Taiwan Round the Island food itinerary

Hi Folks,

I found this site in an article saying how people have abandoned a prior food discussion website. While I also don’t like the changes, I found the thoughtful discussions there to be invaluable over the years. I’m posting a question here in hopes of getting some nice responses that will also be helpful for others in years to come, as I’ve looked pretty extensively in the (English) web-literature and haven’t found easy or recent answers to this question.

Briefly, I’m planning a family trip to Taiwan with a 7 day tour around the eastern coast, the mountains in the middle, and Tainan (SW) in the west. We’re going to be 10.5 people, mixed ages (from a 3 yr-old to 70+ grandparents), and have rented a minibus with a driver who will take us where we want to go. I figure most of our meals will likely be family-meal style, and we are either east Asian (Taiwanese-American and Korean) or adventurous Americans willing to try things (2 people). Anybody with suggestions of food along our itinerary?

Itinerary:
D1 : Yilan to Hualien (staying in Hualien for the night)
Lunch: Seafood? Yilan spring onion cuisine?
Dinner: Seafood or something in Hualien? Night market in Hualien…

D2: Taroko Gorge (all day), stay in Tienshang at a Mingsu (cultural stay/B&B)
Lunch: options in Taroko Gorge? Aboriginal cuisine? Bring a lunch box?
Dinner: Near the Mingsu?

D3: Travel to Sunmoon Lake, enroute stop by Cingjing Farm and Yuling
Lunch: Cingjing Farm? Others enroute?
Dinner: Somewhere around Sun Moon lake
Stay in Nantou (20km N of Sun Moon Lake)

D4: Sunmoon Lake: 9 village aboriginal center
Lunch: 9 village Aboriginal Center?
Dinner: SunMoon Lake?
Stay at Sunmoon Lake

D5: Travel to Alishan
Lunch: ?
Dinner: ?

D6: Travel to Tainan, Anping Fort, Confucious Temple
Lunch: Peddler noodles?
Dinner: Tainan night market?

D7: Travel back to Taipei
Lunch: Taichung?

Thanks for any suggestions! I’ll post a report when we get back.

-Dave

I hope some more knowledgeable folks chime in here for you, as I’m not really all that familiar with the outskirts and/or countryside of the island.

But in Tainan, you might want to try 金鳳陽春麵 for a good bowl of dry sesame noodles.

Famous snack in Hualien:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Restaurant_Review-g297907-d6149288-Reviews-Lao_Pai_Scallion_Pancake_With_Deep_Fried_Egg-Hualien_County.html

Greasy but good. My friend and I shared one and that was enough but it was very difficult to share. We should have just gotten our own but I probably would have eaten my entire one and felt grease overload.

Hualien night market - Nothing special stood out but I did have a chance to try stinky tofu. Actually I got some small fried crabs that were delicious. Small enough to chomp through the shell and all.

EDIT: Sorry, ipse. I meant to reply to OP.