Joey Fatone may be best known for his work in the ’90s boy band, N*SYNC, but these days, he’s been spending his time working as a Food Network host. In a recent episode, he took viewers to Taiwan to share his picks for the best and worst food the island has to offer.
Turnip Cake
In Taiwan, vegetables for breakfast are a regular occurrence. One popular breakfast dish consists of daikon radish, which is then shredded and mixed with some water and rice flour. The mixture is then formed into a solid mass, then steamed through. After, it can be sliced and grilled. “We didn’t know what this actually was until the plane home. Everyone just called it breakfast cake. I call it heaven on a plate.”
Niu Rou Aian (Beef Noodle Soup)
“This is Taiwanese comfort food at its finest. You get incredible, big noodles and fork-tender, marbled beef that gives the broth this rich flavor. I could eat this for a month straight and never get bored. And those pickled greens on top (zha cai) give it a little zing. Be that guy who drinks the broth at the end — you won’t regret it.”
“Not Have Bone” Chicken Legs
“This is the best grammatically incorrect fried chicken. We asked the vendor what spices he uses in the breading, but he wouldn’t tell us.” Much like the beloved KFC in America, there are probably some secrets that go into making this succulent fried chicken.
Pizza
The Italian-American Fatone showed just how hard it can be to break away from his roots when he chose pizza for one of his meals. “Before you’re all, ‘Uh, pizza is not Taiwanese,’ I know. But this was really good pizza,” he shared. The pizza in question came from Uncle Pete’s Pizza in Taitong. The real secret is that the proprietor is an American expat from Tennessee. “It’s no L&B Spumoni Gardens, but Pete makes a damn tasty pie.”