A Taste of Taiwan: Street snacks

Taiwan is often known as the whale of the Pacific Ocean off the southeastern coast of China. Taiwan has developed from many cultures like Chinese, European, Japanese, and American. With many diverse cultures, Taiwan combines both modern and traditional ways from celebrating Chinese New Year to having basketball and baseball as a favorite past-time sports. Their food also reflects diversity with many influences especially from Japan and China to make lots of savory and quick dishes. Food is one of the most important things they value, so don't ever be afraid to try the food, but make sure you have an idea of what your ordering. During the day, many street vendors sell many interesting snack foods such as tea eggs, which have a salty taste due to being soaked in soy sauce and tea, betel-nuts that are sold by women dressed in lingerie to attract more customers. Other items include dried squid, sugarcane, and the famous stinky tofu. Stinky tofu has a very foul smell that reminds people of a sewer, which is from the fermented vegetables. These vegetables get this smell by being packed with tofu into a container that is left alone for about 6 months. After 6 months, the tofu is rinsed and aged overnight to be deep-fried, steamed, or eaten raw. It's an acquired taste that most visitors will either hate or enjoy when first trying it and will taste better with chili or garlic sauce. Here's the recipe to make your own Taiwanese snack food:

Tea Eggs

Ingredients

6 eggs
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tea bag
4 pieces star anise
2 strips of dried mandarin peel(optional)
1 teaspoon of cracked peppercorn(optional)

Place unshelled eggs in saucepan of cold water--
water level should be at least 4 cm(1-1/2") higher than eggs.
Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove the eggs. With a knife, tap each egg slightly to crack
the shells in two or three places. Return to saucepan.
Add other ingredients and stir. Cover and simmer for
2 hours, adding water as necessary.
Drain and serve hot or cold. Enjoy!

sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan,
http://www.eatingchina.com/articles/taiwanfood.html