Netflix debuted a TV show called “Street Food”. They went all over Asia to find iconic and signature local street foods. The show not only highlighted the foods itself, but they also focused on the human aspect and the craftsmanship of the food they made. The street food vendors in the Taiwan episode spoke in Taiwanese in the entirety of the episode, which brings me back to Taiwan for sure.
Episode five featured Taiwanese street food, they picked the “fish head soup” and “goat stew”, which are not the types of food people usually think of when they think of Taiwanese street food, that impressed me very much! I’m from the Capital of Taiwan, Taipei. While I was living in Taiwan I barely left the city and haven’t been to any other cities in Taiwan. It’s kind of ironic that I started paying attention and finding out how beautiful Taiwan is and learning more about my culture in past two years while I’m living in the United States. Chiayi was the city Netflix visited in Taiwan, It was an outstanding choice, because it’s an unusual pick, kind of like picking something off of the secret menu of a restaurant.
“Fish head soup”
Grace Lin, is the second generation owner of the famous fish head soup stall “Smart Fish” in Chiayi, Taiwan. The story line started when she wasn’t proud of being a child whose family owns a fish head soup stall, because her classmates gave her the nickname fish head when she was in elementary school. She left her hometown for Taipei for college, she thought she would stay in Taipei and start her career there. Eventually she realized that her parents are getting older and the legacy of their signature fish head soup will disappear if she didn’t keep the restaurant going.
“Goat stew”
The owner of the goat stew stall who people affectionately call uncle goat, has been mastering his goat stew recipe his whole life. Making this goat stew takes a lot of work, first he digs a hole and buries the pot into the earth, then smokes it for three days and nights. The smoke is very bad for his lungs, but he still wants to keep cooking it until he can’t anymore. He doesn’t want his son to continue his business, because he doesn’t want the smoke cause damage to his lungs.
These two stories show the spirit of Taiwanese people, the relationship between two generations. The experience Grace Lin has been through, the struggle she has felt, that’s how my generation feels. It’s the difference between us and our parents, the craftsmanship and hardwork, the persistence of good quality, the love of our family and our hometown, are the highlights from this show.