Rice, rice and more rice! Coming to Taiwan, I expected to be eating a lot of rice. In most East Asian cultures (and back in Jamaica as well), rice is the usual dish that accompanies the meat in standard dinnertime meals. Whether fried, boiled or pounded into a new form, I've encountered rice at least once a day since arriving. What I didn't expect, however, was that I'd encounter eggs just as frequently.
Rice and eggs are nothing new to us in the United States. Since moving to Taiwan, however, I can say I've tried new ways of enjoying them. With rice, I've eaten it in more forms than I can count. The strangest dish I've eaten it with so far has probably been ice cream - but with a catch. A traditional dessert in Taiwan is the peanut ice cream roll. It is served inside of a rice flour "wrap" that is sort of like a crepe and filled with your choice of ice cream flavor, chopped nuts and parsley. Surprisingly, having rice and a vegetable with my ice cream was better than I ever expected!
As for eggs, I can say I've also tried it in just about every meal. In fact, most meals ordered in Taiwan come with a side of boiled egg no matter where you go. I've had eggs served to me with fried chicken, spaghetti and all other kinds of seemingly unrelated foods. It is also common to go to restaurants and order the "egg pancake" - 蛋餅 ("dan-bing") - as a main dish.
