"i eat at my market."

© Jcwait | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Ming
Tapei, Taiwan

I met Ming while picking grapes on a small vineyard in Australia's lovely Barossa Valley. She was one of the 4 other young backpackers volunteering on the farm, and I liked her immediately. 
After two days of rain preventing us from picking, we spent this particular night amongst the vines until the sun went down. 
A caravan filled with French backpackers had shown up that morning, asking to work for the day in exchange for a few bottles of the vineyard's wine. Our host, Sabine, agreed, and as the day got longer, she offered them to stay the night and to have some dinner with us.
Ming and I prepared dinner for everybody that night. I believe it was sausages with tomatoes. While we sat in the kitchen together, tired but accomplished, I spoke to her about food.

Patchwork Tablecloth: What are your favourite foods?

Ming: Seafood. But a lot. I eat everything. Seafood is my best one and I like rice. Curry. Desserts! Cookies, chocolate, all fruit.

PT: Do you like to cook at all? What sort of things do you make? 

M: I can cook curry! Curry rice… and I can make very easy cake. Noodles, noodle soup.

PT: What are your favourite holidays or festivals? Do you eat anything special for them?

M: Usually Christmas, but only I celebrate with friends. Chinese New Year;  you cook some traditional food. A child will have a red envelope. Everyone comes back and we will have some gamble; mahjong. It’s traditional. Rice cakes. Fish. A lot of vegetables. And dumplings! Eating dumplings bring a lot of money for the new year. And fish, we will cook fish, but we will not finish the whole fish. You don’t eat the head and tail so you make a lot of money in the year. If you finish it, it means you will have nothing. You must leave the head and tail.

There are three important festivals. Rice dumplings for Dragon Boat Festival; triangle shaped, use a leaf to make it. We put some sticky rice and some mushrooms, egg, meat, and we make and boil it. In Dragon Boat Festival, we will have activities.  Boat on a river and a game; different boats, one flag in a river and all boats race to grab flag. All family will get together. 5 May on lunar calander. 
The other one is 15 August; Mid-Autumn Festival. We will eat mung cake! And pomelo. And barbecue. Every family barbecues. And we will sit outside and see the moon. Family will get together. 
These three are the most important in Taiwan.

PT: What's your favourite vegetable?

M: I think cabbage.

PT: Fruit?

M: Cherry.

PT: What did you eat when you were a little girl? 

M: All fruit and cookies, chocolate, yoghurt. Pudding. Ice cream. Chocolate.

PT: What do you keep in your fridge?

M: Fruit, vegetables, seafood. Milk and yogurt.

PT: Do you dislike any foods?

M: I like everything! 

PT: What is the food like in Taiwan? What do you associate with home?

M: Night markets. Stinky tofu! The smell is not good but it tastes really good. Blood rice cake. Oyster pancake. We will put egg, oyster and some vegetables and put some flour and some sweet sauce or spicy sauce. Very delicious; traditional food in Taiwan. Offal; stomach, heart.

PT: What do you eat for breakfast?

M: Oats. And sandwich. But I usually eat oats at home first and then when I go to the office, on the way, I will buy a sandwich. Tuna.

PT: How about lunch?

M: I always eat lunch box. And sometimes it’s dumpling, sometimes its noodle soup.

PT: What's a typical dinner?

M: Sometimes I eat at home…my mom will cook rice and some vegetables or fried fish….I think similar to lunch. Sometimes I eat outside; noodle soup and lunch box. Snacks. I eat at my market. Or hot pot! 

PT: What do you like to drink?

M: I like water. I don’t like too sweet beverage. Tea; green tea, no sugar!

PT: What's your favourite dessert?

M: Red bean soup.

PT: It's 2 am and you're drunkenly heading home. What are you eating?

M: I eat fried chips! And some fried…we also eat fried…stewed seafood or shrimp and we will drink beer.

PT: What is the most important thing for a person to have in a kitchen?

M: I think a pot.

PT: If you were making dinner for just yourself, what would make?

M: I think just noodle soup for myself…its easy!

PT: What's your favourite combination of flavours? 

M: Avocado with honey! It’s the best one! And you put in the toaster. It’s very very delicious. I like it. It really tastes good. 

PT: What's your favourite ingredient?

M: Seafood!

PT: What is the best thing you've ever eaten?

M: Butter, cheese, lobster. In Taiwan. In a steak restaurant. I think it’s your country’s food.

PT: Do you have any family traditions or recipes?

M: At home, my mother cooks very simple food. Just stews, some vegetables and fried eggs. Fried rice. Chicken soup.

PT: What do you eat in the winter?

M: Hot pot. 

PT: Autumn?

M: Sesame oil noodles.

PT: Summer?

M: Sushi. Mung bean soup. Bamboo shoots with mayonnaise- after being in fridge. Like a salad. Only in summer.

PT: What is your favourite food smell?

M: Baked cheese. Garlic and ginger. Kimchi.

PT: You walk into the party and are delighted to see this on the table:

M: Dessert! Cheesecake…chocolate cake…pudding…ice cream.

PT: What do you like to eat on your pizza?

M: Seafood.

PT: Finally, please share a food-related memory with me.

M: I made cookies; chocolate cookies and coffee cookies. The first time I make coffee cookie and I put too much coffee and everyone eats just maybe two or three piece and they can’t sleep at night! It’s too strong! So everyone can’t sleep! But it smelled really good...but too much coffee.