Shilin Night Market in Taiwan!

Now that New York is over, it's time for Taiwan!  Over the summer, I (Cathy) went to Taiwan with my family (without Jocelyn, how heartbreaking...)  But I ate enough for the two of us (not in the pregnant way haha), and I can't wait to share all the food with Jocelyn and everyone else!

One of Taiwan's most popular attractions is the night market, the biggest and most popular one being Shilin Night Market. And OHOHO I felt so at home.  Everyone was just eating and having fun, regardless of the time.  It felt like the night could go on forever!

"Large Fried Chicken"

I'm sure everyone has tried fried chicken before, but I bet you've never had chicken like this!  I mean, it was bigger than the size of my hand and probably even my face.  It was like popcorn chicken on steroids, but since it was so big, it was SUPER JUICY inside.  I really wanted to finish it while it was still fresh and hot, but I also wanted to save room for what was ahead.

Oh my gosh, look at all that food and people!  It was quite overwhelming walking in and being surrounded by food everywhere you looked.  It was like a little kid walking into a candy store, not knowing where to start.  It would have been pretty awesome to try one item from each stand, but it was pretty hard to say no to all that good food...and also the pressure from the vendors.

Squid Soup

Yes, those are all sausages.

This was the most interesting stand ever.  I mean, how on earth (in Taiwan) do you eat so many sausages?  Well, the trick is to get rid of the bun and substitute it with a sausage, and voila!  You've got yourself a sausage in a sausage sandwich! 

Taking the first bite was rather interesting.  You bite through one sausage, just to find another sausage inside.  And the sausages even have different flavors. The lighter sausage on the outside had a more rich and herb-y flavor, and the darker sausage in the outside had a sweeter, more mellow flavor.  Sausages are usually already packed with flavor, but having two in one bite was just BAM BAM! 

Sausage in a sausage side profile

Mango Shaved Ice

Mango Shaved Ice innards

If you're in Taiwan, you have to get mango shaved ice!  I upped it up a notch and got the mango snow (for like 50 cents more...harhar gotta love Taiwan), which has a fluffier texture and milkier flavor.  Top that with sweet mangoes, mango syrup, and condensed milk, and you got a happy Cathy .

After eating all that food, make sure you browse around!  Asia in general has the cutest things (although they may not make sense).  Here's some adorable stuffed alpacas.  They love you!  And haha, don't they kind of remind you of an inverted sausage sandwich?

Shilin / Xilin Night Market
Dadong Rd., Danan Rd., Wenlin Rd. and Jihe Rd., Shilin Dist.
Taipei City 111, Taiwan