One day in 2013, I accidentally found myself homeless. Realizing I didn't need to return to one place, I embarked on a journey to discover the most delicious things. The delicious foods scattered around the world must have some secret secret beyond the skill of the maker. I wanted to share these delicious experiences with my friends. And so, through this unexpected turn of events, YOU BOX was born. YOU BOX, which began as a small, one-person operation, has now become a team, and its rugged journey continues as ever. This time, our destination is Southern Taiwan!
>Click here for the first part.
Although it's often hard to tell the difference to foreigners, Taiwan is home to a diverse ethnic population. The current majority of the population is of Southern Min (with a gate and insects), but they migrated from Fujian to Taiwan, driving the Aborigines, who currently make up about 5% of the population, into the mountains and settling along the west coast, where the land is ideal for farming. Later, a group called the Hakka came from Guangdong and began to develop uncharted areas, such as the mountains, where the Southern Min (with a gate and insects) were not present. Having taken root in the mountains and mastered the wisdom to survive in lean seasons and years, the Hakka are strong and skilled cooks, and it's often said that Hakka pickles and other preserved and dried foods are the tastiest. This time, we visited Chung Huang Xi-mei, 85, who was born and raised in Pingtung, where the majority of the population is Hakka.
She's still active, growing her own basic vegetables like water spinach, potato vines, and loofah.
And even now, in a kitchen that's disproportionately tall for her body, she stirs a pot so big it looks like she could fit inside it. My late husband loved the meals my grandmother cooked, and he particularly liked the dishes made with pineapple and bean paste, a seasoning made by my grandmother that was homemade by her. This time, he picked some potato vines from the field and fried them to make "stir-fried local cucumber with pineapple and bean paste." Although Xi Mei has lived through times when the land was burned to the ground and when there was little to offer, she laughs and says, "Working in the fields is hard, but it's also fun. I go to the fields every day, talk to God, and have tea with my friends. It's the same thing every day, but God is watching over me, so I've been able to live so long." Talking with her, who laughs about how enjoying these days of nothing is precisely because she lived through times when the land was burned to the ground and when there was nothing to offer, makes me think that the world is incredibly peaceful right now. Perhaps it's our own way of being that creates peace.
Pineapples are one of Taiwan's famous products, and when I came across a pineapple vinegar at Breeze Market, where my friend works, I was so shocked by how delicious it was, I decided to visit the fields a few days later to find out where it was made. We rented a car and sped down the treacherous highway, where cars and obstacles come flying in from all directions, then drove steadily up the mountain roads, heading a little further into the mountains from the Mino area, towards a place called Sugirin, which was a little further into the mountains and starting to get a little more unsettling. Mr. Chen greeted us and we got into the back of the truck and headed further up the mountain, where he showed us a veritable treasure trove, saying, "This is coffee, and this is turmeric and southern ginger. There's also xiang tao and cinnamon. And we also have wild honeybees."
Vinegar and alcohol are made from these wild grapes, which have a Ghibli-like appearance, as if covered in spore-like substances.
After our great adventure, we arrived at Chen's pineapple orchard, where adorable pineapple heads were popping up all over the place. We sliced them up and tried them on the spot, and they were so rich, sweet, and juicy that it was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted! In years when the harvest was bountiful, we left them to steep for a year with homemade sugar to make vinegar. Even if the exact same amount of ingredients are used and pickled in the same way, the result may sometimes be vinegar and other times enzymes, depending on the climate and conditions of the year.
At the age of 14, Chen used all the money he earned to buy his farm, which sits atop a beautiful mountain.
"At the age of 30, I started suffering from headaches every day, which prompted me to stop using pesticides, and over the course of 10 years, I converted my 12 hectares of land into an entirely organic farm." Although his yields have dropped dramatically and it takes more effort, Chen continues, his health is paramount. "Food has incredible energy. When you come into contact with it, your body responds, and you want to express it in your own words, right? I believe that's the truth." I learned that Chen was the driving force behind Kaohsiung Breeze Market's current state, and that the healthy community is due to his vegetables and fruits, which are so full of vitality that just eating them seems to give you energy, and the personality of the person who produces them. Witnessing firsthand how one person can produce food of such precious deliciousness and brighten the lives of those around them, I felt a push in my back to realize that I too can do more, and embarked on this great adventure.
>Click here for the first part.
Meet Hakka
Although it's often hard to tell the difference to foreigners, Taiwan is home to a diverse ethnic population. The current majority of the population is of Southern Min (with a gate and insects), but they migrated from Fujian to Taiwan, driving the Aborigines, who currently make up about 5% of the population, into the mountains and settling along the west coast, where the land is ideal for farming. Later, a group called the Hakka came from Guangdong and began to develop uncharted areas, such as the mountains, where the Southern Min (with a gate and insects) were not present. Having taken root in the mountains and mastered the wisdom to survive in lean seasons and years, the Hakka are strong and skilled cooks, and it's often said that Hakka pickles and other preserved and dried foods are the tastiest. This time, we visited Chung Huang Xi-mei, 85, who was born and raised in Pingtung, where the majority of the population is Hakka.
She's still active, growing her own basic vegetables like water spinach, potato vines, and loofah.And even now, in a kitchen that's disproportionately tall for her body, she stirs a pot so big it looks like she could fit inside it. My late husband loved the meals my grandmother cooked, and he particularly liked the dishes made with pineapple and bean paste, a seasoning made by my grandmother that was homemade by her. This time, he picked some potato vines from the field and fried them to make "stir-fried local cucumber with pineapple and bean paste." Although Xi Mei has lived through times when the land was burned to the ground and when there was little to offer, she laughs and says, "Working in the fields is hard, but it's also fun. I go to the fields every day, talk to God, and have tea with my friends. It's the same thing every day, but God is watching over me, so I've been able to live so long." Talking with her, who laughs about how enjoying these days of nothing is precisely because she lived through times when the land was burned to the ground and when there was nothing to offer, makes me think that the world is incredibly peaceful right now. Perhaps it's our own way of being that creates peace.
Chasing amazing pineapple
Pineapples are one of Taiwan's famous products, and when I came across a pineapple vinegar at Breeze Market, where my friend works, I was so shocked by how delicious it was, I decided to visit the fields a few days later to find out where it was made. We rented a car and sped down the treacherous highway, where cars and obstacles come flying in from all directions, then drove steadily up the mountain roads, heading a little further into the mountains from the Mino area, towards a place called Sugirin, which was a little further into the mountains and starting to get a little more unsettling. Mr. Chen greeted us and we got into the back of the truck and headed further up the mountain, where he showed us a veritable treasure trove, saying, "This is coffee, and this is turmeric and southern ginger. There's also xiang tao and cinnamon. And we also have wild honeybees."
Vinegar and alcohol are made from these wild grapes, which have a Ghibli-like appearance, as if covered in spore-like substances.After our great adventure, we arrived at Chen's pineapple orchard, where adorable pineapple heads were popping up all over the place. We sliced them up and tried them on the spot, and they were so rich, sweet, and juicy that it was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted! In years when the harvest was bountiful, we left them to steep for a year with homemade sugar to make vinegar. Even if the exact same amount of ingredients are used and pickled in the same way, the result may sometimes be vinegar and other times enzymes, depending on the climate and conditions of the year.
At the age of 14, Chen used all the money he earned to buy his farm, which sits atop a beautiful mountain."At the age of 30, I started suffering from headaches every day, which prompted me to stop using pesticides, and over the course of 10 years, I converted my 12 hectares of land into an entirely organic farm." Although his yields have dropped dramatically and it takes more effort, Chen continues, his health is paramount. "Food has incredible energy. When you come into contact with it, your body responds, and you want to express it in your own words, right? I believe that's the truth." I learned that Chen was the driving force behind Kaohsiung Breeze Market's current state, and that the healthy community is due to his vegetables and fruits, which are so full of vitality that just eating them seems to give you energy, and the personality of the person who produces them. Witnessing firsthand how one person can produce food of such precious deliciousness and brighten the lives of those around them, I felt a push in my back to realize that I too can do more, and embarked on this great adventure.
