"Free-range" rats fattened on fields of sugar cane are not lip-smackingly succulent, but they're tasty in a decent sauce. Ants have a bitter taste and will never be a mouthwatering main meal - even if they do regulate the immune system, keep black hair from going gray and reduce blood sugar levels.
For the average Westerner, stepping outside the comfort zone when dining in Taipei is easy to do, whether its slurping stinky tofu at the night market, or nibbling on chicken claws at KTV. However, the adventurous will head to a nondescript village called Hsiching (西井), in Chiayi County (嘉義縣), and a restaurant called Ho-la that's been open over 56 years.
"It was common in the old days to eat rodents in the countryside," according to owner Lin Ming-chih (林銘志). Other sources of meat weren't available and rat was a palatable source of protein. Locals used to bring their own when his father started the restaurant, Lin said. His son now works in the kitchen.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
Ho-la, which has room on two floors for over 130 diners, is famous in Japan and China. Business is so good there are six other copycat restaurants nearby. Large photographs on the wall show off the signature dishes, which include different kinds of grubs, crickets, chicken gonads, scorpions, bees, freshwater turtles, worms and sparrows. Sushi, deer and frog are also available but seem tame by comparison.
Going as a group is best since you can try more. Our rat was cooked in the "three cups" style and passed the "eight-year-old test," which meant the young girl in our party ate it with relish. It was sweet, had rabbit colored flesh and everyone agreed it was tender. Over 6,000 black ants were sacrificed for the omelet and this came with sesame seeds and dried shrimp to counter the acidic taste. We also had a flavorsome betel nut and chicken soup and the owner served up an excellent marinated pigskin with bitter gourd, on the house.
Lin travels the globe in search of novel edible delights and recipes to cook them. He has to import many of the delicacies on the menu. Apparently, local ants are not as tasty as China's black ants. Even the worms are a special variety. No endangered species are served up, Lin said.
"For me, these foods are not strange. In fact it's strange that people think they are strange. After all, food is what you can eat and what is good for you. Most people are boring when it comes to food."
Address: 578 Hsiching Village, Lutsao Township, Chiayi County (嘉義縣鹿草鄉西井村578號)
Telephone: (05) 375-0660/(05) 375-0756
Open: From 11am to 9pm
Average meal: Main meal around NT$1,800 for a group of six
Details: Visit www.ho-la.com.tw
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
On Monday morning, in quick succession, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) released statements announcing “that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) have invited KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to lead a delegation on a visit to the mainland” as the KMT’s press release worded it. The KMT’s press release added “Chairwoman Cheng expressed her gratitude for the invitation and has gladly accepted it.” Beijing’s official Xinhua news release described Song Tao (宋濤), head of the Taiwan Work Office of the CCP Central Committee, as
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
Last week saw Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), receive a 17-year sentence for crimes involving political corruption. This was only the opening round: the case is likely to drag on for several more years in appeals. Both the TPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are claiming that the prosecutors are engaging in a political witch hunt, green terror, fascism and so forth. It is easy to see this as a kind of compensation. After all, otherwise they would have to admit that the rather impressive collection of evidence against Ko actually
RSS