便當 (The Bento Box) aboard Taiwan’s HSR
The High Speed Rail(HSR) of Taiwan has roots from Taiwan’s decades old train railway system. And after years of development and construction, the HSR finally opened a couple of years ago with much public fanfare and to the dismay of the domestic airlines. One tradition the HSR brought with them was the bento box meal. Whenever I was on those trains, when I was a kid, I looked forward to lunch with a bento box. I remember always looking out for the snack and bento vendor back then, as I did, recently, on the HSR.
The 便當, the bento box, on the old trains was famous for being scrumptious and yummy. There was always chicken or pork with a boiled egg, with the vegetables, served hot is a metal bin or paper box. The bento box today, is in a sealed recyclable plastic container, with pork or chicken. But with preparation a little more refined. The meat is sliced and marinated nicely. The vegetables and others are presented in a six sided bento box.
The taste, quite different from the hearty train meals, is a good attempt in showcasing Taiwanese cuisine, yet still retains the simple cultural iconic Asian meal – meat with rice staple. The sliced pork is light and more than adequate on these short trips. Keep in mind, the trip to Taichung from Taipei, is a little less than an hour long. Whereas before, these trips would last almost 3 or 4 times of that. Then I had some of the vegetables and what I thought was a lion’s head – a ground pork meat ball. All this less than 4 USD, about NT$120.
Rating 2 Pigs $$
Taiwan’s HSR Stations throughout Taiwan. www.thsrc.com.tw
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