Fish Food

A typical seafood meal at a local eatery in Nangan Island, Matsu, Taiwan.

Matsu is historically an island of fishermen whose sustenance came near exclusively from the sea. Hence you can only begin to imagine the general seafood feasts available at mealtime. The dishes (in a clockwise direction starting from the foreground clams) include boiled razor clams seasoned with basil, Jiguang Pie (a bagel-seafood omelette sandwich), crispy fried shrimp, fishball soup, littleneck clams, hand of Buddha (a type of local shellfish), stewed fish and in the center, breaded fried squid and cuttlefish and battered fried fish.

If you're a seafood fanatic and a budget eater, Matsu is a must-visit to satisfy your seafood cravings at unbelievably inexpensive prices. After several days on Matsu, I can say with overwhelming confidence that my need for shrimp and clams have been sufficiently satisfied for the foreseeable future.

A typical homemade lunch served on Matsu island.

Guess what's on the menu? Yup! Seafood, indeed! And to boot, the food seen in the photo is all home-cooked by my gracious host family who, in typical Asian fashion, did their best to keep me fed nearly every hour of the day.

On an unrelated note, my host family's home, as seen in the photo, is built in a traditional Matsu style. The gorgeous interior is typical of traditional Matsu architecture which blends stone and wood elements to beautiful ends.