Another local (cheap) lunch @ Mi Gou, Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

It's been another one of those crazy busy weeks, having been called to do two full days of relief teaching, and next week will be no better with three more days of relief teaching. But I'm not complaining - it's good to be kept busy AND earning income at the same time without having to commit to a full-time job.

Continuing on with writing about our Kaohsiung trip (I'm down to the last few posts!), after the long, somewhat tiring walk under the hot sun at Lotus Lake, we sat down to a nourishing meal at a very local eatery that served simple but delicious homemade fare. Like our first eats in Kaohsiung, the eatery had a simple set-up with a small prep-and-serving station with a few tables inside and out on the sidewalk. There were plenty of customers who ordered food to takeaway. A simple menu board hung near the front of the shop describing all the dishes available with very affordable prices listed below each item. Like most everywhere in Kaohsiung, the ladies tending shop spoke no English, but they were friendly and tried hard to understand my broken Mandarin. I managed to order food using a lot of pointing and gesturing, and I showed my handwritten list of allergy requests to ensure that the 4.5-year-old could eat the food. The food was tasty and utterly cheap.

This was around 1:40pm, so it was no longer peak lunch period, but there were still people eating on the sidewalk and customers were still arriving to order food either for a late lunch or mid-afternoon snack:

A small rice bowl topped with stewed pork, pork floss and cucumbers. This was delicious and we ordered three for each of us:

Our first time trying steamed milkfish, a common fish found in Taiwan. It had a smooth and fine-textured flesh with plenty of collagen. It tasted good and nutritious, and this was completely deboned so it was very easy to eat:

A bowl of fish ball soup. The fish balls were definitely handmade, which added a nice rustic touch. We also ordered a plate of green leafies, seen in the background:

If you're ever in Kaohsiung, I highly recommend eating local and don't be too daunted by the language barrier. Taiwanese people are extremely friendly and helpful, and pointing and gesturing work wonders for ordering. If you have any allergies, be prepared in advance by printing out allergy requests in the local language - something I always do when we have travelled to places I cannot speak the language (this is also something your hotel staff can help with). Local Taiwanese food is delicious!

Mi Gou
107 Daren Road
Yancheng District
Kaohsiung, Taiwan 803
Tel. +886 7 533 3168