2. Quarantine Part 2: Freedom to Eat and Sweat in Equal Measure

After 15 days of solid quarantine, I’m out!

Okay, so R&R aside, I did get a little tired of my hotel room by about Day 11 or 12. But I held out for my allotted two-ish weeks and made it through my first Fulbright milestone! The next step is the seven-day Self-Health Management, during which travelers can relocate to their home or a different hotel. We can go outside to buy groceries and essentials but have to avoid crowded areas like public transit and shopping malls, and mainly, people in general. Mask-wearing in public is required at all times, although that’s the general rule for everyone under a Level 2 lockdown, anyway. Oh and we have to log every time we go outside as well as our body temperature twice a day.

For logistical reasons, I couldn’t move directly to my more permanent apartment in Douliu City for my SHM so instead I stayed in Huwei, a different city in Yunlin County. For a place described as a “small town,” Huwei has a hopping street scene! Countless food stands, restaurants, and stores line both sides of the road as cars and scooters whizz by, and the air is full of shouts, car honks, and cooking oil sizzles. After two weeks inside, I’m relishing walking down the street and exploring the maze of pathways and food options. I will note that sidewalks are few and far between so my walks involve a lot of squeezing around parked vehicles and dodging eager motorists.

A glimpse of Huwei's typical traffic

My favorite parts of the day are mealtimes where I can leave my temporary apartment and hunt down some food. Something you should know about me: I am a die-hard foodie, a definite live-to-eat kind of gal. And Taiwanese food (plus East Asian food in general) is my FAVORITE. It’s funny; some of Fulbright’s Taiwanese staffers kept warning me that I should eat a lot of “American” food (read: burgers, pizza, etc) before I came because I would miss it in Taiwan. LOLLLL my diet was already 90% East Asian food, so y’all are hilarious. But I digress.

Since the quantity and variety of food is overwhelming, my strategy over the past few days has been to walk around and spot where the locals are lining up, figuring they’ll know best where to find quality food. My first night, I stopped at a stand selling 紅燒牛肉麵 or beef noodle soup, a Taiwanese classic. Due to the stand’s popularity, I waited for almost half an hour but oh was it worth it! Another night I grabbed 韭菜水餃 or pork and leek steamed dumplings. 😊

But the best meal of the day is breakfast. Yes, I am that insufferable morning person; you can blame my dad for passing that gene down to me. I’m most alert in the morning and breakfast is by far my favorite meal, especially in this corner of the world. Word of advice: if you ever find yourself in East Asia, even if you’re not a morning person, force yourself out of bed and go eat breakfast at a street market. You will thank me later. [1] Not only is the food nourishing and delicious, you may also get the chance to explore local produce markets and buy some fresh fruits, veggies, or pastries to start off your day right.

Top row, from left: beef noodle soup, dumplings, and roast duck cakes

Bottom row, from left: breakfast scallion pancake, braised pig feet, and minced pork on rice

One fine morning, I woke up with a mission. My Taipei relatives had sent me an article listing a bunch of good Huwei dishes. At the end of the list was something called 碳烤鴨蛋糕 which basically translates to “Roast Duck Cakes.” Something else you should know about me: I am obsessed with duck. You can blame my mom for that; some teens get sweet 16 parties, but on my 16th birthday, she introduced me to Peking Duck and since then, well, all the ducks better run for cover. Anyway, of course I had to check out this roast duck cake stand, even more so because the article mentioned that they frequently sell out. Sure enough, when I arrived at around 8:30 am, a line quickly formed behind me. The duck cakes turned out to be like spherical fluffy pancakes or pieces of egg waffle. I wasn’t sure why they were called “roast duck cakes” until I asked my relatives and they told me that the batter is made with duck egg yolks instead of chicken. Fancy! Oh and apparently they only make them in Huwei, so good thing I grabbed some!

That same day, I grabbed another classic Taiwanese breakfast: 培根抓餅加蛋, which is a scallion pancake wrapped around fried egg and bacon. Pairing that with my duck cakes and a cup of iced 紅茶 or black tea, I made my way back to my apartment beaming with excitement…and also drenched in sweat.

You see, that’s the other thing about exploring Taiwanese street markets: it’s HOT outside. And you may say, well no duh, Olivia; Taiwan is a tropical island. But hear me out. While I have been to Taiwan before and am fully aware of its weather intellectually, I think the two weeks in an air-conditioned hotel room made me forget about the heat and humidity’s unrelenting strength. It’s mid-October and still I’ll be drenched in sweat within minutes of walking outside. It’s still worth it to get that amazing food and explore the neighborhood. But the feeling of sweat dripping into your mask and down your legs and back does make you think twice about dashing across the street for a mini grocery run.

Still, I'd hardly trade my hometown's much cooler autumn weather for how alive I feel right now. There are very few pastimes I love more than walking through an active street market, seeing local residents proudly display their intricately-designed crafts, carefully-harvested produce, or painstakingly-reproduced meals. In fact, for this reason, I've often been sad that the US has so few outdoor markets in comparison. But bring me to a Taiwanese street market, with the air thick with the smell of steaming bao buns, the sounds of local chatter, and the sight of dozens of tiny food stands, and I'm on cloud nine. I don't even have to consume everything myself; just the knowledge that, on a whim, I could walk down the street to pick up pig feet on rice or pop by the convenience store to buy guava juice brings a smile to my face and my heart.

In other words, bring on the heat, Taiwan! Well, okay, maybe not your worst heatwave, but these 89°F/feels like 96°F days are manageable, I guess. As long as there's a lively street market or scrumptious meal awaiting, I am ready to sweat buckets and harbor few regrets about the journey.

Moment of Joy/Humor: October 10 was Taiwan's National Day so the Huwei residents set off lots of firecrackers throughout the day. The timings were fairly random so they did startle the daylights out of me a few times. But while picking up dinner, I spotted some lovely fireworks near the main street. Even though I've seen dozens of fireworks shows, they never get old.

[1] Taiwan’s typical street breakfasts include: 飯糰 (rice rolls wrapped around fried dough, egg, and meat floss) 蛋餅 or 抓餅 egg crepes or scallion pancakes rapped around various fillings, 土司 (toast covered in sweet or savory toppings) 漢堡 (kind of like American breakfast sandwiches) 米粥 (rice congee) and many others. Is your mouth watering yet?