The day that never ends!

My first day in Taiwan went by in a blur, due mostly to the fact that I had not slept for the preceding 24 hours (and then some). I was dropped off at my godparents apartment and after getting unpacked I stopped by a Beef Noodle restaurant with my brother. We picked up a bowl of stewed-tomato beef noodles and tucked in.



The tomato stew wasn't quite what I was accustomed to, but it still made for a fairly hearty broth. Unfortunately, since the resulting stew wasn't prepared over a long period of time, it didn't have the same depth of flavour that regular Hong-Sau broths have. This bowl wasn't anything spectacular either way, though I'd say that the largest redeeming factor was the tenderness of the meat. It was by far some of the softest beef I've had in recent memory (barring extremely fatty cuts). The noodles themselves were cooked to an al dente consistency, which gave the meal some contrast in textures between the beef and noodles.

All in all, I'd rate my first bowl of beef noodles in Taiwan a 6.5/10. I don't regret it, but I have no real reason to go back.

The remainder of the day was uneventful save for a dinner with my godparents at what apparently was a very well-known restaurant in Taipei. Din Tai Fung has about three dozen branches in 13 countries or so. This particular branch looked as if it could seat about fifteen people. Luckily, we had arrived just slightly before about thirty people materialized in line and were shuffled in before the rush; things did not look promising for the throng of people waiting outside. Walking in to the crowded restaurant, I realized that there was no real place for the four of us to be seated; then I heard them direct us to the third floor. This restaurant has FIVE floors. It was pretty incredible. The first two floors were dining rooms, as were the fourth and fifth. Part of the first and the entire third was dedicated to what I imagine would've been the kitchen. An odd layout by our North American standards, but from the looks of it the place was absolutely bustling with people.

The quality of the food was superb; my godparents told me that all the food served in the restaurant was organic-certified and procured daily. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the food, but rest assured it was both delicious and satisfying.

Several beers later, we'd head home and call it a rather early night. Given, by this point I had been awake for well over 24 hours in addition to the jet lag (GMT+8). To top it all off, I would have to be up early the next day for my trip down to the southern tip of the country, Kenting.

Al