Continuing my food series from Taiwan with a walk through the Huangshi Traditional Morning Market near Banqiao in New Taipei City. Picturing Taipei City and New Taipei City as a giant doughnut can help picture the area geographically. New Taipei is the doughnut, Taipei the doughnut hole. New Taipei is really the largest city in Taiwan with a population over 4.5 million making it one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Getting a little ways away from Taipei proper and into these corners of Northern Taiwan definitely can give you a more rounded perspective of the people, food, and culture of the region. *Buddhists* and Garlic, Onions etc. First off to answer someone’s question as to why some Buddhists refrain from eating garlic and onions, actually there are a total of 5 pungent roots that some Buddhists do not eat, garlic, onion, chives, green onions, and leeks. It’s believed that uncooked they cause distemper, cooked they act as an
John Saboe
12/27/2020
