The Tastiest Road - Raohe Night Market in Taipei Taiwan

Bring comfortable walking shoes!

Some nice takoyaki we found

Night markets are often what people think of when they think of Taiwan - long narrow streets filled with people bustling around trying to get their hands on whatever grub the stands are peddling. But what no one tells you is how much you walk because yes, it might seem obvious because it’s a night market on a street but the feeling of being stuck in foot traffic and your ankles begging and whining for mercy really put things into perspective. Luckily I wasn’t alone and brought my friend Nathan, who was in the neighboring city of Taoyuan for a mission trip (he went back to the US early after fracturing his arm in some serious street ball).

Not Your Grandma's Cooking – Shanghai Grandma in Shanghai, China

Just kidding, probably close to it

Their 

So if you've been following this blog, you know that I was trying to find a certain restaurant, walked in and was met with a barrage of bugs. Well, the restaurant I was trying to find was Shanghai Grandma, and it turns out it was right next to the one I went into. Winnie and I were out walking after eating at Da Hu Chun that day when we spotted the real Shanghai Grandma, on the way to the Bund. So the next day, right after getting out of the Oriental Pearl Tower, we ran straight for Shanghai Grandma on the opposite side of the Yellow River.Shanghai Grandma, at first glance, is a classic nice restaurant with velvet chairs and glass topped tables. When we went at about 2pm, it was understandably pretty empty, as it was after the lunch rush. We were quickly seated at a corner table and presented with a menu filled to the top with some Shanghai classics. The first thing I saw on the menu was the chaoniangao (炒年糕), which is essentially sticky rice cakes mixed with veggies and meat, then stir-fried. The flavors were delightfully balanced, as the salty flavor complemented the sticky texture of the rice cakes. That was probably the best dish there, as everything else was very…salty.