No matter where you go in Taiwan, you can be assured there will be a large stock of locally grown, fresh fruit available. Much of this fruit is similar to the Western World: apples, bananas, oranges, etc. Much of it, however, is also very eastern: Bell Fruit, Passion Fruit (and other tropical fruits), Dragon Fruit, Lychees, Dragon Eyes, etc.
Oftentimes, much of this fruit is grown natural and wild. Natural, wild bananas, for example, are very short and fat and filled with seeds, not long and thin like modern bananas you buy at Walmart. In Taiwan, fortunately, they’ve also taken out the seeds.
Everywhere you go, people here are intensely proud of their produce. I’m sitting here at a Buxiban (cram school) in Taipei, waiting for Miss Expatriate’s class to end. Some older woman, who is apparently a student, just passed by and started up the stairs. She thought better of it, turned around, gave me 2 bell fruit from her bag, asked a few questions (Where are you from? etc) and then ran off to class. Wonderful.
The other night, Miss Expatriate and I were enjoying a simple meal of Turkey Rice at one of our favorite local restaurants. The owner came around and gave us each a free banana. Apparently, his father had grown too many (is that possible?) and they were giving the rest away. It was wonderful.
It is also not uncommon for us to get occasional gifts of fresh fruit and other things. Miss Expatriate’s father, being a doctor and owning a small general practice clinic, often gets gifts of fruit and other items from his patients. It really gives Taiwan a sort of “small town friendliness” feel wherever you go.
Bell Fruit:
Passion Fruit:
Dragon Fruit:
Lychees:
Dragon Eyes/Longan:
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I want to buy a passion fruit plant.
Thanks
I really want to taste a natural banana with seeds. Do you know if it tastes like a regular banana? And do people eat a lot of them at the places they have them?
I’ve had a natural banana with very small seeds (they were chewable), but not the large seeds like in the picture. It was very much like a “regular,” American grocery-story style banana, but sweeter.
I’m about to try the Dragon Fruit right now. It really does look like the imagine perceives it to be.
Oh how I miss bell fruit! It’s so crisp and refreshing!
I just tried dragon eyes about two weeks ago, they are great, similare to grapes but yet very different. I love them.
Thank you for posting these pictures! My daughter and I were talking about bananas having seeds and your page came up in our google search. She really enjoyed all the pictures of the fruit “those bell fruits really do look like bells!”