Fast-forward some 13 years.
Half awake, I stumbled out of my apartment complex at 9’oclock in the morning to find a perky, smiley driver opening the door to a shabby, 8-person van. As I clumsily climbed into the vehicle, I caught incoherent mumbles of what appeared to be “good mornings” and “hellos” from my groggy, absolutely-not-morning-people friends. Some were staring into space as they bit into their breakfast sandwich while others were already fast asleep. I looked down at our weekend itinerary.
Destination: Kenting. Time: 6 hours (AT THE VERY LEAST)
“Oh boy,” I thought as I closed my eyes. “This is going to be a long ride...”
Stop #1: Taichung (台中)
Our first stop of the trip was Taichung, the third largest city in Taiwan with a population of just over one million. Also known as Taiwan's "culture city," Taichung offers cultural attractions like museums, temples, art galleries and historical sites. But for my hungry companions and I, we were more into the local delicacies, like the suncakes (太陽餅), milk candy (牛軟糖), pineapple cake (鳳梨酥), chicken feet jelly (雞腳凍)...
But my Taichung highlight gots to be the Taiwanese "meatball" (肉丸). Normally not a big fan of 肉丸, this 60-year-old restaurant completely restored my respect for this local dish. At first look, it resembled every other 肉丸 you find in every alley of Taiwan. Gooey and transparent on the outside, it could pass for a block of clay. But as soon as I took the first bite, I was completely taken away by the perfect combo of the flavorful, tender pork meat/the soft, chewy dough/and the pungent garlic sauce that unified everything. Though the 肉丸 was fried, it was light and fluffy. Costing a mere 30NT, I could've had seconds or thirds if we didn't have a packed schedule in front of us. Addictive!!
People: next time you're in Taichung, be sure to visit 台中肉丸60年老店 and bring me some to go!
After probably 1000 tracks of songs, 10 rounds of games, 5 sessions of naps, and 2 more bathroom breaks, we finally arrived in Kenting. Yippy!
Hungry as hippos, we headed straight to the busy Kenting Street Market (墾丁大街) to get our night started. Aside from the myriad food stands, the street was packed with fun souvenir shops, eclectic restaurants, cheap-thrilled games, tons of out-of-towners, and pubs with not-so-hot trannies...
"Funny" I thought to myself, " not the Kenting I remember."
We ordered three full plates of marinated tofu, tempura, pigs blood, daikon, broccoli, noodles, and more. We were finished and out the door in 20 minutes. Delicious!
It didn't turn out half as bad as we ate more of Kenting's seafood delights while also leveling up on our Taboo skills.
Alas, it was time to say goodbye...
Before heading back home, we made one last stop in Tainan for lunch where we unexpectedly came to discover another 30NT bowl of wonder. It literally made one us cry from happiness. Located on 國華街, this obscure, little shop has no store name. It simply sells two items: Taiwanese herbal soup with intestines (四神湯) and minced pork over sticky rice (米糕).
The 米糕 unconditionally, irrevocably stole all our hearts...
What seemed like a simple bowl of rice had such depth and warmth it left me scratching my head, wondering how it was ever concocted. And of course, the owner would not spill a single word. Rightfully so. That spoonful of sticky rice topped with marinated diced pork, homemade dried pork (肉鬆), and slice of vinegar cucumber will forever linger in my mind.
Till next time, Tainan.
P.S. - we ended up going back and ordering 20 more 米糕 to go.
I watched as the beat-up van slowly drove away from my apartment complex. I can't believe we've just survived lord knows how many hours in there, I thought to myself. How did the time ever pass us by?
21 questions. Singing to Babyface. Rapping to Jay-z. Napping. Bejeweled. Heart-to-heart. Categories. Going down memory lane.
I smiled.
Fast-forward some 13 years, some things don't change.