The author followed locals’ recommendations in her search for iconic foods from across Taiwan, and then drew over two hundred of them using colored pencils and kraft paper. Come on a Taiwanese food tour guided by the author’s to-the-point, witty writing and fabulous illustrations!
The “copper coin” street foods Taiwanese are so proud of mean affordable prices and deliciousness that has no substitute. This book features street foods from towns and villages across Taiwan enjoyed at different times of day. In the warm strokes of colored pencil, it depicts the nostalgic foods beloved by Taiwanese people.
Readers are first introduced to Taiwanese food culture, which is characterized by an array of affordable options for dining out, the availability of local ingredients from land and sea, and the influence of multiple cuisines introduced under different political regimes. For each topic, the author includes illustrations of representative foods, extending the taste experience to visual enjoyment and allowing readers to understand the examples in the text at a glance.
The book’s main content, organized by county and city, describes local specialties and explains the history and culture of each place. Taoyuan, for example, became home to the soldiers evacuated from Yunnan and the Thai-Myanmar border in the early 1960s, resulting in the local popularity of unique dishes such as Yunnan rice noodles; Chiayi turkey rice, a famous dish that has won over tourists and locals alike, is in fact historically connected to the US military stationed in the area after World War II; and Taiwan’s famous “oyster omelette” supposedly originates from the early Qing dynasty, created from local ingredients as the solution to a food crisis caused by Koxinga’s war with the Dutch. The foods in the book are arranged by type, a systematic presentation of Taiwan’s food culture heritage that takes readers on a nostalgic taste trip full of flavor.
After many years living abroad, artist Leslie Wang finally returned to her native Taiwan. Combining her especial skill in colored pencil with travel and dining, she has created drawings of the local foods most recommended by locals during her food tour around the island.