台灣的味道/Taste of Taiwan

我是個喜愛"嚐"鮮的人，各色各樣的料理都喜歡試試。來到米國後，接觸到的料理更是與在亞洲相當不同。墨西哥或地中海料理，就像日本料理在台灣一樣，相當普遍，我自然是大開"吃"界，試了許多以前沒試過的菜色。而和馬克交往後，更是自然地開始做各式西式料理。對我來說，一週有一頓亞洲料理就已經足夠。在這些美式料理（美式墨西哥菜、美式地中海菜、美式日本菜、美式中國菜...）的薰陶下，似乎我的口味變得和以前不一樣。

但，偶爾也是有懷念台灣的味道的時候。

不知從什麼時候開始， 我就將白胡椒的味道跟台灣畫上了等號。或許是因為台灣小吃的關係。魷魚羹、米粉湯、鹽酥雞、香菇肉粥、擔仔麵等，平常並不特別留意，其實隨處可見白胡椒的蹤影。在台灣時我很少吃這些食物的，但人在異鄉，這些台灣獨有的小吃們就變得特別親切。小吃們做起來費時費工，更重要是材料也不易取得，白胡椒就成了解決思鄉之情的最佳方法。煎上幾顆鱈魚丸，沾著白胡椒吃，就好像在錢櫃吃花枝丸一樣；清炒白菜，再灑上白胡椒，就是多了那麼一點台灣味。

大年初一，和馬克在密西根告別後，一個人開了五個半小時的車回到一個人的公寓，煮了榨菜豆腐湯，灑上白胡椒，滴上幾滴香油，台灣的味道頓時撲鼻而來。伴著臉書上親戚朋友們的除夕大餐照片， 眼眶不覺熱了起來。

I am the kind of person who enjoys a great variety of food.  Food in the US is quite different from Asia.  Mexican or Mediterranean cuisine, just like Japanese cuisine in Taiwan, is very common here.  Naturally I tried my best to taste all sorts of dishes that I had never had before.  Since Mark and I started dating, I have cooked several different types of western dishes.  To me, one Asian meal per week is plenty. 

However, there are times that I miss Taiwanese food.

Don't know starting from when, I relate the taste of white pepper to the taste of Taiwan.  Maybe it is because of those typical night market dishes.  Rice vermicelli soup, Dan Zai noodles, rice porridge with ground pork and mushrooms, thicken soup with cuttlefish..., white pepper can be found everywhere.  I seldom had those dishes while I was in Taiwan, but being in a foreign country makes those food desirable.  Making those dishes takes a great amount of time and effort.  In addition, it is difficult to get all the ingredients.  White pepper becomes the best way to release the feeling of yearning for home country.  Having pan-friend cod balls with white pepper is the same as having squid balls in Cashbox (the biggest karaoke chain store in Taiwan); it tastes more Taiwan when stir frying cabbage with white pepper.

Having said goodbye to Mark in Michigan, I drove 5.5 hours alone back to my apartment on the first day of Chinese new year.  Made some soup with tofu and pickled mustard turnips. Drizzled with some sesame oil and white pepper - the smell of Taiwan just filled my nose.  Watching all the Chinese New Year's Eve photos from family and friends on Facebook gradually made tears filled up my eyes.