[  LUNCH  ]

Wu She Talowan (霧社塔洛灣甕仔雞)  near Cingjing

We were really famished by the time we arrived at the restaurant so we were not in the mood to admire the beautiful scenery overlooking the mountains and lakes. As we were seated at the open area, it got pretty cold when the wind blew towards us.

Mr Zheng recommended us the Weng Zai Ji (甕仔雞), which he said is a must-try dish in this area. We took his suggestion and ordered a set meal at NT$800 with the chicken and a plate of 高丽菜 (cabbage grown in the highlands). This is considered an expensive vegetable up in the highlands but he said this restaurant sells it cheaper than elsewhere. The veggie dish turned out quite freshly sweet and crunchy. In fact, we quite enjoyed all the veggie dishes in Taiwan. They were all simply cooked without much condiments yet still quite yummy as compared to what we would eat locally.

A while later, he told me to follow him (he was very familiar with the place and acted as the host to us) and brought me to another part of the restaurant along the road, where there were two large ‘urns’ placed side by side. He then opened one of it and showed me how the Weng Zai Ji was prepared — the whole plucked chicken was placed inside the urn and being roasted using firewood from below. An interesting way to prepare the dish, thus the reason for its name.

When the Weng Zai Ji(roasted chicken)arrived, Mr Zheng handed me two pairs of gloves, one pair of plastic disposable gloves and one pair of cotton gloves. I was supposed to tear the chicken meat apart with my hands after wearing the gloves (plastic gloves for cleanliness and cotton gloves for heat insulation since the meat was still pretty hot).

I was quite surprised initially but proceeded to do it anyway, and it was quite an interesting experience, though it would be better if we weren’t already hungry and tired then. On the other hand, my hunger might have helped in my eagerness to tear apart the meat for consumption…? ^^|

What’s so special about this preparation method was that the skin of the roasted chicken was very crispy, akin to those we tasted from the roasted suckling pig. I can still remember the sensation of biting the skin and its crispness.

The meat itself, however, was not as tender as I had expected. We are not sure if it was normal, but the meat was a little dry and some of the parts (especially breast meat) were hard to chew and consume. Guess the crispy skin made up for it.

>> NOTE: We ate this type of chicken again in Jiaoxi on our second Taiwan Trip – Read Post: Taiwan Trip Day 1 – Jiaoxi

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[  DINNER  ]

Bento Dinner from 7-Eleven Beside Little Swiss Garden

We just had simple dinner in 7-eleven itself where seats and tables were provided along the door horizontally. We laughed at our own reflection and appreciated the nice Japanese Bento food at very cheap prices. There was also hot drinks available for sale ( I bought red date tea) so I was glad to drink it to get rid of the freezing cold.

>> Read Next Post : Taiwan: Cingjing Little Swiss

>> Read Previous Post: Taiwan: Aowanda National Forest Recreation(Part 2)

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Taiwan 30Oct to 6 Nov 2012: Day 3 Nantou Itinerary

• Cycling Around Sun Moon Lake
• Aowanda National Forest Recreation
• Cingjing Small Swiss Garden
• Homestay B&B – Misty Villa

Read More on Taiwan Itinerary 2012: 8-day Taiwan Itinerary (Chiayi, Taipei, Hualien, Nantou)

Read our Summary Itinerary Post for Taiwan Nov 2018 Yilan | Taipei : 5-Day Taiwan Trip Itinerary: Nature and Fun