Experiencing a Taiwanese Night Market
You're walking down crowded tiny vendor alleys stretched across multiple streets, weaving in and out of people, smelling all types of food being cooked. You see vendors stores, food stands, fruit stands, phone cases, clothes, jewelry, games—you name it, they have it. You are now in the heart of an authentic Taiwanese food market.
Over the years, Taiwan has become more and more known for their night markets and exotic foods. Not only do you find just about anything to eat, but you're also surrounded by cheap goods, high quality knock-offs, arcade games and lots of surprises. The best markets in Taipei are Raohe Street Night Market, Ningxia Night Market and Tonghua Night Market. The time to head over is around 19:00/7:00 P.M, when the crowd starts flooding. Get ready, because you'll need to be prepared for a bit of a shock.
Stinky tofu with dried fish. Image Credit: Flickr/Jirka Matousek
In an overpopulated city like Taipei, the first preparation is getting rid of the idea of personal space. Be ready to be back to back with Taiwanese strangers walking, eating, screaming, sweating, hassling—and if you're foreign, they will definitely be staring.
Next be prepared to also see things that would never be okay in the states. For example, if you order snake soup, a cage of live snakes will be right in front of you. If you are eating dish with meat, a majority of animals will still be alive visible to you. If you are taking meat home, expect the entire animal to be hanging from a hook so you can pick which section you want. This is common in Asian culture.
Health standards are a bit different as well. It's normal that you see workers sweating, making food with their bare hands, trying it occasionally, touching other things—and then of course going back and touching your food again. If you can manage to get over this, flavors and styles of cooking will show you true Taiwanese culture. Many people fear food poisoning, but chances are it will not happen to you.
Squid and fish vendor. Image Credit: Flickr/Jirka Matousek
Some of Taiwan's famous night market food is their sausage that you can eat with a piece of raw garlic. Another is the hand-made mochi, usually peanut flavored, sesame or red bean flavored. You can find mini pancakes that are made sweet, with different cartoons imprinted on them. Or you can have five quail eggs on a stick covered in a thick soy sauce and chili powder.
If you want a more filling meal, there are endless places with stir fry noodles still sizzling on the pan when you get your plate. There's even live foods that you can eat—for the experience, naturally. A definite delicacy to try is stinky tofu, if you can get over the smell. The options are endless and by the end you will feel like you want to explode.
Image Credit: Flickr/LWYang
A fun aspect of the night market is that it supports all ages. Whether you want to hang out and get a drink, or walk around to shop or eat, even play arcade games, it's all there. Most of the food stands don't have places to sit, but the areas you can sit in, people will stay their all night hanging out with their friends. Kids will go play the games that are set up and sometimes there will even be fair rides.
The night market is a place to eat your heart out and buy anything you want. Every night these markets get flooded with thousands of people. Keep your patience and keep an open mind—it's an experience to say the least and some of Taiwan's greatest flavors can be found in these markets.
