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Peanut Powder? Lima Beans? Sprout Noodles?

What’s in Your Family’s Popiah?

“On a spring day, slender vegetables on a spring plate / Bring to mind the plums blossoming in the two capitals.”—Du Fu, The First Day of Spring “Popiah are like a non-verbal lineage documenting the secrets of your life. No need to ask a fortune teller who you are or where you’re from. A bite ......

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Innovative Treats, Traditional Flavors

—Steamed Rice Cake and Scholar Cake

A roadside vendor, from whose cart steam drifts out into the air, is selling pure white rice cakes with a very unadorned appearance. On this small stage, the beauty and value of rice are on display. Moreover, through the years the uses of rice have evolved to offer boundless possibilities.......

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Nostalgic Old-Time Beverages:

Winter Melon Tea and Chrysanthemum Tea

Taiwan’s fondness for beverages goes back far beyond the trend for custom-mixed “hand-shaken” soft drinks. Old-time drinks such as winter melon tea and chrysanthemum tea are still very popular and are even much in demand at hand-shaken drinks bars. Let us explore Taiwanese beverage culture, an......

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Two Parts Magical, Three Parts Mundane, Five Parts Tipsy:

Tainan’s Bars Never Sleep

Tainan has become a watchword in Taiwanese mixology. Over the last few years, the city has seen the rapid rise of nearly 100 bars, many of which are regularly named among Asia’s 50 best bars and employ mixologists that frequently participate in bartending competitions large and small. How did ......