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Hualien

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      We spent two weeks in Taiwan, and most of that time we were in Taipei. We did go on one excursion, to Hualien, a city on the east coast of the island. The main attraction in Hualien is the Taroko Gorge. But our trip surprised and delighted as soon as we got on the train- when we bought tickets, we saw an option to add a bento box meal for about $2.50 (bento boxes are a legacy from when the Japanese colonized Formosa). We didn't know what to expect, but when it arrived it was much tastier than we had dared to hope! It included rice, a stewed egg, chicken, and some veggies. Unfortunately, the bentos can only be added at the time of ticket purchase, so we weren't able to order more for the ride back! Yum!     Once we debarked the train in Hualien, we made our way to the Shining Forest Hostel. On the way, we stopped for a boba tea- it was the worst boba we've ever had , and the only bad boba we had in Taiwan! Fortunately the hostel did not disappoint- there were so few pe
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Stinky Tofu

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     One of Taiwan's most famous "delicacies" is the aptly-named stinky tofu. Stinky tofu comes in many forms from stewed to deep fried, but in all its iterations, it is tofu that has undergone a lengthy fermentation process which gives it a deep, complex flavor and a BIG smell. One could even say, a stink. This might be our first stinky tofu, from a night market near our apartment     We have a bit of a history with stinky tofu. Karen found some in a supermarket in California, and we tried to cook it for our housemates. Matt was unable to even sit downwind of it, let alone eat any. Karen tried a bite and gracefully declined to eat more. We believe that maybe we didn't prepare it correctly- but our Taiwanese housemate actually really enjoyed it, or claimed to. So when we got to Taipei, we knew we wanted to give it another try, but we weren't sure we'd be able to do it when the time came. This stinky tofu was served at a small sit-down restaurant we ducked into
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