The first thing that needs to be noted about Tanhou is that it is far more than just a restaurant. In fact, people passing by are likely to mistake it for a posh or gourmet supermarket. The large establishment consists of a bakery, a dry goods market, a frozen meat and fish section, a shabu-shabu counter and a coffee, juice and snack counter on the ground floor. The area for formal dining is in the basement. What makes Tanhou stand out from other places that offer healthy and natural foods is that this location is the retail face of a huge natural and organic foods production enterprise that includes its own fishery, pig and chicken rearing operations, and organic farm.
“Natural” and “organic” are words that are bandied about rather willy-nilly in this health-conscious age, and CEO Liu Tien-ho (劉天和) is careful not to make excessive claims for the food he sells. The fish and meat are “natural,” reared without the aid of growth hormones and antibiotics. It is only the vegetables that are strictly “organic.” The restaurant serves food prepared exclusively from Tanhou’s agricultural operation and affiliated farms, and as Tanhou has, until recently, primarily been involved in export, its products conform to a slew of international certifications including HACCP, one of the most stringent food safety assurance standards. Even the herbs used in the cooking are grown on Tanhou farms.
The restaurant, which had its soft opening last week, offers set menus (NT$480 to NT$880) designed to show off the quality of the foods on sale upstairs. Currently the menu favors very simple preparations. A salad of nuts and raw vegetables with an almost invisible vinaigrette impressed with the sweetness of the individual elements — the slices of red onion were so flavorful they could have been enjoyed unaccompanied. A portion of sashimi hit home with the delicacy of its flavors and the use of freshly ground wasabi. The oysters in a mixed appetizer were the most succulent local oysters that I have tasted in Taiwan, though the addition of a richly flavored sauce was an unfortunate distraction. While part of Tanhou’s appeal must certainly lie in the guarantee it offers regarding all of its ingredients, the food itself is competently prepared and staff is helpful in explaining each dish as it arrives. A good range of French and Californian wines is also available. And for those in a hurry, there is a selection of lunch boxes including pork and egg fried rice (海藻豬油蛋炒飯便當, NT$80) and steamed fish (鮮物魚片便當, NT$150). Vegetarian menus are also available.
The bakery upstairs is a must-visit for anyone interested in good bread, with some of the best white bread on offer in the city, as well as excellent brioches, baguettes and a selection of fancy breads. This is proper Western-style bread, sold at reasonable prices, with no fluffy pork in sight. The dry goods area features both local and imported organic goods, ranging from fruit preserves, condiments and rice to environmentally friendly household cleaning products.
The Taipei Times last week reported that the rising share of seniors in the population is reshaping the nation’s housing markets. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, about 850,000 residences were occupied by elderly people in the first quarter, including 655,000 that housed only one resident. H&B Realty chief researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨), quoted in the article, said that there is rising demand for elderly-friendly housing, including units with elevators, barrier-free layouts and proximity to healthcare services. Hsu and others cited in the article highlighted the changing family residential dynamics, as children no longer live with parents,
It is jarring how differently Taiwan’s politics is portrayed in the international press compared to the local Chinese-language press. Viewed from abroad, Taiwan is seen as a geopolitical hotspot, or “The Most Dangerous Place on Earth,” as the Economist once blazoned across their cover. Meanwhile, tasked with facing down those existential threats, Taiwan’s leaders are dying their hair pink. These include former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), among others. They are demonstrating what big fans they are of South Korean K-pop sensations Blackpink ahead of their concerts this weekend in Kaohsiung.
Taiwan is one of the world’s greatest per-capita consumers of seafood. Whereas the average human is thought to eat around 20kg of seafood per year, each Taiwanese gets through 27kg to 35kg of ocean delicacies annually, depending on which source you find most credible. Given the ubiquity of dishes like oyster omelet (蚵仔煎) and milkfish soup (虱目魚湯), the higher estimate may well be correct. By global standards, let alone local consumption patterns, I’m not much of a seafood fan. It’s not just a matter of taste, although that’s part of it. What I’ve read about the environmental impact of the
Oct 20 to Oct 26 After a day of fighting, the Japanese Army’s Second Division was resting when a curious delegation of two Scotsmen and 19 Taiwanese approached their camp. It was Oct. 20, 1895, and the troops had reached Taiye Village (太爺庄) in today’s Hunei District (湖內), Kaohsiung, just 10km away from their final target of Tainan. Led by Presbyterian missionaries Thomas Barclay and Duncan Ferguson, the group informed the Japanese that resistance leader Liu Yung-fu (劉永福) had fled to China the previous night, leaving his Black Flag Army fighters behind and the city in chaos. On behalf of the
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