For more than half a century, since it moved from Chengdu, Szechuan Province to Taipei, Chili House has been considered the most authentic place for Szechuan cuisine. It is a favorite of Taipei's gourmets and mainlanders who miss their hometown flavor.
It is also known for its very reasonable prices. Frequent guests include politicians John Chang (
You really can't say that you have been to Chili House if you haven't tried their trademark wontons in red chili oil (
PHOTO: YU SEN-LUN, TAIPEI TIMES
In fact, wonton in red oil is such a common snack that it is widely available in night markets. But the way it tastes at Chili House makes the dish stand out and makes Japanese tourists come all the way to taste the NT$55 dish.
Fragrant, spicy and hot are major tastes of Szechuan food. The secret lies in chili, pepper and the unique Szechuan pepper (
For variation, there are wontons in hot and sour oil (
Kung-pao chicken (
Other recommendations include sauteed eggplant with frog in chili sauce (
Not long into Mistress Dispeller, a quietly jaw-dropping new documentary from director Elizabeth Lo, the film’s eponymous character lays out her thesis for ridding marriages of troublesome extra lovers. “When someone becomes a mistress,” she says, “it’s because they feel they don’t deserve complete love. She’s the one who needs our help the most.” Wang Zhenxi, a mistress dispeller based in north-central China’s Henan province, is one of a growing number of self-styled professionals who earn a living by intervening in people’s marriages — to “dispel” them of intruders. “I was looking for a love story set in China,” says Lo,
It was on his honeymoon in Kuala Lumpur, looking out of his hotel window at the silvery points of the world’s tallest twin skyscrapers, that Frank decided it was time to become taller. He had recently confessed to his new wife how much his height had bothered him since he was a teenager. As a man dedicated to self-improvement, Frank wanted to take action. He picked up the phone, called a clinic in Turkey that specializes in leg lengthening surgery — and made a booking. “I had a lot of second thoughts — at the end of the day, someone’s going
In the next few months tough decisions will need to be made by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and their pan-blue allies in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It will reveal just how real their alliance is with actual power at stake. Party founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) faced these tough questions, which we explored in part one of this series, “Ko Wen-je, the KMT’s prickly ally,” (Aug. 16, page 12). Ko was open to cooperation, but on his terms. He openly fretted about being “swallowed up” by the KMT, and was keenly aware of the experience of the People’s First Party
Standing on top of a small mountain, Kim Seung-ho gazes out over an expanse of paddy fields glowing in their autumn gold, the ripening grains swaying gently in the wind. In the distance, North Korea stretches beyond the horizon. “It’s so peaceful,” says the director of the DMZ Ecology Research Institute. “Over there, it used to be an artillery range, but since they stopped firing, the nature has become so beautiful.” The land before him is the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, a strip of land that runs across the Korean peninsula, dividing North and South Korea roughly along the 38th parallel north. This