Street Food – Episode 5 “Chiayi, Taiwan” Recap & Review

Chiayi, Taiwan

Moving across to Taiwan, Street Food returns for a more traditional Taiwanese slice of food. This amazing city turns into a delightful twilight paradise thanks to its thriving night market. Given the changing pace of the city and the threat it poses to ancestral recipes, various chefs across the region look to innovative and preserve their culinary treats.

 Third generation chef Grace Chia Hui Lin, is one of those looking to do just that. Talented and determined to make bold changes to preserve the family recipe, through innovation and modern sensibility their fish head soup has become famous and with it, helped keep her family’s heritage going through the years.

Meanwhile, Uncle Goat created a giant oven cave in which he cooks goat stew with a blend of heady and hearty expertise. Unfortunately, this comes at a great cost at the family’s health, as the intense heat and ash required to cook this stew has caused havoc on their health.

Given the popularity of the night market, complete with over 300 stalls in total, one stands out among the crowd. Magistrate Liu’s is one of the oldest and best, with a rich cultural history and a desire to cook with a mix of enthusiasm and humour.

The episode then ends with a look at one of the oldest faces around the night market. Unlike the other chefs in the episode, Tsui-Eh has been cooking for over 60 years and her Tofu pudding, also known as D’ouhua, is regarded as one of the best. While others innovate or look to change, Tsui-Eh is a defiant icon, determined to maintain her traditional ways.

This Taiwanese flavoured episode is a really interesting one, both educationally and also socially. It’s a great commentary on the globalization of our times whilst offering a thought provoking look at what that means in our fast-changing world. Coupled with the great cinematography and interesting look at Taiwan’s night market, Street Food boasts another really strong episode in its line-up.