Foreign Students’ Favorite Taiwanese Snacks Voted On: Xiao Long Bao and Beef Noodle Soup Take First and Second Place

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei

Foreign Students’ Favorite Taiwanese Snacks Voted On: Xiao Long Bao, Beef Noodle Soup, and Scallion Pancakes All Make the List. The “Studying in Taiwan—My Choice” questionnaire survey revealed that the top three most popular Taiwanese snacks among international students are xiao long bao, beef noodle soup, and scallion pancakes. The top three most loved tourist areas among foreign students are Sun Moon Lake, Kenting, and Taipei.


▲ Johann Du said that aside from popular tourist spots, his favorite place is Hehuan Mountain. (Photo / Provided by Shih Hsin University)

To better understand the situation of international students studying in Taiwan, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (FICHET) and the Taiwan Huayu Award Office jointly released the results of an online “Studying in Taiwan” survey conducted among all international students in Taiwan on October 20. A total of 1,602 valid questionnaires were collected. Regarding favorite Taiwanese snacks, xiao long bao came in first with 21.07%, beef noodle soup second with 20.71%, and scallion pancakes third with 14.80%. Other dishes making the list include oyster omelet, stinky tofu, gua bao, pig’s large intestine vermicelli, and danzai noodles.

Johann Du, an international student from El Salvador, said, “I fell in love with beef noodle soup the first time I tried it—the tender beef and carrots paired with the smooth noodles create a wonderful texture.” Jiang Shuang from Cambodia believes that beef noodle soup becomes especially refreshing when mixed with fresh tomatoes, making it one of her favorite Taiwanese dishes. According to the “Studying in Taiwan” survey on favorite tourist areas, Sun Moon Lake ranked first with 15.13%, Kenting second with 14.25%, and Taipei third with 13.73%. Other popular destinations include Jiufen, Taroko Gorge, Alishan, Yangmingshan, the National Palace Museum, and Shihtiping. Johann Du said that aside from well-known tourist areas, his favorite place is Hehuan Mountain because from there you can see star trails, night views, sunrises, silver grass fields, blue skies with white clouds, sunsets, and sea of clouds—offering a chance to clear your mind and appreciate the beauty of nature.