Meals and excursions
Besides the food, another reason why Tian Mama restaurants are must-visit venues is their many and varied agricultural tourism itineraries. When Kiki Lin visited Yi Qing Shifang, after the meal the owner took his customers on a farm truck along mountain paths to share his knowledge of local plants, showing them how to make bird whistles out of shell ginger leaves, and how to use elephant ears as umbrellas when it rains. This out-of-the-ordinary experience became the most memorable part of Lin’s journey.
Kaas Chen mentions Long-Ying Yuan-Bei, a Tian Mama seafood restaurant in Jibei, Penghu County. At sunset the owner takes customers out to sea in a boat to fish next to set-net fishing gear, and prepares the fresh-caught seafood on the vessel. Jasmine Wang, on the other hand, talks about Ching Shan Farm in Taimali, Taitung County, which offers an itinerary in which customers take day-lily-based boxed meals on mountain hikes.
Tien Feng says that at the Half Sky Bistro in Lugu, Nantou County, a member of the younger generation of a tea farming family who has returned home to the countryside has reinvented their tea plant nursery as a tea ceremony venue. He has not only revitalized the family business, but has involved other local businesses to rediscover the collective memories of this rural community.
“I think the best thing about the Tian Mama program is that it provides an evaluation system for local cuisine that is authentically Taiwanese,” says Tien Feng. While Michelin-starred eateries are mostly found in urban areas, Tian Mama restaurants constitute a culinary map of Taiwan’s countryside. Travelers are invited to leave the cities and eat rural meals that will enable them to understand the way of life and memories of each locale.
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The ocean-fresh flavors served at the Long-Ying Yuan-Bei Tian Mama seafood restaurant in Jibei, Penghu County testify to the coolest aspect of everyday life on small islands: The sea is a natural refrigerator.
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Tian Mama restaurants feature local specialty dishes that reflect their area’s terroir, seasons, and the rhythm of local life.