Picky Eater

Cindy

Picky Eater

     In the early generation, Taiwan was called Formosa because of the impressive landscapes. In the recent years, food paradise becomes a new appellation for Taiwan because we have the best street food in the world. Dining is the most important part of life for the people of Taiwan, so Taiwanese have great passion for food. Even though people need to stand in a line for couple hours or drive 2-3 hours to the destination, many Taiwanese will still go for the food. Taiwanese food always remind people of homesickness while they are working or studying abroad. However, it is hard to copy the flavor of traditional Taiwanese food because of the different cooking styles, foods and habits. Since I moved to Chicago, I have had a hard time adopting to the difference dinning culture between the United States and Taiwan.

Street Food

     Taiwanese cooking is distinguished by the many seasonings in the meals. The seasonings are difficult to find in the United States, even in Chinatown. Some people think that Taiwanese food is equal to Chinese food because they only had the experience of eating Asia food in Chinatown. In fact, it is totally different. The street food is particular to Taiwanese culture. One particular ingredient is stewed shallot chefs use to enhance the aroma of street foods that you can’t eat this kind of flavor in any Chinese restaurant or Chinatown. Therefore, every time I go back to Taiwan, I always get several seasonings, such as, spice bag with herbs, a variety of spicy sauces, and the sauce to mix with noodles. When I got back to Chicago, the seasonings will enhance the taste of the Taiwanese foods that I cook, and this would make me feel that I am eating foods in my favorite restaurant in Taiwan. 

Traditional Market

     Furthermore, the kinds of fruit, vegetables, and seafood are quite different between Taiwan and the United States, especially seafood. Taiwan is a little island surrounded by ocean. We can eat many fresh seafood no matter which city we are. In Taiwan, people can buy seafood not only in the supermarket like the United States but also in the traditional market. In the traditional market, we can see the clam’s shucks are active, the shrimp is jumping and the fish is swimming. Differently, if I want to eat fresh seafood in the United States, I need to go to a city that near the ocean, like Boston. Chicago is surrounded by just a large lake, so everything is flown in. It’s hard to get fresh seafood or we have to pay more for eating. 

Neighborhood

     People in Taiwan can easily grab food in their neighborhood, but they usually consume at the store that sells it. Because the owner always remembers of our favorite flavor that we previously ordered. They always know that I like the over medium eggs, I don’t like many tomatoes on my burger or that my beverage needs to be hot. Moreover, the owner usually accompanies us from childhood to growing while a child be a girl and a woman. They always give us the warmest greeting every morning. What I have totally lost in America is human warmth. Maybe my communication is not good enough or I haven’t lived here that long so that I can’t feel this kind of human warmth in the United States.

     After these experiences, I had learned one thing from feeling lost in translation. In fact, I didn’t like seafood very much when I lived in Taiwan. Until I left my country, I now realized that fresh seafood isn’t easily captured in every country. I understand the importance of treasuring the thing that I already have. If we always focus on the loss, we’ll never allow in new experience. To accept or try the new things is a good way to renew oneself, then you will find the best way of your life. It’s like a picky eater who continuously digs for the new, and then finds the most delicious in his mind.