As we left JianTan station, we followed the crowd to the Shilin Night Market. Within minutes, we found ourselves moving through a sea of locals in a brightly lit corridor with street food vendors and shops lining the streets. With an abundance of mouthwatering foods and shops galore, you won’t find a bigger night market in Taipei than Shilin.
Food, food everywhere…
Walking through the night market, the only thing louder than the shouting vendors was the sound of my stomach growling. Everywhere we looked, we found different street vendors serving up local specialties. I felt like a guest in a real-time cooking show as vendors sautéd, fried and grilled up fresh meats and veggies all around.
…and, we gave in!
We quickly gave in to an order fried eggs with shrimp. Why did we stop here first? Just take a look at this chef frying up fresh eggs loaded with fresh vegetables and seafood. Mmmm!
Served up hot at fresh at Zhong Cheng Zao, this omelet dish was simply called fried eggs with shrimp. Much to my surprise, they mix potato starch in with the omelet to create a sweet flavor along with a somewhat gelatinous texture. It sounds strange as I describe it, but you’ll have to take my word on this one. This omelet was awesome!
Stinky tofu actually stinks.
As we continued our sojourn, my nostrils caught a whiff of what smelled like wet socks in a fryer. What is that awful smell? Glancing toward the pungent odor, I saw a dish that I knew I just had to try. Love or or hate it, that dish was stinky tofu. Let me just say in advance that this dish isn’t for everyone. If you’re a good sport, however, you should probably try the stinky tofu.
Served with garlic and kimchi, this stinky tofu dish certainly looked good. The smell, however, left something to be desired. I held my breath and dug in. Crispy skin gave way to a warm, soft and and slightly crumbly interior.
While I loved the texture of the tofu, the mild fermented soy flavor didn’t particularly appeal to my taste buds. It wasn’t bad, per se. Given the choice, I’d take regular fried tofu over stinky tofu any day.
Shilin has fun and games.
With a few local delicacies now under our belt, we explored shops, entertainment and local culture. We certainly weren’t surprised by the number of clothing and jewelry sellers. With salespeople trying every tactic in the book to capture the attention of the masses, you really can’t miss these shops. We even saw a vendor with an adorable puppy modeling the merchandise!
From basketball toss to bottle lifting, we delighted in the discovery of many carnival games. Some games were clearly more popular than others. While no one appeared to be interested in basketball toss, bottle lifting game operator appeared to be making money hand over fist!
After an eventful evening at Shilin Night Market, we headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we would hit up our next night market–Tonghua!
