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

Street Market by the SYS Memorial Hall

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: You know when you are in a true street market when you have to watch out for incoming traffic, makes shopping for fruit interesting

Most people when they go to a country, want to look at museums, buildings and go shopping, me personally the first thing I look up is the markets in the area. One of my favorite markets in Taipei is by the Sun Yat San Memorial Hall. Markets in Taiwan are called “Tai Chi Ya” which is a street market, where people sell produce, food and other odd bits and ends. These markets differ from the more popularly known Night Markets in which Night Markets such as Shilin are just all about food and Xiao Chi, but it does not mean that you cannot get some food at the Tai Chi Ya. 

Walking by The SYS Memorial in the early morning is that you will notice it is basically old people time. They will be out and about in the streets and doing tai chi, weird calisthenics or just chilling rocking nothing but a low cut undershirt. If they were any younger, they could be mistaken for hipsters. On a side street and if you listen closely enough, you can hear the shouts and smells of a market. This Tai Chi Ya in particular is also an active street which if you are not already disoriented by the vast array of food, pushy grandmas and vendors egging you to buy their stuff, you also have to watch out for small cars and mopeds honking and buzzing through the market. The street markets are filled with people selling from either a cart they set up, an established looking awning or just a piece of newspaper laid out on the street. More after the Jump!