On a warm summer evening in Kenting (垦丁), I visited a Taiwanese night market for the first time. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the bustling streets. The market was packed, and energy filled the air—vendors shouted out their specialties, tourists competed in carnival games, and the sizzling sounds of food being cooked wafted through the crowd. As the night grew later, the streets got busier. The market was a tapestry of colors, with stalls adorned in vibrant decorations, and the air was filled with laughter and the sizzling of food, drawing us towards the entrance.
The first thing that caught my eye was a stall selling scallion pancakes. The vendor expertly flipped them on a heated tray set over a fire, the golden edges crisping perfectly. There were many scallion pancake stalls in the market, but the line for this one stretched around the block. When I got to the front of the line, the woman cooking showed me a menu. It was written in Chinese (中文), so I ordered the only thing I could read: a spicy scallion pancake (香辣葱油饼). She already had four pancakes cooking at once, and she expertly flipped one off for me, setting it on a cutting board. She gave me the pieces of pancake, covered in tangy chili powder, in a small paper bag with her stall’s logo on it. I ate it as I walked, savoring it while I observed the crowd moving around me.
As I wandered through the market, I noticed the variety of people around me—families taking their kids out for a late-night snack, couples sharing snacks, and other tourists, all brought together by the unique atmosphere of the market. I stopped when I saw a crowd of young kids around a small cart selling bubble tea. My friends and I each ordered a milk tea with classic boba pearls (奶茶波霸), and sat on a bench on the side of the road to drink it. I also stopped at a small shop to try some steamed soup dumplings (小笼包), since many people had recommended them to me before our trip. The warm, tender pork filling and salty broth paired with the cold milk tea made for an incredible combination.
After trying a variety of snacks, we decided to take a break from the food and explore other areas of the market. We heard loud cheers coming from one end of the street, and followed the sound to a block filled with carnival games. There were games where you threw darts, mini basketball hoops (篮球), and ring tosses. Nearly every stall was playing its own music, and the only thing louder than the overlapping melodies was the cheering of the people watching the games. We tried a game where you had 10 seconds to throw darts at balloons, and surprisingly enough, I won a small stuffed turtle (乌龟) on my second try! One of my friends tried a ring toss game, where you got 20 rings to try to throw onto the neck of a bottle. The man running the stand let us try again for free, and our whole group worked together to win a handful of colorful souvenir pens (笔塞).
As we made our way to the exit, I reflected on my evening. The night market had exceeded my expectations, offering not just delicious food but a glimpse into the heart of Taiwanese culture. Walking home, with the stuffed turtle in my hand and her stomach full of amazing new foods, I felt a sense of connection to the country that could never be achieved in a normal restaurant. The night market had opened my eyes to a world of flavors and experiences, and I couldn’t wait to return.
