You know when people say "I'd kill for some..." Well there are times in Taiwan for me where this is extremely true. If you ever hear of mass stabbings, it's probably me. Cause there are times when I'd do just about anything for a big chunk of meat.
This is because for the most part you don't get enough meat in Taiwan. In lunch boxes, the meat is very thin, not thick and juicy. And when eating at people's homes, the meat is always cut up into tiny pieces (easier to eat with chopsticks). So every few months I am dying to tear a big piece of meat with my teeth. It's not just the food itself that I miss, but the actual sensation of picking it up and ribbing it apart, that I miss. It sounds crazy, but my jaw must miss the exercise.
To satisfy my latest base craving, I tried out a new restaurant which advertises having authentic American BBQ. Of course I was skeptical, but an American friend said it was good enough to give a try, so off I went.
The meat quality was very good, perhaps the best of it's kind in the country. But unfortunately the cooking was not as good. The ribs were good and probably the best ribs in the city, but the other meat dishes were not as good as other places, despite having better meat quality.
The real let down were the side dishes. Baked beans are not a thing here, so it was great to see them, but it was obvious that the baked beans and other side dishes were not prepared by somebody who knew what they should be like. After talking with my friend who said I should give it a try in the first place, he echoed my sentiments.
That's not to say it was a bad trip. In fact despite eating so much meat and swearing off of meat for a month, only two days later did i start daydreaming about the ribs. I'll definitely take one more trip back there, but perhaps that will also be my last trip. We shall see.
