4ever Discovering
Feasting at the Liuhe Night Market
My Biggest Mistake: Not Coming on an Empty Stomach
Like almost every city in Taiwan, Kaohsiung had several night markets to stroll through and try different food. If you’re ever looking for nightlife here, always know most people can be found at any local night market. Even if it’s called a ‘tourist’ market, there will always be locals there as well, enjoying the delicious foods and atmosphere. When we arrived in Kaohsiung on a Friday night, we all decided it was best to explore the night market closest to our hostel and grab some food. Regrettably, Emily and I picked up some dumplings after school for the train ride, so I was not very hungry (I also had ice cream at the train station..oops). Mental note for next time: ALWAYS be prepared to eat at any night market, no matter how full you are. Save room to try new dishes; you will always get lured in by the delicious smell.
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Just across the Love River, the Liuhe Night Market was about a 5 minute drive from our hostel. Again, squishing 5 people in a cab is a cheap ride when it is split. To treat ourselves for the long weekend, we were thinking about convenience, rather than saving a few bucks. Our taxi driver dropped us off right at the market, and to our surprise, it wasn’t that crowded. When Emily and I go to night markets in Taipei, you need to walk with your elbows out to make it anywhere. Here, I could see two feet in front of me, and didn’t have to join a herd of sheep making their way to the food stands. Now, I don’t know how busy Liuhe is on a Friday night, but I was not complaining. We were even able to sit down to eat our food! I am so used to eating while walking, I was taken aback when I could sit and enjoy my food.
As my usual night market routine goes, I spend all of my time and money following the delicious smells and trying new dishes. The big difference from the Liuhe night market than the ones in Taipei, are the choices of food. Because Kaohsiung is on the coast, they have a lot of seafood to try. I know, pinch me; I think I’m in heaven. Never have I walked down a street and seen so much fresh seafood, readily available at my fingertips. Even though I wasn’t super hungry, I dug deep and made room to try some new food. If you try really hard, you’d be surprised at the extra room in your stomach! Here are some of the DELICIOUS foods I tried at the Liuhe night market:
1. Giant Garlic Prawns: This was the first food stand I saw when I walked down the street, and was quickly amazed. It’s funny how when you see something that looks so good, your mind tells you it’s okay to stuff yourself to the max. These were the biggest prawns I have ever seen, and it was only half of one! For $350 NT (about $15), you can choose a prawn filled with fresh garlic, and the workers will cook it up for you. The secret to eating at a night market is to always go with someone to share different dishes. The more you share, the more you can try different foods without eating the entire portion to yourself. In this case, Mitch and I shared one of these prawns, and it did not disappoint. There were some parts of the shrimp where we had to crack open the shell to get the meat (just like crabfest at the Mandarin, only without the tools). When they fried the prawn up, they added caramelized onions which made it even tastier! I would definitely order one of these again (and maybe even to myself next time!) I love shrimp, garlic, and onions. It was the perfect meal for me; I kept having to remind myself this was only the first stand in the market. We were off to a great start!
2. Crab Cheese Rolls: These just sound delicious. They didn’t really have to convince me to try one of them. The stand had different types of seafood: crab, squid, and shrimp. Again, it’s like the perfect trifecta of seafood. I decided to try a crab roll because I just had shrimp, and I knew squid was easy to find. It looked like a giant mozza stick, but tasted even better. After it was deep-fried, it was served to us with onions and honey mustard drizzled on top. We had the choice of sauce, and honey mustard seemed like the better option than mayonnaise. I split this crab cheese roll with Dani and Rebecca, so we all got about two pieces each (the man cut it up for us). It tasted like an appetizer from Costco and was definitely put into my good books. Maybe because it was still the holiday season and food was on my mind, I found everything delicious. But let’s be honest, when do I not love to eat?
3. Charcoal Pork-Filled Buns: After my first two dishes, I was feeling pretty full. I told myself I wasn’t going to eat anymore, but then I saw this sesame bun being cooked around a charcoal burner. I was intrigued, so naturally, I walked over and was sold on trying one. I split the pork bun option and was not disappointed. Caution: these buns are extremely hot, especially when they are taken off the burner. Like a little kid who couldn’t wait to eat, I didn’t wait for the bun to cool down and burnt the roof of my mouth. But it didn’t matter because it was so good, I continued to eat it. It was crunchy because of the way it is cooked, and had a little kick to it. By the end of the bun, all I could taste was black pepper flavour, and it was spicy! I thought my spice tolerance was improving, but some days it is like taking one step forward, and two steps back.
4. Banana Crepe Sundae: I know, I know, I was already so stuffed, but needed to have dessert! I passed by this stand twice before finally deciding to try it. It had a long line-up, so naturally it was worth the wait. Oh boy, was it ever! They slabbed a big spoonful of butter on the skillet and started to fry up our tortilla shell for a banana sundae! Like any other sundae, it was topped with chocolate, condensed milk, banana slices …. and an egg. I thought this was a little strange, and to put it point blank, I would order it without the egg next time. It’s like they were trying to make you think this was a healthy choice by adding a little protein. But if you’re eating something like this sundae, you need to go all in! There is no time to make healthy food choices when you are trying to experience the culture of a new country (that’s what I keep telling myself anyway). This banana sundae put me over the top, and when it was devoured in about 3 minutes, I was ready to fall into my food coma. It was an unanimous decision to head back to the hostel to sleep off our food babies and get some shut eye for a big day ahead of us.
I honestly don’t know what I will do when I come back to Canada and not have any night markets to go to. The only street food I eat at home is when I get some street meat before a Jays game. I have grown so used to eating from street vendors, I will be going through culture shock when I get home and have to sit down to eat a full meal. I’m sure you’ve read enough about Emily and my trips to the night markets to last you a lifetime! But just know, there are still lots of new foods to try and lots of more markets to explore! We are only halfway through this journey; buckle up friends.