On our recent Southern holiday adventure we stopped by the Nation Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. Though I had heard and read about this place, we were all totally overwhelmed with the amazing display of fishes and animals.
It should not be surprising that Taiwan would have a great aquarium, for everyone here absolutely loves seafood. It is only natural that a small live sample of all the yummy marine dishes should be available for viewing.
If you have visited or lived in Taiwan and traveled around a little you will know just how beautiful a place it is and how genuinely hospitable people are. Well Lanyu Island off the south east coast is both beautiful and friendly but in a way that makes it a very pleasant getaway from Taiwan proper.
Back in Perth a family island holiday for us usually involves a week on lazy Rottnest Island. I have wished to visit Lanyu for many years so with the kids on summer holidays we packed our bags and ventured off to see what it is like.
There is a very enjoyable dish that anyone who has visted a Taiwanese night market must have enjoyed. It is an oyster omellete or er a jien (蚵仔煎) . It consists of a corn starch base with egg, a dozen or so fresh oysters and cuttings of fresh green vegetables. All quickly fried such that the oysters are just warmed and greens keep their stalks crisp. It is then covered with a mostly sweet but slight chilli sauce. Yum.
Of all the modes of transport all over the world it seems to be the fishing boat that maintain a localalized style. Airplanes, cars, ships, motorbikes and even bikes may have slight national differences but for the most part, there all tend to blend to the same globalized shape and style. I suspect fishing boats are different because they are built locally for local needs. The Taiwanese fishing boat highlights just how distinct a regional style can be.
These boats look quite unstable as they rock from side to side in the water. As if a push from one side would topple them over and expose the hull. But these are the boats that keep the local fish markets full.
