A gourmet feast in Taoyuan
On the first weekend of December, I took a one-day trip with my mom, aunt and uncle. Seizing the rare opportunity in our leisure time, We took the comfortable van driven by my uncle and visited Sankeng old street near to the Shimen Reservoir in the morning. Looking out the window from the van, I could feel the clear blue sky accompanying us on the way. Also, the balmy weather made our trip a pleasant start.
While we arrived at our destination, there were only a few stands and stores opened. Even so, we still found a stand that we were interested in. We sat at the wooden chair, chewing Niu Wenshui that the old grandma made for us. Niu Wenshui, the Hakka dessert, is similar to the sweet dumpling and mochi we ate before. However, it is specially added with brown sugar and ginger juice as the soup base in order to make the dessert more soft and smooth.
After we tasted the sweet dessert in the old street, we visited the live fish restaurant that was recommended by my aunt's friends. While we entered the restaurant, there were groups of tourists who had taken their meal and had chatted with each other cheerfully. Seeing this lively scene, I couldn’t wait to eat the mouth-watering dishes. After checking the reservation, the hospital waitress took us to the backcourt near the kitchen. The cook held a fishing net behind the water tank, asking for our request for the delicacies we would like to taste. A giant, heavy fish was caught by the fisherman from the water tank reluctantly, struggling to get back into the tank instead of being the food for us. All of a sudden, the giant fish broke free from the net, dropping on the floor. Though I was frightened by the accident, I felt so funny about the giant fish's behavior and tenacious vitality.
We ordered four flavors for the live fish dishes - fried, garlic paste, sweet-and-sour and san-pei(soy sauce,rice wine and sesame oil). Besides, the cook treated us to a fresh soup with some pork. I tasted the "Garlic paste white fish" at first. Garlic paste sauce was drizzled on the fish meat, making the meat more delicious. As soon as I put it in my mouth, it melted within a few seconds. However, its salty aroma stayed in my mouth for minutes. Then, I ate fish meat with san-pei flavor. With the soy sauce and sesame oil, the fish meat tasted juicy but flexible. I chewed it carefully,enjoying the wonderful combination of salty and sweet flavor. Last but not least, my family members and I remained the big fish head for the end of our lunch. Cooking in a frying pan, it was grilled until crispy. We took one bite after another, enjoying these delicacies with laughter and satisfaction. Even though they are seemingly ordinary, they certainly fill our stomach and make an extraordinary feast!
Finally, we chose to have dinner at Zhongzhen traditional market for the end of the trip. We devoured the rice noodles and sniffed the tangy scent at the same time, keeping warm in the cool weather.
I always feel amazed during the trip and the time of tasting foods.The reason is that I can face with different but distinctive things on my montonous daily life. Also, only when I experienced the things in person will I realize the actual flavor.
