The first thing that needs to be noted about Tanhou is that it is far more than just a restaurant. In fact, people passing by are likely to mistake it for a posh or gourmet supermarket. The large establishment consists of a bakery, a dry goods market, a frozen meat and fish section, a shabu-shabu counter and a coffee, juice and snack counter on the ground floor. The area for formal dining is in the basement. What makes Tanhou stand out from other places that offer healthy and natural foods is that this location is the retail face of a huge natural and organic foods production enterprise that includes its own fishery, pig and chicken rearing operations, and organic farm.
“Natural” and “organic” are words that are bandied about rather willy-nilly in this health-conscious age, and CEO Liu Tien-ho (劉天和) is careful not to make excessive claims for the food he sells. The fish and meat are “natural,” reared without the aid of growth hormones and antibiotics. It is only the vegetables that are strictly “organic.” The restaurant serves food prepared exclusively from Tanhou’s agricultural operation and affiliated farms, and as Tanhou has, until recently, primarily been involved in export, its products conform to a slew of international certifications including HACCP, one of the most stringent food safety assurance standards. Even the herbs used in the cooking are grown on Tanhou farms.
The restaurant, which had its soft opening last week, offers set menus (NT$480 to NT$880) designed to show off the quality of the foods on sale upstairs. Currently the menu favors very simple preparations. A salad of nuts and raw vegetables with an almost invisible vinaigrette impressed with the sweetness of the individual elements — the slices of red onion were so flavorful they could have been enjoyed unaccompanied. A portion of sashimi hit home with the delicacy of its flavors and the use of freshly ground wasabi. The oysters in a mixed appetizer were the most succulent local oysters that I have tasted in Taiwan, though the addition of a richly flavored sauce was an unfortunate distraction. While part of Tanhou’s appeal must certainly lie in the guarantee it offers regarding all of its ingredients, the food itself is competently prepared and staff is helpful in explaining each dish as it arrives. A good range of French and Californian wines is also available. And for those in a hurry, there is a selection of lunch boxes including pork and egg fried rice (海藻豬油蛋炒飯便當, NT$80) and steamed fish (鮮物魚片便當, NT$150). Vegetarian menus are also available.
The bakery upstairs is a must-visit for anyone interested in good bread, with some of the best white bread on offer in the city, as well as excellent brioches, baguettes and a selection of fancy breads. This is proper Western-style bread, sold at reasonable prices, with no fluffy pork in sight. The dry goods area features both local and imported organic goods, ranging from fruit preserves, condiments and rice to environmentally friendly household cleaning products.
Dec. 16 to Dec. 22 Growing up in the 1930s, Huang Lin Yu-feng (黃林玉鳳) often used the “fragrance machine” at Ximen Market (西門市場) so that she could go shopping while smelling nice. The contraption, about the size of a photo booth, sprayed perfume for a coin or two and was one of the trendy bazaar’s cutting-edge features. Known today as the Red House (西門紅樓), the market also boasted the coldest fridges, and offered delivery service late into the night during peak summer hours. The most fashionable goods from Japan, Europe and the US were found here, and it buzzed with activity
During the Japanese colonial era, remote mountain villages were almost exclusively populated by indigenous residents. Deep in the mountains of Chiayi County, however, was a settlement of Hakka families who braved the harsh living conditions and relative isolation to eke out a living processing camphor. As the industry declined, the village’s homes and offices were abandoned one by one, leaving us with a glimpse of a lifestyle that no longer exists. Even today, it takes between four and six hours to walk in to Baisyue Village (白雪村), and the village is so far up in the Chiayi mountains that it’s actually
These days, CJ Chen (陳崇仁) can be found driving a taxi in and around Hualien. As a way to earn a living, it’s not his first choice. He’d rather be taking tourists to the region’s attractions, but after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the region on April 3, demand for driver-guides collapsed. In the eight months since the quake, the number of overseas tourists visiting Hualien has declined by “at least 90 percent, because most of them come for Taroko Gorge, not for the east coast or the East Longitudinal Valley,” he says. Chen estimates the drop in domestic sightseers after the
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, speaking at the Reagan Defense Forum last week, said the US is confident it can defeat the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Pacific, though its advantage is shrinking. Paparo warned that the PRC might launch a “war of necessity” even if it thinks it could not win, a wise observation. As I write, the PRC is carrying out naval and air exercises off its coast that are aimed at Taiwan and other nations threatened by PRC expansionism. A local defense official said that China’s military activity on Monday formed two “walls” east
RSS