This Post is extracted from my personal Space, just last night's (in fact early this morning's) entry.
I just read a Magazine introducing Taiwan Food, which I had tried most of them! And thus I've put some of my comments down and to share with my friends. The original is in Chinese and I've put also the English version here. ^_^ (Also as a practice!)
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譬如說，太陽餅其實沒甚麼，有點像我們的老婆餅。奶油太陽病，奶油味都很重，好像不是很多香港人接受，我媽媽就是一個。我是喜歡吃的，每一次去台中也會買﹝但其實台北也有，而且很好吃。﹞但我所認識的香港人，只有我一個說好吃。
For instance, the Tai-yang Biscuit (Sun Cake?) is not that special. It looks and also tastes like our 'Wife Cake'. Another one called Cream Sun Cake smells really creamy. It seems that not many Hong Kong people can accept that 'Creamy Smell' and my mum is one of them. But I like it! Whenever I go to Taichung, I'll buy at least a box of it (well.. though we can still buy a delicious one in Taipei). And I'm the only one who like it among all Hong Kong people I know that have tried it.
很多去過台北的香港人都不太接受所謂「正宗」的珍珠奶茶，因為跟香港的有點不一樣。怎樣不一樣？你去過「茶軒」嗎？她們家的比較有台北風味。但其實「原產地」台中的珍珠奶茶，真的比較好喝，跟我們印象中的比較像。
Many Hong Kong people been to Taipei cannot accept the so-called genuine 'Pearl Milk Tea' as it tastes differently from the one in HK. How different it is? Have you been to 'Odeon' in HK? Their 'Pearl Milk Tea' is quite similar to that in Taipei. In fact, the 'real' genuine 'Pearl Milk Tea' should be in Taichung and really, Pearl Milk Tea there seems better in taste!
新竹的城隍廟跟台北的士林夜市都是室內，但我比較喜歡城隍廟，東西都很好吃。有一家，忘了名字，但我認得那個攤子，除了米粉，麵線也一級棒！比台北某家有名的麵線店更好吃，或是說更合我的口味吧！
Hsinchu City God Temple (Cheng Huang Temple) in Hsinchu and Taipei's Shih-lin Night Market are both indoor market and I like Cheng Huang Temple more. Foods there are really tasty. I've forgotten the name of a stall, but I remember its location, not only the rice noodles [can's N.B: Hsinchu is very famous for rice noodles], their 'normal' noodles are excellent!!! It is even better than that from the very famous 'noodle-eating' restaurant in Taipei!
新竹米粉，超級棒！我家現在都只吃新竹米粉﹝從台灣帶回來的，或在香港台灣食品專賣店買的正宗貨！﹞
Hsinchu Rice Noodles, Super! My family and I only eat Hsinchu rice noodles now! (I bring it back from Taiwan or buy it in a 'Taiwan Food Supermarket' in HK. By Air from Taiwan!)
城隍廟的林家肉圓是 OK，但彰化的更好吃！不過彰化的肉圓味道都很濃，有些人抵受不了！而且肉圓對香港人來說不是一個「大眾化」的食品，我跟很多朋友推薦，他們的反應都是「好恐怖的食物」。因為肉圓不是「圓」而是「餅」，像燒餅一樣的形狀。皮很煙韌，台灣用語「很 Q 」，像很厚很厚的蝦餃皮，也像加了彈性的潮州粉果皮，裡面包着些肉呀、菜呀等等，跟「潮州粉果」的餡料有點像。另加調味很重，很有「調味香草」味的芡汁。不過我是覺的很好吃，一個大概直徑 8 到 10cm，吃兩個幾乎可抵一個 dinner！
Another famous food in Cheng Hua Temple is 'Meat Ball by Family Lin'. It is okay, but the 'Meat Ball' in Changhua is even more delicious with thicker taste. So maybe some people cannot withstand the smell and taste :P Also I think it is not a 'popular' snack to Hong Kong people. I've recommended this to many friends and their responses are almost the same: "Such an awful food!" It is called 'Meat Ball' but it looks like a Cake. The pastry's very elastic(?) [can's N.B.: I'm wondering if Western food has this texture and thus it is very difficult for me to translate exactly the meaning of this adjective]. Taiwan people called it 'very Q'. Like the pastry of our dimsum 'Shrimp Dumpling' but thicker; or it's like the pastry of another dimsum 'Chao style Dumpling' with more elasticity. The filling is minced (?) meat with vegetables, somehow like our 'Chao Sytle Dumpling' and with source, which has a very vigorous smell of spice. Anyway, I love it! :P Two Meat Balls, with each has a diameter of 8 to 10 cm, can definitely fill up your stomach for the night!
刨冰，夏天剛剛好；冬天其實很刺激。很喜歡加蕃薯、芋頭、芋圓、像清心丸的圓子、跟粉圓！冬天還是不去刨冰店比較好，去夜市一樣有刨冰，但一般在同一攤子會有紅豆湯，要是太冷可以及時回頭！或是把刨冰打包﹝台灣用「外帶」﹞回酒店﹝in fact 台灣叫「飯店」酒店另有 meaning!﹞，等冰融一點點有不一樣的風味。
Crushed Ice, best for Summer but exciting for Winter! I love to add pieces of sweet potato, taro and different kinds of little dumplings. But for Winter, I suggest not going to a 'Crushed Ice Cafe', instead going to the Night Market would be a good choice. There are good 'Crushed Ice Stall' in the Night Market and usually they sell 'Red Bean Soup' too! If it's too cold, you can still have choice! Or you can take away your crushed ice back to hotel and have a different texture when the ice starts to melt.
台灣隨便的一個紅豆湯都比「xx茶房」的好吃！「xx茶房」可能太高級吧，有紅豆的，湯又不夠濃；湯夠濃的那一款又沒有紅豆。台灣的很濃又有紅豆，像「起沙」的紅豆沙加軟軟的紅豆。
'Red Bean Soup' in any stalls you can find in Taiwan is better than the one from 'xx sabo'. Probably it's too high-end in'xx sabo'. When you have a 'creamy' soup, you don't have the beans! And vice versa. 'Red Bean Soup' in Taiwan is very creamy with lots of beans, like adding soft red beans into our Cantonese 'thick' Red Bean Soup.
高雄六合夜市的阿婆仔刨冰真的很值得推介，忘了是同一家還是附近的紅豆湯也很好吃！配料更棒！粉圓很大一顆，味道很好，不會淡而無味。
'阿婆仔刨冰' in Kaohsiung Liu-he Night Market is really worth recommendation. I'm not sure if it is the same stall or the one besides, 'Red Bean Soup' there is really GREAT! The dumplings are great! [can's N.B.: Taiwan people add dumplings, sweet potato, and etc. into crushed ice or red bean soup as kind of 'supplements'.] Size just fine, not too tiny nor too big; and they have favour! You won't be feel like eating a favourless pastry of flour!
說起粉圓，九份有一家很出名，從前去真的好好吃，最近一次去有點失色，粉圓很黏在一起，而且那個「薑湯」真的很差，淡淡的。
Talking about Dumplings, there is a very famous stall in Chiufen. It WAS very good but last time when I went there, the dumplings sticked together and the Ginger soup has no favour nor smell, just better than water!
本來想跟着那個雜誌的順序，寫下一些我的體會或推介，但那實在是太多了，等一下再說吧，現在我要去睡覺了！
Originally I would like to write down my comments or recommendations following the sequence of the Magazine, but it is really too much! So I'll probably write it next time and go to bed now! [can's N.B.: It's direct translation. I was writing this at midnight :P]
