Today is my last day in Taiwan… there are so many mixed emotions. I want to move on, but at the same time, I want to stay… and at the same time, I really want something to capture my memories here and keep them with me for always.
Writing has always been my most natural way of capturing the moment… however imperfect it is. While walking around, I carry a little pocket sized book with me to note down my observations… then I wait a while, a few days after I have left… and I revisit my notes. I let the experience sink in. Sometimes, while we are in the middle of living an experience, we are not fully sure how we feel about it or we are still processing exactly what it is that we are learning. And then… I write. I write and write and write.
But this time, I want to do something extra. I have many passions (as you will come to see) and one of them is food. Everywhere I go, there always seems to be a lot of food to enjoy, and each meal tastes as good as the moment in which you’re eating it. Food is of great comfort to me… in fact, when I am missing home, the first thing I turn to are my Mum and Dad’s recipes.
I brought a little brown paper book with me… full of blank pages… for my friends (or myself) to write down an easy recipe that I can take with me on my travels to remind me of the time we spent together. The best souvenir is an edible one… as I write, my friend is writing one of her own recipes in my book. I am looking forward to trying it out later this year.
Food is a love language, at least it always has been in my family. It is a gift, a daily ritual, an antidote to life’s problems. It is not only a form of nourishment, but it also tells a story – sometimes the collective story of a country, culture or region… sometimes the story of family, friends, or lovers… sometimes the story of a individual alone.
It’s also a way of expression… in many countries, I cannot speak the language so well (or at all). But if I am willing to try something that someone has put their heart and soul into cooking, or maybe something that they always used to eat growing up… I can convey this message: I want to know about you, I am interested. And I have found in life, that people find this more valuable than anything money could ever buy.
I definitely tried a lot of new things in Taipei this time… surprisingly many things that I had never tried in the two times I visited before. My friend has provided me with her recipe for braised pork, also called Red Pork or Dongpo Pork (there is a historical story behind this dish, of course, from the Song Dynasty). I’m grateful that she took the time to share it with me. Now, I’m able to take the love with which she cooks this dish, and share it in some small way with people from all around the world.
This kind of moment is really what life is about, right? The beauty of travel, the joy of friendship and the love of food: something that really can bring us all together.
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