The Differences Between American and Taiwanese Food Culture

After visiting Taiwan in 2011, software developer Kevin Wolkober fell in love, and after a few years of visits, moved there full time. He combined his app creation skills with everything he was learning about Taiwanese food to build an educational app, Eat Drink Taiwan. 

Eat Drink Taiwan offers a curated discovery and education experience around Taiwanese cuisine in Taiwan. The goal is to show foreigners what Taiwanese cuisine is, and help them find some of the best representations of the rich food culture. In our conversation, Kevin breaks down some of his favorite Taiwanese dishes into levels of adventurousness, from familiar dishes like braised pork rice and gua bao (steamed pork buns) to "stinky tofu" (delicious fermented tofu with pickled vegetables) to pigs' blood cake (a street food delicacy including soy broth and sticky rice).

And what are the major differences between American and Taiwanese food culture?

1. Taiwanese cuisine is heavier on rice and noodles as opposed to bread, although there are bakeries.

2. Because of Taiwan's island environment, the fruit is incredibly fresh and flavorful as compared to fruit in America.

3. Meat preparations tend to encompass use of the whole animal through various dishes, whether it's pork, beef, or chicken.

4. A big part of Taiwanese food culture is the popular night market culture, in which large markets in cities throughout Taiwan sell street food at various tables, sometimes until 2 a.m.

You can check out the app Eat Drink Taiwan on iTunes or Google Play.

Images courtesy of Kevin Wolkober.