Today sees the beginning of another of Taiwan's celebrations of food in all its manifestations. The event, which runs until June 25, is centered on the decidedly not very sexy Taipei International Food Show, an annual event of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council. This is primarily aimed at facilitating contact between local and international business interests, but this year, the event has been expanded to include a variety of programs that greatly increase the event's accessibility to the general public.
Kicking off the show today is The Taste of Taiwan Cuisine -- An Exquisite Feast, which features many of Taiwan's top hotels. During the course of the Taiwan Food Celebration, they will be offering special menus. A list of the 16 participating hotels, the menus they will offer and the special event related discounts can be found at www.taipeitradeshows.com.tw/foodcelebration/download/rest_e.pdf.
This will be a chance for various hotels to show off their best, most notably with the Ambassador Hotel offering a selection of what it describes as New Szuchuan Cuisine, while the Sherwood has decided to showcase black truffles at its Toscana Italian restaurant. Conspicuous by its absence in this Taste of Taiwan Cuisine is Taiwanese cuisine, which is only featured at a couple of the participating hotels.
Staring on Wednesday, the Taipei International Food Show will commence, in conjunction with Taiwan Food Tech, the last word in the technology of food production, packaging and distribution. While the? food show and Food Tech are primarily aimed at the business community, they will be open to the general public on the last two days (23 and 24). Entry is NT$300, and is open 9am to 5pm. Tickets will be sold until 3pm.
Moreover, there will be a food celebration outside the World Trade Center Exhibition Hall One, that will be open on all four days, and will give people a chance to sample a wide range of local regional dishes. These will be sold as from regular hawker stalls, but according to organizers, the vendors have been rigorously selected to ensure high quality and variety. Moreover, as many of the foods featured will come from all over Taiwan, it is a chance to conduct a culinary tour of the island without ever leaving Taipei. There is a total of 55 stalls to choose from, and they will operate 10:30am to 9pm Wednesday, noon to 9pm Thursday and Friday, and 11:30am to 9pm Saturday.
While foodies will find much to interest them at the show, the publication of the A Gourmet Guide for Taiwan is certainly a much anticipated event. The book, which is scheduled for publication next week, aims to be the ultimate good food guide, regardless of nationality, that can be found in Taiwan. Detailed information about the show can be found at www.TaipeiTradeShows.com.tw/foodcelebration.
RSS