of a lamb on the doorframe in the house: Across the top and on the sides of the doorway. This is a sign that the people are God’s people and the angel of death was to pass over those homes and not take the firstborn.

Exodus 12:22-23
22 “And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.23 “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

The tradition in Taiwan is to put red banners across the doorway: Across the top and on the sides, in the same way that the Israelis did in ancient Egypt.
This is the significance of those banners. The belief is that a monster roams throughout Taiwan on New Years Eve. The monster will come into your house and kill you UNLESS, there is a red banner because the monster is afraid of the color red. That’s why on New Year’s Day people greet each other with the word “gongshi”. Congratulations, the monster didn’t get you this year.

The third similarity has to do with the preparation of a meal. The Israelis ate Passover, in a meal designed by God to symbolize his deliverance. In Taiwan, a meal is prepared and a table set for the God of heaven.
This isn’t the God Christians and Jews worship, but he is called the creator and is the Governor of all the other Gods of Taoism. He controls the actions of the local deities and household gods. This meal is an offering.

The final similarity is the timing of Lunar New Year. It is the celebration of the new years on the Lunar Calendar. Passover is also celebrated on the lunar calendar but I believe it is the second month.

My personal take on Lunar New Year is that it is a festive week full of joy and hope for people. The atmosphere is much like the atmosphere we enjoy during Chanukkah and Christmas. Families are together, feasts are laid out; gifts are purchased and red packets are exchanged. (A red Packet is a gift of money from Children to parents, Parents to Children and Grandchildren.) The red packet is a wish of prosperity for the person to whom it is given.

Driving around the downtown area was interesting during this time as people were shopping and rushing and all of the things that were missing at Christmastime. Police were directing traffic at 10:30 at night as people shopped and played all over the downtown area. I was drawn to the place, but often regretted trying to ride my scooter down there once I got there.



Other posts you may be interested in:

Taiwanese Traditions:  Lunar New Year:  The Legend of Nian
Random Asianess:  Oh Sure, Now We Decorate
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall

Eating My Way Through Taiwan: A Traditional Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and his family took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant for a meal. It was a very special place. The entire building is built over a large Coi pond. There were individual rooms of all sizes and they were connected together by a series of bridges. On some of the bridges were wide spots where tables were set for couples and small family groups to sit outside over the pond. The bridges were covered and protected from the weather. What a beautiful place!

The fish in the pond were huge and colorful. The restaurant sold little packets of fish food, so children could feed the fish. Consequently as you walk across the bridges the fish would follow you in a huge clump, sticking their open mouths out of the water, hoping for some of the food to fall into their gaping maws. It is amazing but some of these beautiful and colorful fish were three and four feet long.

As in all traditional Chinese places the food was served Family Style: Large platters of food that’s shared among every one at the table. The beverage was Hot Green Tea, brewed at the table with Taiwanese Green Tea.

The meal consisted of San Bei Ji (Three cups chicken), A delicious spicy chicken recipe, two types of shrimp, some vegetable and beef dishes and clam soup. One type of shrimp was deep fried shrimp, served on pineapple with a “Miracle Whip” type of mayonnaise. The other was the very small, bay shrimp fried crispy with skin, antennae, eyes, and legs all intact.

We went there with about 21 people. The food was served quickly and hot. But it just kept coming. The owner, a young woman, in her early thirties came over to greet us and personally thank our entire group for eating at her restaurant.

One of the other interesting things was that the place was filled with Chinese artifacts; old hats and Chinese tea sets. The purpose of the evening was that our friend wanted to wish the Nieds well in America and to thank them for caring for his family.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Niu Rou Mian
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Bao zi
Eating My way Through Taiwan:   Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Taiwan Travelogue:  The Traditional Market

Eating My Way Through Taiwan: Niu Rou Mian

Niu Rou Mian

One of my all-time favorite dishes is Niu Rou Mian (Beef Noodles). This is a delicious traditional Taiwanese meal. It’s is made with chunks of Beef, Chinese Cabbage, Mustard Greens, Scallions, spices, herbs and of course, the hand-made noodles. All of this is served in Beef stock.

In America, we may choose to serve Niu Rou Mian as a soup with a meal, but here in Taiwan it’s a meal unto itself. It is usually served in a large bowl with no other dishes. It is enough to sustain you. I like it best when the weather is cold and rainy. The hot delicious soup warms you up and takes the chill off, while the aromatic, spicy flavor clears your sinuses.

There are two varieties of Nui Rou Mian that are found in Taiwan. There is the version described above, this is the type most commonly found. But there is another type. The second version contains red pepper to make the meal spicy. The meat is sometimes stir fried in hot sauce. If you are person who likes spicy hot food, then this is the version for you. I like both types and eat both as often as possible.

Most convenience stores carry an instant version. In these, you add hot water and allow it to steep for a period of time. Both the spicy and regular versions are readily available. As with all preprocessed foods, quality is as variable as the number of brands that are available. But don’t misunderstand me; some of these are very delicious, with a flavorful soup and thick noodles. Of course, the beef in these is pretty scarce and the chunks are very small.

One of Bian Yi Liu's other tasty dishes:  Seafood Rice

There is a restaurant in Taoyuan, on Jie Shou Lu, called Bian Yi Liu. The restaurant has an interesting name. Bian is the surname of the owner’s wife. She's from Thailand. and you can see the Thai influence in salads; they serve a delicious papaya salad that is spicy and sweet at the same time. Yi Liu means first class. This small quiet restaurant is just that. They serve traditional Chinese foods in a friendly atmosphere. The owner, Martin, welcomes each guest to the restaurant and often serves you himself. If you’re an English speaker, Martin speaks English very well and will help you to decipher the menu. The restaurant’s specialty is Niu Rou Mian although they serve many tasty dishes.

I only found this restaurant because I’m a foreigner, who doesn’t read Chinese. It is located across the parking lot from a brand new building. I had seen that building many times and thought it might be a nice restaurant to take my wife for dinner. (It has that restaurant look, slanted walls, lots of greenery and large trees.)  So one night we ditched the kids and went out on our own, and I thought I’d surprise her by taking her to this beautiful new restaurant…except it wasn’t a restaurant, it was a place where they sold some new homes. They directed me across the parking lot to Bian Yi Liu, where I was delightfully surprised.

If you are around Taoyuan, you may want to check it out: Bian Yi Liu, Jie Shou Lu, 459, Taouan City, (03) 362-7968. Tell them that you saw it in The Taiwan Adventure Blog, or that Chris sent you, or better yet, email me and I'll go with you...your treat.   .By the way, I wasn't paid for this shameless plug.

Other posts you might be interested in:

Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Cultural Unawareness:  Cultural Explosions
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  A Traditional Restaurant

Eating My Way Through Taiwan: The Stink of Adventure



There is Adventure on the Horizon!

 I debated what to call this post. I toyed around with the idea of calling it, Eating Around. But there was more to it than just eating in a lot of different places. It was kind of a culinary adventure, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t really all that adventurous, well not for me anyway. I’ll try eating just about anything once, maybe twice depending on whether or not I got the full gastronomical sensation the first time. (Some of these words make it look as if I’m getting paid by the letter.) I’m not like my children who consider mushrooms on their Pizza to be the worst possible hardship. I don’t even want to think about their reaction to Anchovies!


But on to the adventure…My family left for a visit to America, I was to follow a week later. So, I was on my own. When living in the same house and sharing space with my wife, I am required to follow certain rules and regulations, which are enforced for the good of my marriage. Aside from the obvious marriage breakers, my wife enforces some fairly strict culinary requirements. You may think that she’s thinking of my health, not allowing me to eat high cholesterol or fatty foods, ensuring that I don’t become a casualty to heart disease, cancer or diabetes. You might think that, but if you did you would be wrong. Her concern revolves around something much more sensitive than those things, her concerns are olfactory.

World Class "Xtreme Cooking" Practitioners

Taiwanese people occasionally engage in “Xtreme Cooking.” This kitchen-based sport revolves around liberal uses of odiferous spices, herbs and other things. It may even make use of foods, that in themselves, have a high stench coefficient. These types of foods have been included in the “illicit foods” list in our household. I have been told, on more than one occasion, that if I come home with the scent of any of these contraband food substances on my breath, in my skin or on my clothing that I will be sleeping folded into my desk chair, if I’m allowed in the house at all.

But for the moment, the storm troopers, er, uh…enforcement team was gone. So I did the only thing I could do, I immediately checked the “Summary of Forbidden Foods.” What should I do first…More Garlic snake? No, that’s too mundane. Do I need to make a trip through the night market, allowing my nose to guide me to the Xtreme Cooking experts? Completely unnecessary. A friend who had heard me speak wistfully of a food, which was at the top of that list, a sensitive person, who obviously cares for the real essence of manhood, solved the dilemma with two questions. Two questions which speak directly to the core of  mankind’s need for adventure. Two questions which were shockingly simple. They weren’t complex and requiring great thought. They weren’t like the question that caused Charles Mallory, an early pioneer of Mt Everest, to hesitate and shyly answer, “Because it’s there.” No these were direct, to the point, there could only be one answer for each of these questions. The first, was a call to adventure, it was framed, on the idea that the time was now…that opportunity may knock only once and then drift off to find someone who would answer more promptly. In other words there was an urgency to this question that could not be denied, “Did your wife leave for America, today.” I was tingling with expectation. The question that followed was so obvious that I was embarrassed not to have thought of it myself, “Do you want to try Stinky Tofu.” It was brilliant, I almost wept at the elegance of the idea.

Of course, I wanted to try it. Every time, my wife smelled it and wrinkled her nose and complained that the odor was the worst thing she had ever smelled, I had to wonder what something like that would taste like. The smell was like a siren call to me. It tantalized, no less than the mermaids of old tantalized the men of the sea back in the day. Although, I will admit that as food it is entirely appropriate in it’s name. But perhaps, to an adventurer that was the allure.

After all, what caused men to climb the highest peaks in the world? No one who has ever climbed a mountain has ever been heard to exclaim, “I want to do it because it will be easy and I just love a nice, cozy tent.” No! The cold, the danger, the difficulty, those were the things that drew men to death zone of Everest. The danger and the discomfort were the draw. This is what makes an adventure, an adventure. I was ready to throw aside the comfort foods, I cared not for the delicately flavored tasty combinations; I had a hunger for adventure. There are two ways to prepare Stinky Tofu, I had only to choose one, and my friend like a trusty Sherpa guide, would get me there.

What is Stinky Tofu? It’s Tofu with a twist. They take the soy bean curd, (that’s what Tofu is) and they ferment it. People in Asia do this with a number of foods. Kim chi is fermented cabbage. Thousand-year-old eggs are fermented eggs. Stinky Tofu is fermented soy bean curd.

They either steam it or deep-fry it. I have heard, from more than one source, some of them were even Taiwanese, that, steamed Stinky Tofu, tastes exactly like it smells. I’ve seen it, and it looks like it smells, as well. Hey, in food, even for me, presentation is important. So I opted for the deep fried type. The lust for adventure runs deep in my family…but not that deep.

Stinky Tofu, at Arm's Length

I found it to be surprisingly tasty. It was covered with sauce and topped with cabbage and raw garlic. In Xtreme Cooking using odor combinations garners bonus points, for style.  I have spoken to a number of Taiwanese people about food. In fact, I talk to everyone about food. Most of the Taiwanese people I speak to name Stinky Tofu among their favorite foods. I met a bunch of seventh graders who claimed they liked Stinky Tofu better than ice cream, to them the greatest of all possible foods would be Stinky Tofu flavored Ice Cream.  I wish I could remember where I left Ben and Jerry's personal cell phone number, they could make a fortune in Taiwan with that flavor.

I enjoyed Stinky Tofu, the forbidden fruit of Taiwan; well, forbidden in my house, anyway, but I think it’ll be a while before I eat it again. My wife isn’t planning on traveling again any time soon.

See, It Looks Good Enough to Eat

 Note:  This adventure didn’t end with just the consummation of my desire to taste Stinky Tofu. It was, after all, an adventure of monumental scope. We traveled throughout Taoyuan City stopping at a number of food carts. These are little carts where people prepare food, right on the side of the road. These are the places where you can really get the taste of Taiwan. I’ll talk about the rest of the adventure soon.







Other Posts you may be interested in:

Eating My way Through Taiwan:  Hei Tong Cuo Bing
Eating My way Through Taiwan:  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Niu Rou Mian

Hey, What Are You Some Kind of Capitalist Pig or Something?

 I don't want to appear to be crassly commercial. But I have to tell you, I've wanted to find a way to use the blog to make a little money, for a while. I'm really not expecting to make much, but I've decided to add some advertisements for Amazon.com to the blog.

It's not just that I'm some kind of crazy capitalist. This thing takes an enormous amount of work. I research or travel. I take photos. I upload them. I write and do the best that I can as a writer. It all takes time and, believe it or not, I think my time has value. So I decided to try this.

Christine Gambito aka "Happyslip"

I chose this program because I can control the content of the ads. One of the problems I have is that I don't want the ads to be some product or some thing I don't believe in, or wouldn't want to support. I watched Youtube's "Happyslip" struggle with the site she used as a base, for running ads that were contrary to her belief system. I certainly don't want to contribute to the exploitation of young Taiwanese women by having an ad that says, "Find and Marry Hot Taiwanese Girls." I want all the content on this site to be something reflective of my values.

With Amazon.com I can choose what I want to advertise and I will advertise something that goes with the blog post or the blog. But I need your help. You seem to be a quiet group. I ask for comments on content or format and nothing. Silence ensues. No comments at all. I guess if people don't like it they just stop looking at it. But I don't want that. I want you to read and learn about Taiwan's beauty, history, culture, traditions and people.

If you are going to buy something advertised at Amazon.com anyway try to use the links I put in for you. If you don't like it contact me my email address is in the "Contact Us" link and I'll stop doing it, rather than lose a lot of readers. There is an example in my last post, Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall [Feb 19,2011].

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdaffphotos/sets/72157608069319936/





Random Asianess: Lunar New Years

Lunar New Year items for sale downtown.












New Year's decorations.


People hanging out, downtown.



Downtown traffic during the week before Lunar New Years.



These traffic pictures may not seem too incredible except that it's 10:30pm.


Other psosts you may be interested in:

Taiwanese Traditions:  Lunar New Year:  The Legend of Nian
Taiwanese Traditions:  Xin Nian Kuai le
Eating My Way Through Taiwan:  Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Random Asianess:  Oh Sure, Now We Decorate