Hsu Chia-Peng

A: In the morning, I drink a glass of enzyme drink. Because of work, I eat more at lunch and dinner, so I don’t usually eat breakfast. Partly, this is to regulate my body’s pH balance (I really love eating meat). As for dietary control, I eat two meals a day; if I don’t control myself, the occupational impact would be quite serious. (Haha)

A: Liyuan Trading Company, a café near Dongmen, has a very quiet atmosphere, excellent audio equipment, and pour-over coffee. I sometimes bring my laptop there to write. Their pour-over coffee is quite special: you can tell them what kind of mouthfeel you prefer, and they will customize the blend and pour-over based on the roasting level and flavor of the coffee beans. I personally love citrus notes.

A:

1. Yi Wan Noodles was opened in collaboration with friends. Besides work, we also come here for private gatherings with friends. I recommend that everyone order the “Perfect Pair of Pig’s Feet Noodles.” I personally love eating pig’s feet so much that I developed this dish. The pig’s feet are made with selected ingredients from female black-haired pigs to avoid any porky odor. I hope guests can “enjoy this bowl of noodles thoroughly and eat well.”

Fan Page:www.facebook.com/YIWANMIAN2018/

2. 1852 Steakhouse is renowned for its American New York strip steak, prepared using a unique aging technique that results in a crisp exterior and tender interior, overturning my impression of New York strip as chewy and lacking in rich, juicy flavor. The appetizers, side dishes, and desserts also amazed me. The chef uses elements that are very “Taiwanese” in everyone’s memory to create another style of Taiwanese cuisine. So far, almost no other steakhouse chef has incorporated Taiwanese flavors into steakhouse dishes, yet the result feels entirely natural.

Fan page:www.facebook.com/Zhan1852/

A: Watching TV dramas and playing video games, such as Candy Crush and Super Mario, are activities that help me relax and not think about anything while I’m doing them. I like watching Chinese historical and palace dramas, paying attention to the cinematography and details of the costumes, as well as the key features of the attire from each dynasty and the differences from real history. I get curious and search online.

A: Take a photo first, then look at the presentation and smell the aroma.

A: It is really difficult to comment from an objective perspective, as everyone experiences flavors differently. Because of the nature of my work, I have tried a wider variety of foods and visited more restaurants, so I make judgments based on an average standard. For example, with bubble tea, after trying bubble tea from ten different brands, you will probably develop a sense of experience that tells you the expected range for the texture of the pearls and the ratio of black tea to milk. There are some dishes that I have truly tasted for the first time; at that moment, I would not comment on whether they taste good or bad. I can only describe them based on my own impressions. Food reviews require trying many different flavors and ingredients to build a database in your mind. The same applies to every profession; it takes time and accumulated experience.

A: Don’t be afraid of life! Taiwan’s first female French cuisine chef, Li Yu-jun. Women in the food and beverage industry are more likely to face discrimination in the kitchen, so pursuing this path is very difficult!

Chef Li bravely forged her own path in life. Even when she could not communicate in the local language, she traveled alone to a foreign country to learn culinary arts, often putting herself in difficult situations. The many things she had no choice but to face helped her grow. At the age of 30, Chef Li founded PapaMio Italian Kitchen, one of Taichung’s best-known Italian restaurants. At 37, she founded Le Mout, a French restaurant. Throughout her life, she has maintained a willingness to learn and a sense of curiosity, and she is uncompromising in her approach to cooking—even paying meticulous attention to the plates and tableware she uses. Chef Li comes from an ordinary background, but her courage and hard work enabled her to create a different life. Her story is truly inspiring, and I think her book is well worth reading.

A: Taroko Gorge in Hualien. I originally loved traveling to China because it has so many majestic mountains and rivers, but later I discovered that Taroko’s stunning mountain and river scenery is in no way inferior to China’s.

Taroko National Parkhttps://www.taroko.gov.tw/

A: I have stayed at quite a few star-rated hotels, and their layouts are generally more or less the same. When you open the room door, the bathroom is on the right, and after walking through a short corridor, you reach the bed. This type of layout is fairly traditional and, to me, not particularly novel. Therefore, I look forward to room layouts that differ from the usual traditional design. I also pay attention to the convenience of power outlets and the small details in the design.

A: I was immediately drawn to the building’s all-white exterior at first sight, and white is also one of my favorite colors. For a hotel with people coming and going, white is difficult to maintain, which made me even more curious! The bathroom at Hotelday+ was spacious and bright. As a tall person, I appreciated that the bathtub at Hotelday+ gave my legs room to stretch. Although the bed looked quite ordinary, it was actually very comfortable to sleep in. As for breakfast, there was a wide variety of options. I had initially assumed it would be served as a set meal, so considering the hotel’s scale, I found it very commendable that it offered a self-service buffet.

Eleven years ago, a colleague from the newspaper stayed there. After hearing about their experience, I highly recommended it. I was particularly impressed by Hotel Proverbs Taipei back then and had always wanted to stay there, but I never expected it would take me this long (laughs).