Bali's Best

Hi, there! Many many apologies for my silence these past few weeks... I've been frolicking in Taiwan and eating entirely way too much food. I've also been busy moving to the east coast! That's right, I'm now officially blogging from the beautiful city of Boston. (Though today is not so beautiful: wintry mix like whoa. Ugh.)

Not to fear, I will definitely tell you about all the superfoods I consumed the past coupla weeks in Taiwan. First up: good eats from the Bali district, which is just a short ferry ride across from my home in Danshui. When I was little, my grandpa would often take me on the ferry across so we could eat some of Bali's famous mussels. (He always knew how to make me happy.) I didn't get to partake in any mussels this year, as we were only passing through very quickly, but I did get to eat some of Bali's famous twin doughnuts and octopus!

The ferry hasn't really changed at all, and I love that.


The main street near the ferry station is always packed, especially on the weekends. Food vendors line both sides, and it's hard not to stop at every stand!


My cousin Meiyi and I were enticed by all the seafood.


And when we saw this, we were sold:

Fried octopus in all its glory.

This fried squid also looked delectable.


We ended up getting the fried octopus combo (half 'soft' tentacles, and half 'chewy' tentacles).

They chop up the octopus, mix it all up with seasoning, and top it off with bonito flakes, Taiwanese mayo, and wasabi. The end result is just as it sounds: fantastic.

See how happy Meiyi is to have eaten this?


Next we had to try Bali's shuangbaotai, or twin doughnuts.

They're two pieces of fried dough that are shaped like cat's ears, stuck together at the base. So cute, and even more tasty. I've been eating these since I was 2, so maybe they're the reason why I'm such a doughnut fanatic. *light bulb* One side of each twin (the side shown right above) is scruffier/crunchier/sweeter than the other and has sesame seeds. Clearly that's the side I like best.

My aunt is so cute with hers.

Twin doughnuts are sooo good, and they're best eaten hot. The dough is denser and sweeter than Western doughnuts, and the hint of brown sugar is unforgettable. I'm pretty sure we bought 10 twins, which means we got 20 pieces of delicious dough. Now that's the kind of math I could do forever!

Bali district (八里區)
Metro: Danshui station (淡水站)
Then take the ferry across to Bali
Taipei, Taiwan