Imagine fresh leis, tropical music, swaying hips, potted palm trees, video shots of pristine beaches and awesome waves, then add a long glass of the mocktail passion paradise and a meal dubbed "Hawaii: Allure from the Middle Pacific."
It can all be found at the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei which is holding a promotional event that shines a light on the cuisine and culture of the group of islands in the Pacific famed for grass skirts, colorful shirts and a dated detective show.
To help get you in the mood the first floor of the hotel has been transformed into a faux volcanic island paradise, complete with tropical flowers and singing birds, or rather eight young ladies from Hawaii who entertain diners with their hula dances at intervals during the day. Performance times for the dances are 2:15pm to 3pm, 4pm to 4:45pm, 7pm to 7:45pm and 8:45pm to 9:30pm.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
As for the food, it's as good as you might expect from a team of chefs brought in from the Four Seasons Resort Hualailai. All the ingredients for the dishes have also been flown in specially, so you get the authentic flavors of Hawaii, from the lauau (taro) leaf that is used to wrap one of the meat dishes, to the royal silver fish that is seared with limu kohu vinaigrette.
The set menu starter was luau. It was vaguely reminiscent of Thailand's tom kha gai without the lemon grass and is made from coconut milk, Maui onion, chicken and arugula. This was a good opener, but I was not so impressed with the Hawaiian fish, tomato and onion puree dish that came after, the pupuli martini. Maybe it was the lighting, but it looked purple and was obviously an acquired taste because few people on my table finished their servings.
Order was restored for the rest of the meal with a fine mauka of tenderloin and pineapple, macadamia nuts and olehu berries. It's always hard to find fault with a fresh fish as the main course and the set menu ended on another high note with a passion fruit and sweet milk shaved ice. Perfect food for a hot day. As to the ideal drink, choose from a list that includes mocktails such as kiwi encounter, mexapolitan and healthliner.
According to sous chef Ellis Victor Chong from the Four Seasons in Hawaii, food on the islands is special because there are so many ingredients that are only found there. He added the high quality of the constituents was also a factor.
"What we have prepared is a sample of what can be found on the islands. It is simple, cultural and light. A balance of tastes. It's fresh fish from the sea, vegetables and herbs from the gardens."
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had