and then a hero comes along

It's all about the people you know.

This is particularly true when you are traveling and want to sample the best food that only the locals know about.  For some reason unknown to me, guide books consistently choose mediocre places to feature under their "where to eat" section:  they're the restaurants and bakeries that have all the hype, the consequent long lines, and disappointingly average flavors.

I vow not to fall victim (again) to such anonymous and annoyingly commercial endorsement.  Luckily, my cousin Sophia knows all when it comes to good food.  Recently, she and three friends made a trip down to Tainan for the ultimate foodies' journey.  Over a period of two days, they visited 25 restaurants and sampled the best cuisines each had to offer.  She's my hero.

With her as my guide the past three days, I've had the honor to taste the most shockingly simple yet deliciously flavorful chicken rice, the most aromatic beef noodle soup, and an unending list of other authentic dishes that include dumplings, pumpkin soup, Italian pasta, minced pork rice, and sweet potatoes and pork intestines.

At this moment, you're either wondering where the pictures are or thinking how disgusting the intestines sound.  If the latter, too bad for you - simple as that.  If the former, what can I say, by the time either Sophia or I remembered to snap a photo, most of the food had already been devoured by myself, her, or her two kids.

Mostly myself.