Pingtung County - A Little Less City (June 11-12, 2024)

DAY 1 - PINGTUNG CITY

While the main streets of Pingtung feel like a city, it feels much more like a town than a city particularly compared to other places we’ve visited. There are fewer rules (scooters going against traffic) and it’s less crowded and a bit more sleepy.

After having a spare rib noodle soup (soy sauce) at the train station, we walked around some markets in classic Tang family fashion. 

Stopping at the night market early, we picked up some candied sweet potatoes! The sweet potatoes were coated in a maltose syrup that added a nice caramel flavor. The slightly molten syrup combined with the soft sweet potato melted in my mouth. Later we tried them cold as recommended by the vendor. After refrigeration, the outside hardens which contrasts with the soft inside. I preferred the warm version while my dad preferred the cold one. 

At another local market, we purchased some fruit, buns 生煎包, and seared fish.

• I had fresh durian for the first time!! In the states, the durian is almost always frozen. Here the outer skin was a bit crunchy like jackfruit but the inside was still creamy. It was sweet towards the end, though the sweetness could have been more aromatic.
• The buns had a good dough as per usual here. Lots of meat inside, I might have preferred the vegetarian one.

Searing and steaming the buns simultaneously

• The seared fish was a steal! A bit salty but balanced out by a generous squeeze of lime.

Then, we headed to the library as recommended by the hotel. It was very modern with the wood interior matching the trees in the surrounding park. Sorry no pictures as I was busy blogging on the computers there. We escaped some afternoon thunderstorms at the library.

Although I have a bit of night market burnout, I’m glad I visited Pintung Night Market. It primarily consisted of brick and mortar shops clustered together and was MUCH LESS crowded than the other night markets that I got tired of. This gave us the opportunity to take our time wandering the market and trying whatever peaked our interest:

• Bitter / winter melon and spare rib soup - along with fried mi fun (rice noodles), this was common at many of the shops. The clean broth provided hydration, replenished electrolytes lost during the day, and opened my appetite.

• Oyster pancake (蚵仔煎) - quite different from the one I had in Taichung which was supposedly in Tainan style. Rice flour crepe with egg, napa cabbage, and oyster meat all covered in a sweet ketchup like (but less pronounced flavor) sauce. A bit of Japanese style, reminds me of okonomayaki with the mix of rice flour, veg, egg, meat covered with a slightly sweet sauce. The rice flour crepe was slightly chewy but smooth and succulent, similar to the texture of soft-scrambled eggs but thinner. This texture blended well with the texture of the filling and sauce. The oysters were soft, not over cooked and tasted like the sea, while the napa added some herbacious freshness. Delicious!!!

• Zucchini and scallop skewer - dusted with a little bit of chili powder, scallops were well cooked (not rubbery at all) and the sweetness of the zucchini complemented the sweetness of the scallop
• Lamb skewer - not too lean, not too fatty, juicy, slightly sweet glaze brushed on the outside
• Chicken heart skewer - slightly spicy, decent though not particularly memorable

Pick your own skewer

• Goose intestine - reminds me of white tripe in texture except a bit crisper, covered in sesame dressing and served with wasabi, interestingly Japanese style

DAY 2 DONGGANG

The main reason why we came to Pingtung was for the fresh fish market. Instead of going to Huqiao Fish Market, we stumbled upon a pier where fisherman unloaded their wares. There were at least 50 huge bluefin tuna that passed through the pier during the two hours we were there. 

I watched the tuna be unloaded, auctioned, butchered, and sold before it landed in my mouth. Observing this normally unseen part of the supply chain was thought provoking. 

First, the fisherman. There were signs from an employment agency advertising to boat captains that they had workers from Vietnam, Philippines, and North Korea available. Why these nationalities? Because fishing is back breaking and dangerous work. You could be caught in a storm or thrown overboard (much more dangerous in the large ocean than on the Charles River). You have to haul nets and heavy fish, if you’re lucky enough to catch the fish. Because of the poverty of many boat members and because the ocean is like the Wild West where laws are only a suggestion, there is a power imbalance between the workers and the captain. Many victims of human trafficking are forced to work on fishing boats. Even if they are not trafficked, they might be abused (https://www.theoutlawocean.com/reporting/how-the-mystery-of-a-massacre-at-sea-ultimately-led-to-a-conviction/ - captain shooting crew members to death). 

Second, the sheer number of tuna caught. The fish are huge, taking decades to grow to that size. And then we simply lift them out of the ocean, putting a delicately balanced ecosystem at risk. Japan has already fished almost all of their tuna. Taiwan and the rest of the world could be next. Lobsters used to be so plentiful in New England that they were fed to prisoners (too much lobster for dinner was actually cruel and unusual punishment). Now, they are a rare commodity. Why are these crazes / cultural values so unsustainable?

Third, the breaking down of the tuna. It takes multiple people to break down this huge fish. It’s back breaking work as well. Towards the end of processing the tuna, a crowd of people would surround the fish the examine the loin. Their eyes gleamed like they were looking at gold (one fish probably costs ~10,000 USD). Then the various parts would be bagged and loaded onto trucks for further distribution. The value of the meat further entrenches unsustainable practices.

Despite the atrocities of the fish industry, this experience allowed me to appreciate the hard work that goes behind putting food on the table - for both the workers families and my family. This along with the fact that one piece of tuna belly sashimi probably costs $10 in the US (vs $1 here without all the middlemen) helped me savor the tuna. Combined with some wasabi and soy sauce, the marbled fat melted aromatically in my mouth. 

Both the food and the opportunity to observe the processing of the tuna are experiences to be treasured.