Staple Foods of Taiwan - Essay Example

Number] Questioner on Taiwan What is your ethnic background? My ethnic background is Taiwanese and my ancestor’s belonged to Han dynasty of China. 2-Did your family immigrate to the Unites States? Yes my family immigrated to USA. 3-If yes, how many generations ago? I am the third generation. 4-Do you have a religious affiliation? Yes, I do 5-If yes, what is it? Buddhism and Taoism both 6-What foods are indicative of your culture? What foods items are needed to make a meal for you? Rice and noodles are staple foods of Taiwan. Plus, there are commonly consumed food types which are soy, pork, sweet potatoes, chicken and sea food. Since Taiwan is an island therefore, abundance of sea food like grouper, prawns, lobsters, shrimps, bigeye tuna, red frog crab, sardines and fish have always been the main choice in Taiwanese dishes. However, beef noodle soup, Chou Doufu, Louru Fan, jaozi, Oyster Omlette and Turkey rice are some traditional dishes. Moreover, people of Taiwan have always supported light taste and freshness of food; therefore, the fresh vegetables (turnips, carrots, cabbage) and other ingredients like spices (ginger, anise, salt, sesame oil and chilli peppers) with variety of sauces involve nutritional preserving methods of cooking like sautéing, boiling, steaming and stir frying. 7- How many meals do you eat every day? Do you snack? Taiwanese eat frequently and usually three to four times a day but commonly breakfast, lunch evening snack and dinner are taken. However, they also take snacks in the evening before dinner and the most popular of them are Guan Cai ban, Yu Wan (fish ball) and meat ball and rice noodles, Yong Ho soya bean milk, chicken rice (Ji Rou Fen), pearl milk tea and etc. 8- Who usually shares the meals? In Taiwan food is usually shared among the family members during breakfast, lunch, evening snack and dinner. All the family members eat and dine together and at a same time from the traditional hot pot in winters. 9- Who prepares the meals? Since the teachings and values of Confusion (obligation of individuals to one another) are very deeply rooted in the region. Therefore, women of the house are usually given the responsibility to prepare meals for the family. 10-Where is food normally consumed? Families usually eat in their living rooms, but since after industrialization wave a popular way to eat was bien dang, this box contains all varieties of food like beans, vegetables, fish or pork with noodles or rice. The price is cheap in comparison to homemade meals; therefore, eating outside is much more common in Taiwan than any other place. There are many varieties available in bien dang like chicken, pork, vegetable they occur due to diverse ethnic nature of the region. Super markets do not sell their goods on whole sale prices that is why grocery becomes expensive for the buyers and they opt for readymade meals like bien dang which are cheap. 11-How is food normally consumed? Staple food noodles, rice or any other would be consumed with chop sticks. Meals are served in round small bowls usually especially if it’s liquid plus meat food. The bowl is kept close to the chin and chop sticks are used to eat the firm parts of the food. 13-How do your food habits differ from your family norms? In what significant ways do they differ? Since I grew up in USA and my eating habits differ from the traditional Taiwanese. I am accustomed of drinking coffee and smoothies instead of pearl milk tea and soya bean milk in the morning. I like to eat with fork and knife normally and they prefer to eat with chopsticks. We have never used a hot pot in USA for anything and it’s common to serve the meal in hot pot in front of family or guests in home. Eating outside from vendors is so common and cheap in Taiwan, but here in USA due to health regulations it’s rarely a practice. Sea food is abundant and vegetables are usually fried to be eaten, but we do not fry vegetables here due it’s to detrimental effects and eat them raw. However, fish, crab and lobsters are occasionally eaten. 14-What are symbolic meanings of food known to your culture? Food is a way to enhance business and family values both at the same time. If one is eating with family he is promoting bonding time and if dinning outside he tastes the good food in the market and profiting fellow brothers. If a guest is considered important he is invited to dine usually outside in the food cuisine, but if he is a dear guest he will be invited at home to share a meal with the family to show him his worth. This is the most gracious gesture to make space for him in family gathering. However, higher ranked individuals do not dine in the houses of lower rank individuals. 15- Do either you have any food taboos? Since, Taiwan is an island thus; cattle were extinct in past and they were mainly used for ploughing land of agricultural regions. Therefore, it was forbidden or considered dreadful to slaughter them for meals. Therefore, beef was rarely eaten in Taiwan. Now with the globalization beef has become available, but still elders avoid eating it and replace it with ham or chicken. I have never heard or witnessed usage of dog meat as well, which is common in Korea. 16- What are the major holidays you and your family celebrate each year? There are many national and cultural holidays in Taiwan. Like Republic day (1st f Jan and new year), Chinese New Year festival in Jan. (1-3), Lantern Festival (15th Jan), Tomb Sweeping day (5th April), Dragon Boat festival (5th May), Taipie City God Birthday ( 13th May), Ami Harvest Festival (August), Armed Forces Day ( 3rd September), Constitution day (25th December), Birth of Bodhidharma (5th October), Jade emperor’s Birthday (9th Jan) and many more. 17-What special foods are served for these holidays? Beef Noodle Soup is usually served with rice on national and public holidays and is most favoured food of Taiwan. Its Taiwan’s national dish and to celebrate the taste f beef noodle a festival is also held every year in which thousands of expert chef prepare delicious beef noodle soup to compete with each other. 18- Do you fast? If yes, when? What, if any, foods are avoided and/or consumed? As a therapeutic way to clean the body from toxic chemicals of the body; fasting and yoga are practised commonly. As fasting automatically cleans the body whilst the flow of food is blocked. Fasting is also considered helpful in refreshing the whole system of the body and it is kept as a preventive measure to avoid future illness as well. Since, people of Taiwan are food lovers and they eat frequently hence, keeping fast is a challenging practice for them however, Muslim minorities also keep fast in their holy month of Ramadan. 19-What foods (if any) do you eat to improve strength, endurance, and/or vitality? Tuna, grouper, crab and lobster which are rich in DHA and fruits like papaya, melons and citrus fruits are extensively consumed in Taiwan; therefore, eating raw fruits is also customary in my family as well. 20- What foods do you avoid to prevent illness or disease? Since Taiwanese food is usually consistent on rice, noodles which are simmered or fried in pork fat with fried vegetables therefore, it is detrimental for health and results in excess weight gain and other long term diseases. One cannot find whole wheat there at all and even the steak used in food cuisines is made through processed meat (made from soy protein and food glues). Milk is expensive in Taiwan and also is available only in powder form (processed) so it’s better to avoid dairy products than to consume them and get sick. Similarly, I avoid oyster omelette too which is full with sweet potato starch. 21-What foods do you eat to stay healthy? Oat meals, fresh fruits and vegetables with almonds and at times soybean milk too. I rather avoid fried foods or foods which are submerged in pork fat. However, I enjoy most of the sea food offered in Taiwan. 22-What foods did your mother (or caregiver) feed you when you were sick? My mother makes Chicken stew with four herbs which is good in reproducing red blood cells and supports blood flow as well. It requires two leg pieces of chicken, rehmanniae root, white peony root, angelica root (Chinese), rice wine and chuanxiong rhizome in peculiar quantities (Go2taiwan.net). All the ingredients are boiled in water for an hour or more and the tasty stew helps as a medicine as well. 23-What foods do you desire now when you are sick? I desire to drink winter melon soup, oolong tea (which boosts health) and fruit beverages. 24-What foods do you eat to cure illnesses or disease? Red Date and Tremella soup (made with red dates, tremella and rock sugar), which provides instant energy and boost liver’s functioning (Go2taiwan.net). It’s a customary and ancient dish which is believed to increase health for longer life. 25-What (if any) home, popular, or traditional therapies involving food, herbs, and/or vitamins and minerals do you utilize. Yes I do utilize the above mentioned two home remedies for ailment the chicken stew and red date and tremella soup. Simultaneously, cinnamon powder and basil leaves are used to prevent incurable diseases through meal making. Similarly, garlic is used in daily cooking to reduce health deficiencies like increased cholesterol and blood pressure. 26- Why? Or why not? It’s the safest way to get cured naturally and easily without getting into the hassle of allopathic medicinal sessions and their adverse impact on health. 27-What outside influences impact your consumption of your cultural foods? The opening of Star Bucks coffee shops in Taipei influenced the local breakfast tradition and later on more Western foods are provided by Costco and by Nabisco in the region, which has boosted “eating culture” of USA in Taiwan. 28- What outside influences impact your beliefs of therapeutic uses of food? Since every meal is measured in calories and weight gain in USA; therefore, it has declined the values of traditional meals like braised pork rice, pan fried buns, bubble tea and coffin bread. These foods are meant to provide energy and health, but if they are seen in terms of calories nobody will eat them. However, they are deemed healthy and close to heart in Taiwan because they entail Tai-essence of goodness. 29- How has the American culture influenced your cultural habits and traditions? Taiwanese are food loving, health conscious and festival cheering people. However, holly wood has influenced the social gatherings and people tend to dress and speak in English to show good impression. They also favour USA brands and products over local and have become conscious of their eating habits. Family system is intact but is highly influenced by west and youngsters prefer to live alone. Parents used to chose spouses for their children now children have taken that responsibility in their hands too. The cast system was intact in Taiwan due to Buddhism but has diminished to a large extent due to American influence too. 30- How do you feel your cultural habits and traditions have influenced American culture? In USA people enjoy Chinese food with chop sticks and enjoy our cultural festival also. They have also adapted yoga, and therapeutic therapies like cupping, coin massaging and acupressure from our culture, but they have not actually adapted anything from our social values. Work Cited: Go2taiwan.net,. Food As Medicine, Medicine As Food. N.p., 2013. Web. 8 Dec. 2014. Read More