www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/11/09/taiwan.breakfast.ap/index.html
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Quick, name a few dishes on the Chinese lunch or d inner menu. The cui sine has yet to go mainstream in the morning outside of China. And that' s a pity because there's a wonderful array of Chinese breakfast fare -- steamed bread, stuffed buns and simple egg dishes. The early morning food is little known elsewhere partly because some dine rs may hesitate to take gastronomic risks shortly after waking up. They' re groggy, stomachs are tender and they might be running late, with no t ime for culinary adventure. Perhaps visitors fear they'll get surprised with a generous serving of fi sh heads and pig intestines bobbing in a bowl of watery rice porridge. N o doubt this would be a delightful way to start the day for many people. But others would rather stick to the trusty plate of scrambled eggs and toast with coffee and orange juice. But if travelers know where to look for the food and how to order it, the y can find a variety of dishes that are friendly to Western tastes and e ven closely related to what's eaten at home. One great place to sample Chinese breakfast food is Taiwan. The tiny leaf -shaped island off China's southern coast is one of the world's best pla ces for fantastic Chinese food. And the cooking starts at sunrise on alm ost every block in residential areas in the island's densely populated c ities. Step out of the hotel and start roaming the back alleys. Listen for the s ound of spoons beating eggs in a plastic bowl or steel spatulas scraping a skillet or clanging in a wok. The best places to look for breakfast shops are near subway stations, whe re the food is hurriedly snarfed up by what's known in Taiwanese slang a s the "shangban zu," or the "commuting tribe." Some places should be avoided by travelers who would rather wade than plu nge into the local cuisine. Many noodle stands tend to go heavy on the o rgan meats. And there are shops -- usually with bright orange, red and y ellow signs -- that specialize in cheap grilled egg sandwiches filled wi th greasy Spam-like meat on bland white bread. The best places put their kitchens by the entrance so customers can be su re the food is freshly prepared. Look for tall towers of bamboo steamers full of hot dumplings and buns. There should also be on display a clust er of "you tiao," (pronounced YO TEE-YAU) foot-long pieces of dough deep fried until it's dark brown. Gesture to order Menus won't likely be in English because foreign customers are so rare. T he shop's offerings are often listed in Chinese characters on a sign mou nted on the wall. This shouldn't be a problem because most of the food s hould be on display and diners can point to what they want. The Ying Family Soybean Milk shop -- a block away from the Chihshan subwa y station in northern Taipei -- is a classic greasy chopstick breakfast spot. The setup is simple: chipped but clean Formica-topped tables, a wo oden counter where food is ordered, three women in matching red-checked gingham head scarves who cheerfully greet customers and serve up food se conds after it's ordered. jpg A roadside cook prepares shao bing, long baked buns covered in toasted se same seeds. A glass case is full of "shao bing" (pronounced SHAU BING) -- long baked buns covered in toasted sesame seeds. The buns are usually split open an d filled with a fried egg or a "you tiao," which literally means "grease stick." Sometimes "you tiao" is translated as "crullers," but the fried dough is tougher and chewier than the standard doughnut, and not as swe et. The Ying Family shop also serves up "dan bing," (pronounced DAHN BING) or egg pancakes. They're made by beating an egg, tossing in some chopped g reen onions and frying the egg on a sizzling griddle. Just as the egg be comes firm, a flour tortilla-like pancake is tossed on top of the egg. I t gets flipped over a few times before it's folded, chopped up and plate d It's seasoned with a splash of soy sauce or a dollop of chili sauce. Another breakfast staple is "man tou," (pronounced MAHN TOW) or steamed b read. Ovens weren't common in China, so most buns or rolls were cooked i n steamers. Man tous are usually the size of a fist and have a light, ch ewy and spongy texture. They can be eaten alone or split open and used f or egg sandwiches. Steamed buns, or "baozi" (pronounced BAO ZEH), are also tasty and come st uffed with spicy pork or vegetables. The Ying Family Shop's baozi are fi lled with chopped cabbage, carrots and black mushrooms. Dipped in a pudd le of soy sauce, the buns are a light, healthy breakfast. Street vendors One curious thing about breakfast eateries is that coffee and tea aren't traditionally served. People usually drink the beverages at home or at t he office. Fruit also isn't eaten at breakfast, although a fantastic sel ection of fruit is available in Taiwan. A classic breakfast drink in Taiwan is "dou jiang," (pronounced DOUGH JEE -YANG) or soybean milk. It can be an acquired taste and might seem water y and chalky at first compared to milk, but even in Western countries, i t is growing in popularity, thanks in part to a reputation as a high-pro tein alternative to dairy. Soybean milk is served in a small cereal bowl with a Chinese-style wide s coop spoon. People can choose between hot or cold and sweet and salty ve rsions. Some breakfast stands sell yellow sponge cake, sometimes called "ma la gao," (pronounced MAH LAH GAU) that pairs well with dou jiang. One of the great pleasures of eating breakfast in Taiwan is to get a hot bowl of soybean milk on a cold winter morning. Allow the steam from the soybean milk to bathe your face as you slurp up the drink and dunk thick slices of sponge cake into the dou jiang. They also set up near busy bus and subway stations, and they appear to do big business wi th women, who usually get stuck taking mass transit while their husbands commute in the family car. Some stands just involve a man frying globs of dough in a huge wok filled with oil and set over a propane gas burner on the sidewalk. Others pull a cart with a small assembly line to make "fan tuan," (pronounced FAHN TWAHN) or rice roll-ups. The fan tuan makers scoop out a handful of sticky glutinous rice from a w ooden bucket and pat it down into a square on a piece of plastic wrap. S poonfuls and pinches of pickled mustard leaves, fried ground pork, crisp y you tiao and other ingredients lined up in plastic bowls are sprinkled on top of the bed of rice. Then it gets rolled up into a rice tamale or burrito and sold to secretaries who eat it at the office. Sampling what Chinese cuisine has cooking for breakfast doesn't take a lo t of money, time or effort. It does require conquering the common trepid ations about crossing cultural boundaries in the morning. But once these are overcome, the rewards are quick to follow.
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