Night markets in Taiwan
The night markets in Taiwan are comparable to the night markets in mainland China , Hong Kong , Macau , Singapore , Malaysia , Thailand and the Chinatowns .
Some, such as the Huaxi Tourist Night Market (or Snake Alley) in Taipei, are purpose-built and covered, and most have developed on their own on sidewalks. On these night markets you can buy Yībǎikuài ( 一百 塊 - "one hundred stones" = 100 NTD , around 2.10 €), cheap goods for around 100 NTD, ( 小吃 - "small food = snacks") "Xiǎochī", snacks and purchase simple jewelry.
The food is usually cheaper than in restaurants, but cases of contaminated food have become known. The night markets in Taiwan are different. a. through increased surveillance of the food stalls from the night markets in mainland China . The hosts have to pay high fines if the food is contaminated. Dishes like dog or cat can no longer be found here either. They are only sold as traditional Chinese medicine in special gourmet restaurants . B. the dog should help against colds. However, they are prohibited by law. Such restaurants can only be found under the name "Xīangròu" ( 香肉 - "Good smelling meat"). The various big cities also have their own special dishes that are only sold there.
history
Chinese night markets arose at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907). In 836, however, the government imposed strict regulations on night markets and their operation, penalizing uncontrolled trading. Then towards the end of the Tang Dynasty, economic growth led to less government regulation; the restrictions on night markets have been lifted. During the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279), night markets were already a central part of Chinese nightlife. These markets were located in areas of large cities, some of which were open 24 hours. During this time, part of the night markets consisted of restaurants and brothels, partly due to the proximity to business and red-light districts.
In Taiwan, however, the night markets only grew to their present size after World War II . At the beginning there were only a few stalls selling their goods late in the evening and selling them in different areas. But as Taiwan's prosperity increased and cities got bigger, especially Taipei , in the 1960s, night markets also expanded.
With the flourishing of the night markets in the 1980s, some traditional shops were replaced by higher quality clothes and shoe shops. During this phase, the lively night markets were characterized by neon letters, loud music and bright display boards to attract customers. The new replaced the old: cafeterias instead of restaurants, small goods shops replaced laundries and cheap clothing stores with sportswear outlets. However, as the number of offers increased, copyright infringements increased. In order to prevent this, more raids were carried out to contain them. When the Taiwanese stock market rose, franchise chains opened in or near the night markets. These included fast food stores like McDonalds and grocery stores like 7-Eleven, and clothes stores followed later. This change continued into the 1990s, when chain stores selling high-quality goods were replaced by sole proprietorships.
Despite their popularity, night markets in Taiwan have faced stiff competition from hypermarkets such as Sogo for several years .
Night markets in Taiwan today
The night markets usually start in the evening around 6 p.m. and on weekends even in the morning around 8 a.m. and last until 1 a.m. You can z. B. Yībáikuài ( Chinese 一百 塊 - "one hundred stones" = 100 NTD), these can be cheap items of all kinds, but mostly clothes or utensils as well as the particularly famous Xiǎochī ( Chinese 小吃 - "small meal = snacks"). These dishes and drinks are offered in a wide variety. Xiǎochī are comparable to Spanish tapas and are sold to take away or to eat at small, simple tables next to the cookshops. Special food changes from year to year, but there are some specialties that are always on offer, but vary from city to city. Notable examples that you can buy almost everywhere are oyster omelets ( Chinese 蚵仔煎 , Pinyin Ézǐjiān ), Taiwanese : ô-á-chian , chicken shawarma ( Chinese 沙威馬 , Pinyin Shāwēimǎ ) and “ stinky tofu ” ( Chinese 臭豆腐 , Pinyin Chòu Dòufu ). An example of locally specific dishes are certain noodles ( Chinese 擔 仔 麵 , Pinyin Dānzǐmiàn ) or “coffin bread” ( Chinese 棺材 板 , Pinyin Guāncáibǎn ) in Tainan . The coffin bread is a thick toasted slice of white bread that is hollowed out and filled with a thick soup. The shape with a lid is reminiscent of a coffin. A particular achievement of Taiwan's night markets is milk tea , which is available in countless varieties. The "objects of all kinds" can u. a. Clothing, backpacks, shoes, low value jewelry and hardware. Playing with electric basketball hoops, special photo systems or other (luck) slot machines is also popular there, on which the stake is usually between NTD 10 and NTD 50.
For the Xiǎochī , visitors can expect around NTD 30 to 50 (€ 0.9 - € 1.6). For the amount of a medium meal, visitors to a night market can expect a budget of around NTD 100 to NTD 300 (around € 3–10).
List of night markets
Night markets can be found in many smaller towns and in districts of metropolitan areas. Here is a list of more famous night markets.
Northern Taiwan
- Miaokou night market
- Shida night market
- Shilin Night Market, Shilin
- Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market (Snake Alley), Wanhua
- Gong Guan Night Market
- Xi Men Ding Night Market
- Rao He Street Night Market
- Lin Guang (Tong-hua) Night Market
- Liao Lin Street Night Market
- Jing Mei Night Market
- Ning Xia Night Market
- Tsing Hua Night Market
- Danshuei Night Market, Danshuei
- Datong Night Market, Sanchong
- Jhongyang Night Market, Sanchong
- Sanhe Night Market, Sanchong
- Sinjhuang Night Market, Sinjhuang
- Luodong Night Market, Luodong
- Touchen Night Market, Touchen
- Ilan night market, Ilan
- Jhungli Night Market, Jhungli
Middle Taiwan
- Feng Chia Night Market
- Tung Hai Night Market
- Yizhong Street Night Market
Southern Taiwan
- Siaobei night market
- Garden night market
- Wusheng night market
- Dadong night market
- Liouho night market
- Minzu night market
- Ruiguang night market
See also
literature
- Yu Shuenn-Der: Hot and Noisy: Taiwan's Night Market Culture. In: David K. Jordan, Andrew D. Morris, Marc L. Moskowitz (Eds.): The Minor Arts of Daily Life. Popular culture in Taiwan. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu HI 2004, ISBN 0-8248-2737-6 , pp. 129-149.
Individual evidence
- ^ David K Jordan, Andrew D Morris, Marc L Moskowitz, Yu Shuenn-Der: The minor arts of daily life: popular culture in Taiwan . University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 2004, ISBN 0-8248-6486-7 .