2011 Changhua Q-Rice Ball Festival Invites You to Be a Judge

Written/Compiled and Reported by Wei Ruyu

The “2011 Changhua Q-Rice Ball Festival” will take place on December 21 at the Changhua County Stadium. The event will feature 18 of the area’s most popular Q-Rice Ball vendors, with 1,200 members of the public serving as judges. After sampling three delicious Q-Rice Balls, participants will vote for their top three favorites. The event will use a points-based voting system to select the winners of the “Golden Praise,” “Golden Delicious,” and “Golden Q Q-Rice Ball Awards.” Judges will also be eligible to enter lucky draws for prizes such as electric scooters and iPad2s.

Judges from the audience will be organized in groups of 10, and registration is primarily done by phone appointment. If all 90 tables (900 people) are booked, you may join the waiting list or register on-site on the day of the event. Audience judges who have made appointments should report to the “Reserved Audience Judge Registration Area” by 2:30 p.m. on the day of the event. Those who fail to check in before 3:00 p.m. will have their reservations canceled.

People queuing on-site can line up in order at the “On-site Audience Judge Queue Area” starting at 2:30 p.m. on the day of the event to receive tickets. A total of 30 tables (300 people) will be available, and entry will open at 3:00 p.m.

Changhua County Magistrate Cho Po-yuan said: “Changhua has 26 townships and cities, with over 200 Q-Rice Ball restaurants. Some open in the morning, while others serve lunch, dinner, or even late-night meals. So when you come to Changhua, you can enjoy Q-Rice Ball at any time of the day. Paired with Changhua County’s award-winning rice, it is one of the favorite everyday dishes of the locals. We welcome everyone from across Taiwan to come and enjoy the delicious food and join in the fun!”

On the day of the event, there will also be a student Q-Rice Ball creative cuisine exhibition area, where Datong Commercial & Industrial Vocational High School, Mingdao University, and Tatung Commercial & Industrial Vocational High School will present traditional Q-Rice Balls with innovative twists. Additionally, seven rice ball vendors will offer 2,500 servings of delicious rice balls for sampling.

Q-Rice Ball Audience Judge Group Reservation Hotline: 02-2735-8778 ext. 11, 18, or 25 (Ms. Xie, Ms. Liu, or Ms. Dong). Reservations are open until December 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On holidays, please download the application form from the Changhua County Government website and email it to trust801@gmail.com or fax it to 02-2735-9855 to make a reservation.

Vendors participating in this year’s Q-Rice Ball event include: Sandun Meat King, Chimei Highway Restaurant, Yongcheng Pit Meat Rice, Aqin Meat Rice, Datong Meat Rice, Night Market Meat Rice, Old-Fashioned Style Meat Rice, Aquan Meat Rice, Auntie’s Pig Trotter Meat Rice, Ah He Meat Rice, North Gate Meat Rice, Old Xin Meat Rice, A Zan Pig Trotter Meat Rice, Ah Hong Meat & Pig Trotter Specialty Store, Tian Shifu Braised Pork Rice, Jinjin Folk Snacks, Grandma’s Secret Recipe, and AQ V Q-Rice Ball.