Taichung, Taiwan

February 2023

Leaving Taipei was a breeze. First a quick Metro trip to Taipei Main Station, then an hour’s comfortable ride on the High Speed Rail (HSR) to Taichung. We did not realize how huge the Taipei Main Station is, and the overwhelming choices for food and shopping. Not wanting to be late for our reserved HSR seats, we opted for snacks from the 7-Eleven. Good thing, because when the HSR schedule says the train departs at 11:48am, it leaves at exactly that time. Departure and arrival times are more “suggestions” on the Amtrak back home, so this level of efficiency is a novelty.

Taichung 台中 literally means “middle of Taiwan,” and is Taiwan’s second largest city with 2.8 million residents. It has a Tesla store and at least one drive-thru Starbucks location. More of interest to us, it is the birthplace of bubble tea, so a pilgrimage was in order. Apparently there are several other joints in Taiwan who also claim this distinction, so we may have several pilgrimages to make this week.

Feng Chia Night Market 逢甲夜市 began in the 1960s as a street of food stalls serving the nearby Feng Chia University’s students. It is now reportedly the largest night market in Taiwan, with enough variety to occupy us for hours as we grazed for dinner. The lights, the noise, the smells, it’s a veritable feast for the senses.

Taiwanese night markets. Think of a farmers market on steroids, with no beginning and no end, independent vendors selling everything from grilled abalone to the trendiest cell phone cases. Or think of a collection of food trucks that line a busy public street, which each food truck selling a specialized item, some of which are Michelin-recognized. Meanwhile, scooters and cars are driving along the same street as hundreds, even thousands, of pedestrians. There are bright spotlights and neon signs, vendors hawking their wares, the latest K-pop songs blasting via speakers, and a cacophony of odors. Yet there seems to be order in the chaos, and everyone is somehow fed.

February 24, 2023