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JUNE 2012
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
DISPATCHES
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GLOBETROTTING
Sca ered around the world are those tiny pieces
of land that everyonewants.Whether it’s because
they havemore natural resources or offer much-
needed ports, each one changes hands pre y much every time the local power
dynamic shi s. While this can be exasperating for inhabitants, it does tend to
create some of the world’s most interesting food—and nowhere is this more
true than on the island of Taiwan.
Take signaturedishes like
ôáchien
(oyster omelets) and
bawan
(meatball dump-
lingswrapped in sweet potato dough), for example. They represent thousands of
years of Austro-Polynesian tribal heritage (think roastedwild pig, oysters, yams,
tropical spices) tempered by early Dutch and Spanish colonial influences and
combined with several regional varieties of mainland Chinese food. Throw in
a few fried prawns and some raw fish and serve it with a measure of Japanese
minimalism, and you have a delightfully haphazard composite cuisine that
takes the classic island “if we’ve got it, we’ll use it” ethos to a whole new level.
Almost anywhere you eat onTaiwan, you canmake a sport of identifying the
influences in each dish that comes your way. At Shi-Yang Culture
What do you get if you
mix Taiwanese foodwith
dishes from Japan, China,
Cambodia, Italy and the
Netherlands? You get ...
Taiwanese food.
BY CHANEY KWAK
AND JOSHUA SAMUEL BROWN
FOOD & DRINK
IT’SWHAT’S INSIDE
THAT COUNTS
Tofu stuffed with
curry paste and
pumpkin at Chamkar
EVERYBODY IN!