By MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi, compiled and reported
Veterans’ Village cuisine is a unique fusion of culinary styles from various provinces in mainland China, combined with special local Taiwanese ingredients. To revive the beloved flavors of the past, the Tainan City Cultural Heritage Care Volunteers Association will hold the “2013 Tainan Veterans’ Village Food Festival” on the 27th (Sunday) at 9 a.m. The event specially invites “veterans’ village moms” to recreate authentic veterans’ village dishes, which will be offered free of charge for everyone to sample.
Veterans’ Village cuisine is a uniquely Taiwanese delicacy, blending dishes from various regions of mainland China. (Photo provided by Tainan City Cultural Heritage Care Volunteers Association)
In the early days, due to harsh living conditions, most children in the veterans’ villages could only enjoy home-cooked dishes from their parents when fathers returned from the front lines, during holidays, birthdays, or special occasions. Additionally, due to the tough economy in those early veterans’ villages, many mothers took on part-time jobs, so the kids often visited each other’s homes. Mothers frequently exchanged cooking tips, giving rise to a distinctive style of home cooking unique to the veterans’ village community.
The Tainan Veterans’ Village Food Festival invites veterans’ village moms to cook their signature dishes, offering free tastings to the public at the event. (Photo provided by Tainan City Cultural Heritage Care Volunteers Association)
These treasured home cooking skills are not only the memories of veterans’ village elders of their hometowns but also the nostalgic recollections of the second generation who grew up there. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of restaurants and many of these mothers now too elderly to run businesses, these flavors have gradually faded away. The “2013 Tainan Veterans’ Village Food Festival” aims to bring back authentic veterans’ village cuisine by subsidizing veterans’ village moms to prepare their traditional family recipes. The event will feature free tasting booths where attendees can rediscover the genuine taste of veterans’ village food. There will also be 10 New Year goods stalls available for visitors to shop for festive supplies.
● Read more: A 2-Day Tainan Itinerary – Reliving the Charm of Old Houses
http://goo.gl/TYNpT
Veterans’ Village moms showcase their treasured home cooking at this year’s Tainan Food Festival. (Photo provided by Tainan City Cultural Heritage Care Volunteers Association)