Located near the intersection of Xinyi Road (信義路) and Fuxing South Road (復興南路), Rong Rong Yuan (浙寧榮榮園) is one of Taipei’s most popular Zhejiang cuisine restaurants.
Rong Rong Yuan’s signature dish is braised spare ribs (烤排骨, NT$400), which is wrapped in tin foil and slow-cooked. The process ensures that the meat is succulent and so tender that it slips off the bone. Make sure to order plenty of guangbing (光餅) to stuff the pork into. The savory, flaky buns are covered with crunchy sesame seeds and soak up the rich, smoky-tasting gravy.
Ningbo cuisine’s emphasis on fresh seafood is reflected by Rong Rong Yuan’s expansive menu, which features an aquarium of creatures including crabs, scallops, eel, fish, and 15 shrimp dishes. Overwhelmed by the selection, I asked a waitress for a recommendation. She suggested tilefish (馬頭魚, or “horse-head fish” in Mandarin) with stir-fried tofu, which was not on the menu (price varies by season and weight). Like the braised spare ribs, the fish had a mellow and sweet flavor, but the dish was enhanced with a mound of chopped scallion and cloves of garlic that had been cooked until buttery in texture. The slices of tofu were firm but silky and worked very well with the delicate taste of the fish.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Our waitress also suggested the sauteed pea shoots and bamboo (清炒豆苗冬筍, NT$268) and stinky tofu (臭豆腐, NT$120). Rong Rong Yuan’s version of the odorous classic is fermented using a special technique for extra pungency and served with plenty of diced chili peppers. The vegetables were light, but surprisingly delicious for such a basic dish. The pea shoots were a good palate cleanser after our flavorful entrees.
Our complimentary dessert consisted of fried yuanxiao, or balls made of glutinous rice flour and stuffed with sweet black sesame paste, deep-fried and then coated with a light sprinkling of peanut powder.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
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
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
The Taipei Times last week reported that the Control Yuan said it had been “left with no choice” but to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the constitutionality of the central government budget, which left it without a budget. Lost in the outrage over the cuts to defense and to the Constitutional Court were the cuts to the Control Yuan, whose operating budget was slashed by 96 percent. It is unable even to pay its utility bills, and in the press conference it convened on the issue, said that its department directors were paying out of pocket for gasoline
On March 13 President William Lai (賴清德) gave a national security speech noting the 20th year since the passing of China’s Anti-Secession Law (反分裂國家法) in March 2005 that laid the legal groundwork for an invasion of Taiwan. That law, and other subsequent ones, are merely political theater created by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to have something to point to so they can claim “we have to do it, it is the law.” The president’s speech was somber and said: “By its actions, China already satisfies the definition of a ‘foreign hostile force’ as provided in the Anti-Infiltration Act, which unlike
RSS