Mochi Making in the Market in Tainan

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: There is always something to eat at the Market

My kind of snack

After I finished running in the morning in Tainan (which i found out is not typical, and quite dangerous) I would wander around and follow random people until I eventually and most likely reached a market. I never get tired at looking at fruit which I will normally buy and the fish and meat options which I can unfortunately not purchase. However if I learned anything from traveling and watching way too much travel television there is always something ready made and good to eat at any market.

Bag o' jelly

At this particular market, there was two floors and the upper level was quieter and had all the ready made foods you could want from a lady selling just jelly, mochi and jello-like substances. There was enough jello to make Bill Cosby start blubbering something. One of the interesting stands was a couple selling wheels of radish cakes and tofu and making fresh mochi.
 

Huge radish cake

Mochi, although a Japanese thing is pretty much everywhere in Asia, we love that chewy, wiggly texture. this wife was facinating as she was pinching, rolling and stuffing balls of mochi to order. A machine could not do it as precisely and artfully as she was turning them out. the mochi was stuffed and coated ground peanuts and stuffed with ground sesame and had a combination crunchy, chewy and supple. The best part is? 10 NT per mochi (1US=33NT).

Step One

Step 2

Step 3

Fin/Get in muy Belly

Donut Quest: Taiwan Dispatch

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Why does food taste better when shaped as animals?

The Donut Quest has been going and this time, it went abroad. Donuts are not all made equally and thankfully, Dunkin Donuts does not reign all over…yet. One of the chain donut shops in Taiwan that is popular is Mr. Donut. Originally from Japan, I remember back in the late 90s when the first Mr. Donut opened up in Taiwan and remembered the line that snaked out the door. Now there are a number of Mr. Donuts in Taiwan and will mostly likely find on the any mall in Taipei.

Since there is no Thanksgiving in Taiwan, they got started early on the Christmas spirit and they had some Christmas themed donuts, such as their donut holes. 

You have to give it to them for presentation; these things looked like a box of chocolates. The little donut holes are all colorfully decorated and various coatings. One thing to mention is that though they do yeasted and cake donuts, they also do mocha donuts which give them a chewiness and difference in flavor or I at least think it is different. Each of these donut holes were colorfully decorated and had that odd pastel coloring too them and like all things from Asia, they looked cute and I am surprised it had no Sanrio characters donning it. Donuts after the jump!