One day in 2013, I accidentally became homeless and realized that I didn't need to return to one place, so I started a journey to "discover the most delicious food." The most delicious food scattered around the world must have some secret to it, not just the taste that comes from the skill of the maker. And I wanted to share the delicious food I came across with my amazing friends. From this unexpected turn of events, YOU BOX was born. YOU BOX, which was run by a single person on a small scale, has now become a team, and is still as down-to-earth and adventurous as ever. So, where should we go this time?
Customers gathered from all over Taiwan
This time, it was "YOU BOX from Georgia's" first overseas event! The venue was Kaohsiung, a port city in the south of Taiwan, which was actually my fourth visit. I've been friends with my fellow foodie friends here for about four years now. We talked about how "it would be great to one day create a movement that transcends borders," and this was our first joint event with these passionate friends who travel back and forth between Tokyo and Kaohsiung. The event centers around Nato and Trista, a warm-hearted couple who effortlessly wear matching outfits and run the "Chill Chill Kaohsiung Project," a project themed around the 24 solar terms and food while also running a guesthouse. Wilson and Trista (also with the same name) run the wildly popular Kaohsiung restaurant "Gien Jia." This event, which has been in the works for months, was a collaboration between Chef Kojima of the YOU BOX team and the Gien Jia team, who skillfully incorporate traditional Taiwanese seasonings into Western cuisine to create unique dishes. Combining elements of Georgian cuisine with traditional Taiwanese seasonings and ingredients, the team created vibrant dishes unlike anything they'd ever seen before. It was new, yet somehow nostalgic. Despite the unusual nature of a Japanese person speaking about Georgia in Taiwan, the excellent food captivated foodies who traveled from Taipei, Tainan, and Japan to attend.
Delicious and beautiful dishes appear one after another!
With his healthy tanned skin and the physique of a rugby player, Wilson often says, “I’m a Pingtung guy.” He sounds so proud, so we headed to his hometown of Pingtung to find out what it’s like. Although it's only about a two-hour drive from Kaohsiung, Nato and Trista joke, "Pingtung is like an uncharted territory, even for us (city folks)—it's full of mysteries!" (laughs) In Pingtung, we met Wilson's friend, Bill, who runs an organic farm. "There aren't many varieties right now," he said, showing us the farm. Chef Kojima was engrossed in the flowers (and butterflies fluttered around him), while Trista and I became absorbed in picking and munching on strange edible weeds...
In keeping with his philosophy of "the important friends of friends who are like family are also like family," Bill showed us various places. One of them was this chic restaurant with an outdoor kitchen and garden. When you travel to the countryside, you often meet cheerful, bright people who make you believe there are no bad people in the world, and the owner of this restaurant, Ms. Huang Yingmei, is one such example.
The snack known as "taro rice crackers" is made by adding ground pork, cherry shrimp, and fried shallots to a dough made from rice flour, water, and taro, seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, and steaming it. It's salty and similar to rice, but the sugar gives it a sweet-like texture, making it an all-purpose dish that can be eaten at any time. There are two types, white and green, and the green one is mixed with tafengcao (a type of grass) grown in the fields behind the house. Tafengcao, a species native to southern Taiwan, is an ancient form of Chinese medicine known for promoting blood circulation. It seems to have fallen out of use recently due to its unique aroma and bitter taste, but it is said to be eaten by women after childbirth and those suffering from serious illness to restore their "chi" and warm the body.
Sweet potato rice crackers and authentic coffee from the countryside
"Well, shall we have coffee?" asked Ms. Huang. Thinking that they weren't serving tea, I entered the shop where her husband was, only to be surprised by the authentic espresso machine. As I sipped the delicious latte she had skillfully prepared for me, I asked her, "What's this?" with a look on my face like a monkey suddenly introduced to civilization. It turns out her daughter had studied abroad in Italy. With other children also in the US, it seemed like a fairly global home. It seems this kind of child is raised by a mother with such a demure demeanor. When I see my neighbor sipping a latte while looking out at the pond in their garden, it would be rude of me to comment that maybe tea would go better with sweet potato rice crackers than coffee.
Click here for the sequel, "A journey to discover Taiwan's most delicious delicacies! Ingenious preserved foods and innovative pineapple vinegar [YOU BOX in Taiwan -- 2/2]"
YOU BOX from Georgia in Kaohsiung!
Customers gathered from all over TaiwanThis time, it was "YOU BOX from Georgia's" first overseas event! The venue was Kaohsiung, a port city in the south of Taiwan, which was actually my fourth visit. I've been friends with my fellow foodie friends here for about four years now. We talked about how "it would be great to one day create a movement that transcends borders," and this was our first joint event with these passionate friends who travel back and forth between Tokyo and Kaohsiung. The event centers around Nato and Trista, a warm-hearted couple who effortlessly wear matching outfits and run the "Chill Chill Kaohsiung Project," a project themed around the 24 solar terms and food while also running a guesthouse. Wilson and Trista (also with the same name) run the wildly popular Kaohsiung restaurant "Gien Jia." This event, which has been in the works for months, was a collaboration between Chef Kojima of the YOU BOX team and the Gien Jia team, who skillfully incorporate traditional Taiwanese seasonings into Western cuisine to create unique dishes. Combining elements of Georgian cuisine with traditional Taiwanese seasonings and ingredients, the team created vibrant dishes unlike anything they'd ever seen before. It was new, yet somehow nostalgic. Despite the unusual nature of a Japanese person speaking about Georgia in Taiwan, the excellent food captivated foodies who traveled from Taipei, Tainan, and Japan to attend.
Delicious and beautiful dishes appear one after another!Because we are “Pingtung guy”
With his healthy tanned skin and the physique of a rugby player, Wilson often says, “I’m a Pingtung guy.” He sounds so proud, so we headed to his hometown of Pingtung to find out what it’s like. Although it's only about a two-hour drive from Kaohsiung, Nato and Trista joke, "Pingtung is like an uncharted territory, even for us (city folks)—it's full of mysteries!" (laughs) In Pingtung, we met Wilson's friend, Bill, who runs an organic farm. "There aren't many varieties right now," he said, showing us the farm. Chef Kojima was engrossed in the flowers (and butterflies fluttered around him), while Trista and I became absorbed in picking and munching on strange edible weeds...
In keeping with his philosophy of "the important friends of friends who are like family are also like family," Bill showed us various places. One of them was this chic restaurant with an outdoor kitchen and garden. When you travel to the countryside, you often meet cheerful, bright people who make you believe there are no bad people in the world, and the owner of this restaurant, Ms. Huang Yingmei, is one such example.
The snack known as "taro rice crackers" is made by adding ground pork, cherry shrimp, and fried shallots to a dough made from rice flour, water, and taro, seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, and steaming it. It's salty and similar to rice, but the sugar gives it a sweet-like texture, making it an all-purpose dish that can be eaten at any time. There are two types, white and green, and the green one is mixed with tafengcao (a type of grass) grown in the fields behind the house. Tafengcao, a species native to southern Taiwan, is an ancient form of Chinese medicine known for promoting blood circulation. It seems to have fallen out of use recently due to its unique aroma and bitter taste, but it is said to be eaten by women after childbirth and those suffering from serious illness to restore their "chi" and warm the body.
Sweet potato rice crackers and authentic coffee from the countryside"Well, shall we have coffee?" asked Ms. Huang. Thinking that they weren't serving tea, I entered the shop where her husband was, only to be surprised by the authentic espresso machine. As I sipped the delicious latte she had skillfully prepared for me, I asked her, "What's this?" with a look on my face like a monkey suddenly introduced to civilization. It turns out her daughter had studied abroad in Italy. With other children also in the US, it seemed like a fairly global home. It seems this kind of child is raised by a mother with such a demure demeanor. When I see my neighbor sipping a latte while looking out at the pond in their garden, it would be rude of me to comment that maybe tea would go better with sweet potato rice crackers than coffee.
Click here for the sequel, "A journey to discover Taiwan's most delicious delicacies! Ingenious preserved foods and innovative pineapple vinegar [YOU BOX in Taiwan -- 2/2]"
