What I ate in Taiwan (4)

Formosa Chang's （胡须张）鲁肉饭....
I was surprised at how much I didn't mind the fat part of the meat. It wasn't 'blech' yucky at all. In fact, the rice would have lost the whole point without it.
It costs TWD20 per bowl, which was honestly a little too small for me.
According to a taxi uncle in Kenting, the meals there are too oily.
But I thought it was ok from my Malaysian standard.
I agreed though, after eating at a place in Kaohsiung he introduced us to (later post).

What I ate in Taiwan (3)

Abalone mushrooms!
Giant abalone mushrooms in Jiufen!
Grilled with dark sauce spread on it...
Need I say more?
I just want more~~~~
Yum!!

What I ate in Taiwan (2)

Ok, I should have taken a picture of what I ate, but I just wanted to point out that I had it in Monga (yes, that Monga as in the Taiwanese movie about gangsters in the old days).
I don't know exactly what 姜母鸭 is called in English but it's basically duck cooked with old ginger steamboat style where u can order side dishes and cook it in the soup.
I'm not a big fan of ginger but when you add rice wine in the boiling broth, you know it's the perfect dish for winter time.
The duck was tender and I liked the dipping sauce that goes with it. Too bad for my anti-ginger sentiments.
As time passes, the soup gets stronger with the taste the ginger. Woe is me, or I would have enjoyed it.

What I ate in Taiwan (1)

What's more to a Taiwan trip other than food?
Here's some of the stuff I finally got to and can happily cross them off my bucket list (yes, food is definitely in the list).
Smelly tofu I had in Jiufen, not exactly how I imagined it to be.
I've had smelly tofu back in Malaysia and have always had the impression that it was a cheap imitation but apparently I was wrong.
To be fair, it might not be the best I've had in Taiwan as this fried version is actually considered Hong Kong style.
Taiwan has the grilled and soup version which I assume would be the better ones to be savoured.
Oh well, two weeks more to go and many more night markets to visit. Let's hope I hit the jackpot soon.

Attention!

I'd say it was lucky we were at Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall at the right time.
We managed to witness the soldiers guarding Chiang Kai Shek's monument change shifts (pic), which was a long and lengthy process. They had all these marching and salutes which were all played out in slow motion.
I felt sorry for them for having to stand guard statue-style for an hour but I guess it's their way of giving back to the country.
But I wasn't the only one.
I overheard this conversation between two Taiwanese tourists while watching the whole process go on for more than 10 minutes on a route that takes less than 10 seconds to walk.

A: Why on earth would they agree to have this duty? I'd decline if I were them.
B: They're doing it for the country (long pause) and they were coerced by their superiors with encouragement: "OMG, you look so good in uniform, you should parade it at the memorial hall!" "Think of how dignified you will look in front of the crowd!" "Think of the girls!"