Tasting Taiwan

Food can be such an important part of travelling abroad. Before I worked for Goway, I once heard a tour leader say that you can almost mess up any part of a person’s travels but as long as you get the food right, you are golden. His words, not mine but there is probably a shred of truth to that. Experiencing the culinary delicacies of other cultures is a huge part of travel. When the food is bad though, it’s often the first thing you remember.

Two weeks ago in Vancouver, along with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Goway Travel hosted an evening celebrating and showcasing the tastes of Taiwan. The event was a huge success and we catered to a sold out audience at the Hyatt Regency’s Mosaic Grill.

Also on deck for the event was the Mosaic’s in-house executive chef, Thomas Heinrich who recently travelled to Taiwan to learn some of the secrets of what the country had to offer in terms of cuisine. The details of his trip, along with other celebrity chefs were filmed for an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary called Taste Taiwan airing in February.

Guests of the event were welcomed to sample many of the dishes that have made Taiwan famous as a world-class culinary destination.

During the event, I spoke of my own recent experience travelling to Taiwan where I was part of a delegation of North American travel operators. When I landed in Taipei, I found I was the only non-Taiwanese born delegate in the group. What made this trip so memorable for me was that the rest of the group really took me under their wing and I swear, were bound and determined to ensure that I tried every delicacy the country had to offer. I was pulled down alleyways and through night markets, introduced to some of the best restaurants in Taiwan just so that I could try each of their favourite dishes. The experience was incredible. How many times have many of us arrived in a destination and found ourselves overwhelmed by all of the choices. On this journey, it was like I had 5 of my very own surrogate tour leaders showing me the way and ensuring that I tried all of the best.

The experience made me think, wouldn’t it be great if we could offer this kind of adventure to all of our globetrotting clients and out of that, Goway’s new Taste of Taiwan was born. This tour offers travellers a chance to see all of the highlights of Taiwan but from the angle that speaks to the gourmand. Try some favourites like “Stinky Tofu,” “bubble milk tea,” “Coffin Bread,” “Oyster Vermicelli,” “Steamed Dumplings,” and of course “Pineapple Cake, “ to name just a few.

Goway offers a wide range of travel ideas to Taiwan. For a complete list, visit our Taiwan pages on Goway.com or call one of our experts at 1 888 469 2988.