No Meal Plan, No Problem

Another 林峰 song for today!

So this post is a little overdue--in fact I meant to write about this way back in March, but better late than never right?

Anyways after five semesters of having a meal plan, imagine my disappointment when I realized that National Taiwan University does not provide meal plans--I'm not sure if it's a Chinese thing since my friends studying abroad in Mainland China don't have a meal plan either. Luckily for me, food in Taiwan is pretty cheap--on most days I can get away with spending less than US$10 for breakfast, snack, and dinner and something to drink (bubble tea anyone?). Still, it unsettles me to know that my money supply is dwindling down everyday. Plus it can get frustrating thinking about what to eat, meal after meal day after day. But anyways, I just thought I'd share some pictures of some delicious food I've had here so far. Enjoy and salivate away!

廣東炒飯

Most foods come in cute little take-out boxes such as the one above or like so

What could be inside?

Tada! Dumplings!

I was also feeling a little greedy that day and got noodles too--all for about US$3 if I recall correctly--I was quite stuffed afterwards

Delicious matcha tofu dessert

From this vegetarian buffet place I like to frequent--especially when I'm in the mood for rice

Lunch at 7-Eleven--I'll admit it, I often go to 7-Eleven to eat when I'm feeling lazy or don't know what I want to eat; being able to use my student ID for discounts doesn't hurt either

One thing I have to say though is that, in this area at least, it seems that noodle dishes are a lot more prevalent than rice dishes. Now don't get me wrong, I like noodles, but sometimes (often) I just want rice for dinner, and not fried rice or rice as a side, but just a good old rice dish with some veggies and meat to go with it (and if you want other types of dishes, you might be even more hard pressed to find them).

Dry wonton noodles

Hong Kong style wonton noodles (with soup)

And of course, we can't forget street food now can we? After all, Taiwan is nothing if not famous for their night markets and street foods!

These Vietnamese vermicelli noodles actually taste pretty authentic!

韭菜包 and 米漿 from the bao place I like to frequent--one little bao can actually be pretty filling!

Dim sum dumpling tray!

Moral of the post: come to Taiwan, if not for the sights, at least for the food!
Everyday Chinese Food Edition

• 飯 (Fàn) - Rice 
  Note that while this means rice, it can also mean food in general; for example, 來吃飯 can simply mean to come eat--it all depends on context 
• 麵 (Miàn) - Noodles
• 菜 (Cài) - Vegetables/Dishes
  Similar to how 飯 can mean both rice or food in general, this character is often used in the name of vegetables (韭菜、白菜) and can mean vegetables or dishes, for example 素菜 is vegetables, while  家常菜 refers to home-cooked dishes
• 包子 (Bāo zi) - Bao
• 小吃 (Xiǎochī) - Snack
  Literally "small eats" little stands selling these are common in night markets and I guess they're a little similar to appetizers
• 吃到飽 (Chī dào bǎo) - Buffet
  Literally "eat until full"
• 餛飩/雲吞 (Húndun/yún tūn) - Wonton
  Note that the pronunciation I have given for the former word is the Taiwanese pronunciation (Mainland Chinese pronunciation is Húntún); also note that the English is derived from the Cantonese pronunciation of the latter (wan4tan1) and, from my experience, the latter is usually used in referenced to Hong Kong style wonton, which tend to be bigger
• 夜市 (Yèshì) - Night market
• 珍珠奶茶 (Zhēnzhū nǎichá) - Bubble tea