The old Wanda (丸大食堂) was a no-frills hole-in-the-wall that was one of few options for low-priced sushi near Shida night market. The new Wanda is sleekly remodeled and twice the size of the old restaurant, but the menu and prices remain the same.
While Wanda’s old interior was cramped, the new Wanda is spacious and swank, with deep brown leather chairs and dark wood tables set off by birch partitions. The new sushi bar, which is lit up like a small stage at the back of the restaurant, is a distinct improvement over the old model, which was little more than a glorified freezer with a bar wrapped around it.
The best items on Wanda’s sushi and sashimi menu are its hand rolls. The tastiest is the shrimp and asparagus hand roll (蘆筍蝦手捲, NT$70), which nestles the two main ingredients with crisp shredded lettuce and mayonnaise in a cone of seaweed. The salmon roe roll (鮭魚卵手捲, NT$80) is a richer option, with a large scoopful of the gleaming roe perched on soft sushi rice. Wanda’s salads are also good, even if the portions are disappointingly small for the price. The best of the bunch is the shrimp and apple salad (鮮蝦水果沙拉, NT$180), which is served on a bed of peppery watercress and lettuce.
Wanda’s chirashi (生魚片蓋飯, NT$170), with sashimi layered on top of a bowl of rice sprinkled with flakes of salty-sweet furikake, offers good value for sushi lovers. Its sushi and sashimi combos, however, are hit and miss. The combination sashimi platter (綜合生魚片, NT$280) is composed of tuna, amberjack and salmon sashimi and a fresh prawn prettily arranged on a bed of crushed ice and garnished with a paper umbrella. Unfortunately, the dish did not live up to its presentation. The tuna pieces were limp and separating into segments, but otherwise appeared and tasted fine. The floppy and somewhat lifeless slices of salmon were more tedious to get through. The amberjack slices were also mediocre, though the prawn was delicious.
While the sashimi platter did not pass muster, the sushi combo (綜合壽司, NT$160) was downright disappointing.
Though its decor is more upscale, Wanda still serves sushi rolls with a layer of saran wrap around them, which has the effect of compacting and hardening the rice and giving diners with the impression that the sushi is not freshly made. The combination’s California roll would have been fine if it weren’t for a large dollop of overwhelmingly sweet mayonnaise sauce, while the roll with shredded dried pork, cucumber, egg and pickled radish was also lackluster. The sweet inari, or tofu skin, nigiri was okay, probably because it had mercifully escaped the cling wrap.
Wanda’s menu also includes hot dishes including a large selection of grilled fish, as well as Japanese favorites such as pork cutlets on sweet, coconut milk curry (咖哩豬排飯, NT$130).
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
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
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