Mango Shaved Ice (Mongwa Bao Bing)

August is pretty hot and humid in Taipei, so most people cool down with some shaved ice. Tai Eee Nyo Nye Dah Wong is supposedly one of the best. Really ripe and fragrant mangoes with some sweet condensed milk. Very refreshing and delicious on a hot Taipei night.

臺一牛奶大王
No. 82, Section 3, XīnShēng South Road, Daan District
Taipei City, Taiwan 106
02-2362-3172

Sashimi Platter for Take Out

If I could get this in NYC, I'd order it everyday.
This is just so fresh, it makes my knees weak every time.

Japanese Fresh Baked Bread

Yatai in Fukuoka 福岡の屋台

Street vendors in the streets of Fukuoka.
Ramen, Yakitori, Sashimi, Grilled Fish, Gyoza, Motsu Nabe...

IH Table

I could really use an Induction Heating unit built into my dining
table at home.
Fantastic!

Tonkatsu Lunch Set ($30)

One of the best lunch meal I've ever had. And the Price to Food
Quality Ratio was ridiculous as well.
I was in Kagoshima Prefecture this week and HAD to have their famed
Berkshire Pork.
It's seriously the best piggy money can buy.
I've had Mangolista, Iberico, American Berk/Duroc and this is clearly
tops in my book.

Kagoshima Berkshire Piggy Tonkatsu

Milk Bubble Tea (Xing Wa Zhwong Nye)

The birth place of bubble tea is Taiwan and although we get some decent stuff in the NY/NJ area, nothing compares to the stuff they serve in Taiwan. Chen San Ding, a famous street joint near Tai Da "National Taiwan University serves the bubbles with whole milk and very soft/chewy bubbles glazed in a brown sugar caramel - kinda like maple syrup. Incredibly delicious and addicting but be prepared to wait in a long line.

Stinky Tofu (Chou Dofu)

Offensive to some, but I love me some stinky tofu. The taiwan kind is much less offensive than the Hong Kong version. If you can get over the smell (think ripe cheese), the texture is crispy and airy on the inside and the flavor is kinda like a blue cheese/tofu combo.

Chicken Sashimi

I'll probably never do this again.
I don't really care how fresh the chicken is. It just doesn't jive
with this dude.

Cold Sesame Noodles (Liang Mien)

Nothing like street food in Taipei. Homemade chewy noodles with a great creamy and slightly sweet sesame sauce.

Ice Water Pitcher

Why can't we use vacuum insulated water pitchers in the States too?
Oh yes, because no one takes care of their products and it's bound to break in a week as opposed to in Japan (and most of the rest of the world) where people actually have pride in their work and take care of their tools. 

US work force could learn a thing or two. 

Sashimi Platter

And here it is.
The large fish in the bag. All filleted and plated on a bed of
julienned cucumbers. This is the local fishermans' way of enjoying
fresh caught fish. They don't muddle in ice trays/dishware or too much
in presentation.
Making sure the belly is full is their main concern.
I love these guys!

Gift from the Local Fisherman

There's about 30 fish in this bag. All just caught about an hour ago
from the ocean nearby.
Can't wait to grill them up and perhaps imbibe some shochu with the bounty.

アジ刺身なう

Horse Mackerel Sashimi platter for dinner.
This fish is a staple down here in Kumamoto.
So you better believe I'm eating this to my heart's content.
Served with minced scallion and ginger, and the classic sweet soy
sauce from this region, this is one awesome treat.

Giant Watermelon

Yakiniku in Japan

Another great reason why I love Japan so much.
Japanese Wagyu Beef is just incredibly awesome. It's not only tender as can be, there's this unique sweetness from the fat and also great beefy flavor.

This place is a 5 minute car ride from my wife's place in Kumamoto, Japan. What a great place to take the family and have a relaxing meal. Grilling the meat on the table top with a mug of icy cold suds in the other hand.

Toro at Daiwa (Tsukiji)

Pretty darn good piece of fatty tuna.
It's the middle of summer here in Japan and the best tuna according to
the sushi master is from India right now.

This piece literally melted in your mouth. Sweet and buttery. With
good Wasabi kick towards the end. I could eat this all day.

Unaju (Broiled Eel on Rice) at Highway Rest Stop

Another reason why I love Japan so much. Convenience factor of getting
a decent meal at even a rest stop on the highway.

Sausage, Peppers and Onions Pasta

One of my favorite summertime sandwiches is sausage and peppers, but moving out of Hoboken and into the burbs made it difficult to find a good sausage and peppers sandwich. So, I decided to cook me up some sausage, peppers, and onions and serve them tossed with some whole wheat pasta which stands up to the strong flavored condiments. Pretty friggin delish - sweet, peppery, fatty and spicy from the sausage.