food

Our amazing hosts Dae and David effortlessly produced a never ending parade of colorful and delicious foods. A breakfast fitting of Amish champions. Hong Kong bun. Korean corn pancakes with a warm, gooey cinnamon and sugar center. Al dente pasta Bolognese with whole garlic cloves and a secret ingredient for the bold - chili oil. A special recipe from Chef David.

Besides tea, music, and arts & crafts, the festival offered plenty of food options. We made sure to sample as many as possible. Before digging in, we cooled off with some chilled noodles. Then, grilled fish balls on a stick. Short ribs in broth. Rice and tofu? Taiwanese burrito - sticky rice and beans. We were hardly the only ones trying to get our hands on the delicious eats; some of the vendors ran out of food before we made it to the front of the line.

Spring has arrived on the east coast, finally allowing us to enjoy tea in a more natural environment. Few people are more adept at blending nature and tea ceremony than the Taiwanese, so it makes little sense not to emulate them now. A 2009 winter Li Shan fits the weather perfectly. This morning’s tea recalls a weekend spent among friends in Flushing, NY. Both times I have been here I often felt I had been transported outside the US for a few moments - I think this is the closest you can get to Asia without leaving the North East.