With its cliffside teahouses, steep streets crowded with vendors selling hot food, and the glow of red lanterns, Jiufen, Taiwan seems to live between fantasy and reality
. Today, I say I’m Taiwanese American, though like many others, I often feel like I’m too American to call myself Taiwanese, and too Taiwanese to call myself American.
Visitors walk through misty alleyways by Jiufen’s iconic Amei Tea House, a grand building resembling the bathhouse inMy sister and I felt the cultural divide deepen as we got older, but food brought our family together and created lasting memories. A favorite for my sister and me was classic pearl milk tea from street cart stands and hole-in-the-wall spots. We took trips for ice cream with grandpa.
Along the meandering Old Street, a similarly extravagant spread awaits. Visitors can find fried fish, chewy, handmade sweet potato and taro balls in syrup, Taiwanese sausages on skewers, peanut ice cream rolls, steamed pork dumplings in sweet rice wrapping, and endless noodle soup offerings.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.crowns Jiufen.