- [Gunnarolla] Of all the countries that I've been to
in Asia so far, I'd have to say that Taiwan
is one of my favourite destinations for food.
You've probably familiar popcorn chicken, bubble tea,
and beef noodle soup, but this time we're making our way
to the Lu Rou Fan Festival, a celebration
of one of Taiwan's most beloved dishes,
braised pork on rice.
On our journey to the festival, we'll be stopping
at attractions and restaurants along the way,
and learning more about what makes Taiwan
such a special travel destination.
You ready?
(Flight Attendant) Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Taipei International Airport
Just landed in Taipei, my first--
what do they call people who live in Taipei?
- Um, people in Taipei.
- People in Taipei. (laughing)
This is Elsa.
- I'm the translator for this whole trip so, hi.
- Look at these.
They're so cute.
And what's this dish called?
Lu Rou Fan
What?
Lu Rou Fan
Lu… Rou… Fan
- No, no, no.
Lu Rou Fan
Yeah.
Lu Rou Fan
- Is that okay? - Yeah.
- So I know how to order it, there we go.
Our trip officially begins in Taichung,
the cultural center of Taiwan.
It's a growing city rich in history and natural beauty,
and some impressive architecture.
So the first stop for us today
is the Taichung city government building.
And these buildings were erected
during the Japanese colonial era.
Very striking architecture.
Let's head inside and see if we can find the mayor.
Hello?
Does anybody know where the mayor is?
Hello?
Is the mayor here?
Excuse me do you know where the mayor is?
(light music)
Where can we find the mayor?
Do you know where the mayor is?
Do you know where I can find the mayor?
- The mayor not here sorry.
Yes because this one is old building
and you know a lot of people come here
for the office, for everything.
- So this is not the mayor's office?
- Yes because it too small.
- You'll actually find many historic buildings preserved
and converted for new uses in Taichung,
like Shen Ji New Village, originally a dormitory
for government employees, today it's a spot to shop,
eat, meet some friendly locals.
- Hello, welcome to our store.
Our gelato taste good.
- So you have a few different flavours.
Which one is your favourite flavour?
- My favourite is blue cheese.
You can try what do you want.
Seven flavours, that's right.
- Okay I'm gonna try blue cheese.
Listen I don't really like blue cheese on its own
but maybe in gelato form it'll be different.
Here we go.
Oh, that's quite pleasant.
That's very good.
- Thank you very much.
- Now that we've warmed up our palette,
it's time for our first real meal of the day.
Alright, made it to our first restaurant of the day
and we're gonna try some Hakka cuisine.
What is special about Hakka cuisine?
- For old tradition Hakka cuisine is about
a little greasy and salty
but now I try to fix that.
Try more healthy.
- Alright so take me into the kitchen.
Show me around here.
- Our most famous Hakka dishes
like Hakka stewed pork.
First we chop in a certain shape
and then we braise it.
And then later we have to defat
and then we put into steamer for like two hours.
A total take five to six hours to make.
- So we spent the first half of the day in the city,
now we've driven about an hour outside to the wetlands.
What are the wetlands?
- The wetland is a land with water.
(both laughing)
- Thank you dictionary.com.
The Gaomei Wetlands are where the sea and land meet.
Visitors can stroll down an 800 meter long boardwalk,
observing wildlife and windmills along the way.
It's quite the romantic spot and during low tide
you can even take a walk on the silt.
It's a peaceful haven, just over an hour
outside of the city.
With easy access to a diversity of mountains, forests,
and water, Taiwan is a nature lover's dream.
It also has a very rich history, preserved
in the temples and monuments that you can find
in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan.
This also happens to be the place
where I discovered my new favourite noodle: dan zai.
As it turns out, this dish, and how it was delivered,
has a very interesting history.
Alright so this is the origins of dan zai, right?
This is like the original food truck.
They can just go wherever they want.
Is it heavy?
- [Man] Very heavy.
- How heavy?
- Maybe 20 kilo.
- I can try.
You don't need to go to the gym,
you just open up your own dan zai restaurant.
How do I, just like this?
Like this?
Oh my gosh.
Okay see you guys.
(laughing)
- [Woman] Is it very heavy?
- Uh yeah.
I mean if I had to have this all day,
probably I would have a really jacked back.
The people of Taiwan lead pretty active lifestyles
and there are actually plenty of opportunities
to get your steps in, as we discovered
in the seaside city of Khaosiung.
Alright we're about to climb 100 steps
to get to the top of the mountain.
Are you ready?
- [Michael] Yes.
- Let's go!
I'm already tired.
Is there an elevator we can take?
Escalator?
We made it half the way up.
This is very tiring.
Can you carry me?
Can I get on your back?
You'll need another backpack.
- Be a man!
- No! - You come here in one minute!
- Come get me!
- You now be a shame of Canada, go!
- Fine.
Not all areas of Taiwan are as developed as the west.
And as we make our way along the island,
it's easy to find lush green spaces for nature and crops.
In the south, near Taitung, you'll find the Bunun tribes,
the indigenous people of Taiwan,
best known for their sophisticated vocal music.
(singing in foreign language)
Also near Taitung is Chulu Ranch, an attraction focused
on milk production, something the people of Taiwan
take great pride in.
Okay so we're gonna try a premium milk Popsicle,
love this packaging.
Is there anything we need to know?
Do they eat the Popsicles differently in Taiwan?
- What?
- Is there a special technique to eat it?
- Um, no.
- There it is.
- This is the milk.
- It's good, you don't even need another flavor.
It's very refreshing on a day like today.
(light music)
The last stop on our trip is Taipei,
the capital of Taiwan.
Although it's now a modern metropolis,
you can still find traces of its early history.
After a brief lesson in tea culture,
we're getting dressed in traditional qipao and magua,
in preparation the main event: the Lu Rou Fan Festival.
We are at Taipei train station.
We're about to go to a press conference
where they're gonna talk about the Lu Rou Fan Festival.
(speaking foreign language)
(steam hisses)
- [Announcer] Lu Rou Fan, which is Taiwan's
braised pork on rice.
- Alright, first step is to mix in that meat with our rice.
Second step's a bit of a challenge
if you're not used to it, it's eating rice with chopsticks.
Portion control!
(murmurs) That's so good.
Really savory, salty.
We got our rice and our meat.
Alright this one's a bigger cut of meat
and we got pickled ginger here, so salty and sour,
I love the combination, let's try it out.
(murmurs) That's so good.
Pickled ginger!
Alright this one's from Formosa Chang,
it's one of the most popular spots
to get Lu Rou Fan in Taiwan.
They got 71 locations, they added a pickled radish for me.
(murmurs) That's good.
So good.
(cheering)
Alright this one has a meatball.
And I can already tell I'm gonna love this meatball
so let's chop that up here.
What do we say in Taiwan instead of bon appetit?
(speaks foreign language)
Yo this is my favourite, this is my favourite.
And I love that they gave me a spoon
so I can eat it twice as fast.
So good!
I would never get sick of this.
- [Announcer] Our international cyber celebrities,
should I say, thank you very much for coming to Taiwan!
- [Gunnarolla] I've always known that Taiwan was special
but it wasn't until this trip that I had a chance
to truly appreciate its diversity,
not just in people and scenery,
but in its culinary offerings as well.
Braised pork on rice may sound like a simple dish
but as we discovered,
there are so many inventive ways to enjoy it.
So, next time you book a trip to Asia,
plan to spend a couple days in Taiwan,
there's something for everyone.
Just make sure to bring your appetite.
Thanks for watching!
If you liked this video, share it with a friend.
And follow Gunnarolla for more travel,
adventure and tons of food.
See ya next time.
(speaking foreign language)
(laughing)