Taiwanese Flag Facts (Sarah Pranadjaja)

The Taiwanese flag was designed by Lu Hao-tung and Sun Yat-sen. It was first used in mainland China by the Kuomintang in 1917. It became the official flag of Taiwan in 1928. Many people refer the Taiwanese flag as the flag of the Republic of China. 

The upper left part of Taiwan's flag symbolizes the blue sky with a white sun. The rest of the flag (red) symbolizes the blood of the revolutionaries who fought to create the Republic of China.

The twelve rays from the sun symbolizes the twelve months of the year and the twelve Chinese hours.

Blue stands for nationalism and liberty. 

White stands for democracy and equality.

Red represents the people's livelihood and fraternity. 

Good Eats :Taiwan (Isha Chaudhari)

The foods most people consume on a daily basis, what might be called Taiwanese xiao-chi, can also be divided into eight main categories according to their primary ingredients:

Steamed dumplings and various dim sum make popular snacks and light meals. (Photo by Chang Su-ching)

• Poultry: boiled salted duck, roast duck, a-siunn Yilan-style marinated and smoked duck, chicken stewed in Chinese herbs, “drunken” chicken (steamed in wine), rice with shredded chicken meat, steamed chicken, etc.

• Meat: beef noodles, cow viscera soup, mutton rice noodles, mutton stewed with Chinese angelica, dried meat, crispy meat, preserved or processed meat, meatballs, bah-uan (meatballs in a dumpling), etc.

• Fish and seafood: milkfish porridge, steamed grouper, fried white hairtail, o-a-tsian (oyster omelet), mangrove crab porridge, etc.

• Rice and noodle dishes: Hsinchu rice noodles, Nantou slender noodles, Taiwanese rice noodles, “slab” noodles, glutinous rice tamales with meat and other fillings, uann-kue “bowl-pasties” (stuffed flour dumplings), and o-a-mi-suann (slender noodles with oysters), etc.

• Bean curd and vegetarian fare: Shenkeng tofu, Daxi dried bean curd, “stinky” tofu, and various kinds of vegetarian dishes.

“Pearl milk tea” made with flour balls and aromatic milk tea is a unique Taiwan invention now available around the world. (Photo by Chang Su-ching)

• Sweet and savory pastries: sweet stuffed dumplings such as mua-tsi, aboriginal millet cake, and Hakka glutinous rice cake; egg-yolk shortbread, pineapple cake, crispy wedding meat pie, crispy cookie, sun-shaped pastry, ox-tongue-shaped pastry, salty pie, yokan jelly, white gourd cake, cake made from glutinous rice powder, maltose puff rice balls, etc.

• Beverages: honey bean ice, papaya milk shake, taro ice, honey, carambola juice, grass jelly, sugarcane juice, bitter tea, Hakka leicha (pounded tea), jelly fig ice, “pearl milk tea,” etc.

• Sauces and seasonings: spicy soybean sauce, fermented bean curd paste, pickled vegetables, pickled mustard tuber, sesame oil sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, soybean sauce, etc.

                                                [ also known as boba :) ]---------->

source: [http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/culture/food/]