San Jose's Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming.
KQED’s Ultimate Guide to Taiwanese Restaurants in the Bay
Why Silicon Valley is Still the Heart of the Bay Area’s Taiwanese Restaurant Scene
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"title": "San Jose's Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming.",
"headTitle": "San Jose’s Japantown Stayed the Same for More Than 70 Years. Now, Change Is Coming. | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905100\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg\" alt='A man in a \"Japantown\" shirt holds out a tray of poke from the window of a Japanese market.' width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the pandemic, Mark Santo started serving poke bowls at his 75-year-old Japantown grocery store, Santo Market. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n Jackson Street in San Jose, the one- and two-story wooden buildings—with their mid-century neon signs and lunch specials in the windows—haven’t changed much since Evelyn Hori first visited the neighborhood 30 years ago. A group of fellow Japanese Americans brought the homesick UC Santa Cruz student to \u003ca href=\"http://gombei.com/\">Gombei\u003c/a> restaurant, where the flavors transported her to her mother’s kitchen in Los Angeles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The style of Gombei restaurant is just so homey, traditional,” recalls Hori. “It’s the side dishes, like ohitashi—spinach with ground sesame seeds, fresh tofu. They’re not fancy, something you would make a batch of at home. When you have their fish, it’s with the bones and all.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hori was so charmed by that first visit to San Jose’s Japantown that she took a job at the senior center after graduation. And she’s raised her own family in the community, too. Since the end of World War II, Jackson Street has been a home away from home for Japanese Americans—first as refuge from racism and, more recently, as a place to attend cultural events, pick up fresh manju or slurp a bowl of udon. Unlike its counterparts in San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose’s Japantown is often overlooked. It’s just three blocks of low-slung buildings, and, like San Jose itself, it’s a place even other Bay Area residents don’t know much about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Author Gil Asakawa, whose history of Japanese food in America, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tabemasho!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is slated for publication in 2022, calls it “Japanese American Mayberry.” Like the impossibly wholesome 1950s town from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Andy Griffith Show\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it’s a safe, friendly neighborhood—with a Japanese twist. Bonsai trees stand in front of tidy bungalows, the main church is Buddhist and the corner grocery stocks miso and natto. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This area between downtown and Mineta International Airport is also prime real estate in a housing-strapped market. For decades, Japantown has been a place to get a taste of the past, but a wave of ongoing development projects could bring new life into this sleepy burg—or wipe out its character altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905128\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg\" alt=\"From inside a restaurant kitchen, a chef in a black uniform holds out a plate of katsu curry.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, but he still considers himself one neighborhood’s more “recent” immigrants. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What could be lost is a piece of Asian American history. The neighborhood has attracted immigrants from Asia for over 100 years, as far back as when it was part of a Chinatown that has long since been demolished. Its Japanese identity was cemented during the post-World War II years. After Americans of Japanese descent were released from remote camps, such as Tule Lake or Topaz, at the end of the war, many of them gravitated toward San Jose, where a population of Chinese and Filipinos had maintained homes and businesses. Soon, the blocks around Jackson and Fifth Streets came to life with grocers, dentists and hair salons, as well as Buddhist and Christian houses of worship. In their native tongue, they called it Nihonmachi. For decades, all of the shops in Japantown have been mom-and-pop businesses, some of them handed down through three or four generations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hovering over Jackson Street’s historic streetscape is the construction of a housing and retail complex that will bring 500 new apartments to the neighborhood. That means an influx of new residents, likely non-Japanese. Will they dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>America’s Most Traditional Japantown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, the comforting flavors at old mainstays like Gombei continue to draw visitors from near and far. “My wife and I go there every time we go to San Francisco. We love driving straight from SFO down to San Jose to have lunch,” Asakawa, the author, explains. “That’s definitely the kind of food I grew up with.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, dishing up homestyle meals to salarymen from the nearby Sony and Hitachi campuses. Now 70, he’s still behind the counter almost every day alongside a small crew of mostly Latino cooks. Although his staff fries croquettes and grills mackerel, he insists on arriving at the kitchen at 7am to make the curry and soups himself, keeping the flavor consistent, as he’s done nearly every day since 1981. “I have a recipe in here,” he says, chuckling and pointing to his head, “but it’s not written down.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Will [new Japantown residents] dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle?”[/pullquote]Although Kubota occasionally allows new specials, his goal is to serve meals that remind him of growing up in Japan. Even though he arrived in America in the 1970s, he’s still considered one of the “recent” immigrants here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some of Japantown’s restaurants go back much further. They evolved from the lunch counters that served the first wave of immigrants, farmers who began arriving around 1900 from rural southern Japan. The fare still reflects these down home roots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Originally, with the Exclusion Act, there were mostly just guys here, so there were pool halls and barber shops,” says Gene Yoneda, who with his wife JoAnn owns Minato, the oldest operating Japanese restaurant in San Jose. Minato opened its doors in 1961 and changed ownership a few times before the Yonedas bought it. They still serve some of the original dishes, such as deep brown curry over rice or simmering pots of sukiyaki, but other entrées—such as homestyle butadofu, a stir-fry of pork and bean curd—have fallen off the menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905129\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of homey Japanese dishes; a plate of Japanese brown curry over rice is in the foreground.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato’s curry over rice has been a menu staple since the restaurant first opened in 1961. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1980s, Minato opened San Jose’s first sushi bar, which has now been replaced with additional seating. Today, the menu offers a little bit of this and that, including chicken-and-egg oyakodon or pork chop katsudon, along with several varieties of udon. It’s the kind of family-friendly place where Evelyn Hori brought her children to lunch after preschool or scout meetings. Kids receive tickets to trade in for plastic beads or a Disney notebook. Construction workers might sit next to local politicians. If a presidential candidate were to stump in Japantown, Minato would be the place.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant also sits directly across the street from the site of the new retail and housing complex under construction, whose exterior is now close to finished. “It was dusty, noisy, with tractors going back and forth,” Yoneda says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Will hundreds of new residents mean more patrons for restaurants like Minato? Japantown eateries walk a fine line between too much and not enough. Even if newcomers choose bentos over burrito bowls, too many new customers could flood these small dining rooms, leaving restaurateurs unable to serve their regulars, much less greet them by name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the most part, Yoneda tries to be optimistic. “Parking is the only issue I have,” he says. “We welcome everybody. Anybody that wants to come down here. It’s kind of cool.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of one of the main stretches of Japantown, with a large construction zone to the right.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato sits directly across the street from the site of the new housing and retail complex. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spite of the looming changes, many of the shops in San Jose’s Japantown seem frozen in time. Shuei-Do Manju, a tiny storefront on Jackson Street, sells nearly a thousand pieces of mochi and other traditional sweets every day. Open since 1953, the shop gives off an old-fashioned candy store vibe. Youth sports trophies and a Kristi Yamaguchi cereal box are proudly displayed behind the counter, which features a glass case with round mochi, wafer-like monaka and pastel cubes of chi chi dango arrayed in lacquer trays. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Tom and Judy Kumamaru bought the shop in 1987, they spent six months learning the art of making manju from the original owners. Unlike packaged rice cakes sold in many Asian supermarket chains, the fillings and the chewy exteriors are all made from scratch each day, without preservatives. Each morning, the couple soaks azuki and lima beans for the fillings, which they wrap into handmade skins of mochiko sweet rice flour. Judy, whose parents were good friends of the founders, tests the fillings to make sure they’re just like she remembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the decades, Tom has tested out various machines in hopes of perhaps modernizing the mochi-making process, but the equipment couldn’t handle Shuei-Do’s recipe for delicate, chewy dough. He says shops like theirs don’t even exist in Japanese cities. “They’re coming up with different types. Some really fancy, too, so fancy that you don’t want to eat them,” he explains. “When you go into the different countryside areas, the shops are kind of like ours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg\" alt=\"An assortment of manju wrapped in paper sleeves.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The manju at Shuei-Do are made by hand from scratch each day. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When asked if they plan to branch out into the mochi donuts or muffins that are lighting up Instagram, Tom laughs and points to the peanut butter filled manju as their most adventurous variety. He prefers the kinako flavor, dusted with roasted soybean powder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Less Nihonmachi, More JTown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a deep sense of community in Japantown, and perhaps no one is more deeply invested than James Nagareda. Not only does Nagareda oversee the local history museum, he serves on the board of the Japantown Business Association, and runs the Nikkei Traditions gift store and, until recently, an ice cream shop called Jimbo’s. He’s idealistic yet practical. “You have to look at it from both points of view, right?” Nagareda says about the new shopping plaza. “We’d rather have a small independent or family, which is awesome. But again, economics, it’s got to work.” Today, the only corporate presence is the San Diego-based Niijiya market. For many mom-and-pop shops, survival requires changing with the times. Nagareda sold Jimbo’s to new owners who have rebranded it as JT Express, serving take-out friendly sushi burritos as well as taiyaki and Bubbie’s ice cream mochi. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the businesses that Nagareda hopes to preserve, however, is Santo Market, the small Japanese-Hawaiian grocery store kitty-corner to the new housing complex. A giant ocean mural on the exterior befits a business riding the wave of change. Mark Santo leads his three siblings in running the store, which has been in the family since 1946. When local artist Juan Carlos Araujo approached him about having one of the first murals commissioned in Japantown, Santo convinced his nonagenarian parents to approve the work and persuaded Araujo to take inspiration from Hokusai’s classic art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote size=\"large\" align=\"right\"]“Many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.”[/pullquote]To keep island transplants from driving up to San Mateo to buy haupia mix and poi at Takahashi Market, the shop started expanding its selection of Hawaiian goods. The family developed a poke recipe, and Mark’s sisters started making strawberry daifuku on Tuesdays and Saturdays, tucking a whole berry and red bean filling into mochi dough. To fill the void left by the closure of San Jose’s beloved Aki’s Bakery, the market started selling guava cake by the slice at the takeout window. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Closed for in-person shopping since the beginning of the pandemic, Santo Market is now more of a takeout joint than a grocery. There’s usually a crowd in the small parking lot; the market averages 60 pounds of tuna a day, in addition to barbecued tri-tip and teriyaki sandwiches. The daifuku often sells out before noon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In early October, the market celebrated its 75\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> birthday. Mark Santo himself turned 60 this year, and many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are also in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905127\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg\" alt=\"Two men stand in front of a large, ocean-themed mural on the exterior wall of Santo Market.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pandemic forced Mark Santo (right) to modernize and diversify his traditional Japanese market. Here, he poses in front of the market with his brother, Scott Santo. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s Japanese population has been shrinking for decades, because of aging and exodus to the suburbs. Only one percent of the local residents \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=8600000US95112&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identified as Japanese\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the latest census survey. In many ways, even without the massive new complex, change in San Jose’s Japantown is already well underway. A younger, more diverse crowd is drawn to the neighborhood for art walks and car shows. “Those who are coming to Obon were me and my parents, their friends who’ve been coming for 60 years,” Santo says of the annual Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors. “Where these guys are bringing in fresh blood, fresh people, new people.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walk down Jackson Street today, and you can see the changes all around. A Depression-era gas station owned by Roy Murotsune, whose family bought the property after World War II, has been converted by his daughter and grandchildren into Roy’s Station. At this popular cafe, purple-haired Gen-Zers sip Verve coffee alongside Japanese retirees. Joggers with Labradoodles swerve around senior citizens ambling down the sidewalk. “I get annoyed sometimes when I’m trying to buy groceries at Nijiya and there are millennials and tech bros clogging the aisles, tripping out over the ‘crazy’ Japanese snacks and laughing at the labels,” says music journalist and longtime San Jose resident Todd Inoue, who frequents the neighborhood a few times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with the customers, the merchants are also becoming more diverse. Lotus blossom banners are fading, while street-art style murals brighten once blank walls. Empty storefronts fill up with snapbacks and T-shirts, succulents and art supplies, reflecting an urban, multicultural aesthetic. It’s less Nihonmachi and more JTown. In a way, it’s a return to the neighborhood’s pan-Asian roots, with Filipino, Vietnamese and Hawaiian business owners.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside postID='arts_13904861,arts_13905293,arts_13904835' label='More San Jose Food']In fact, the earliest restaurants in the area were not Japanese, but Chinese. The oldest one was Ken Ying Low, housed in a two-story Victorian era building across from the construction site, which was once the center of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s last Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to historian Curt Fukuda, the banquet room was the site of many Japanese Americans wedding and funeral banquets in the olden days. After housing Filipino, Cuban and Chinese cuisines, the building became home to a new tenant: a pizza shop whose signature pie, the “JTown Street,” is loosely modeled after Japanese okonomiyaki—hoisin sauce and sweet mayo drizzled over shiitake mushrooms and shredded romaine. Inoue, the music writer, enjoys the tekka don at Ginza restaurant, but he’ll also grab a beer at the pizza shop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its moniker, Japantown has always been a big tent: There are Korean and Mexican restaurants, and even stalwart Gombei sometimes offers chicken adobo, a nod to its longtime Filipino neighbors. Being the overlooked country cousin, the community around Jackson Street has quietly watched and learned from redevelopment in San Francisco and LA in the 1960s and ’70s. And San Jose, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11890341/san-jose-to-apologize-for-the-1887-burning-of-the-citys-chinatown\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">city that recently apologized for the burning of an early Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, may have the kind of multicultural ethos where Japantown can grow, yet stay true to its roots.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After decades of exodus, some Japanese Americans are interested in returning to this urban village\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At age 55, Inoue is considering a move from the suburbs to one of the new apartments when he retires. “Japantown is still a living, breathing community and you see that in the people and the business. You see the Lotus preschool kids doing their rounds, the elders at Yu-Ai Kai [senior center] and Fuji Towers,” says Inoue. “There’s a comfort and familiarity in the daily life, but also glints of progressive change.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "America's most traditional Japantown reaches a crossroads due to new development and demographic shifts.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905100\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905100\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg\" alt='A man in a \"Japantown\" shirt holds out a tray of poke from the window of a Japanese market.' width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-17-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During the pandemic, Mark Santo started serving poke bowls at his 75-year-old Japantown grocery store, Santo Market. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>San Jose: The Bay Area’s Great Immigrant Food City\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/sanjosefood\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring San Jose’s wonderfully diverse immigrant food scene. A new installment will post each weekday from Oct. 20–29. \u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">O\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>n Jackson Street in San Jose, the one- and two-story wooden buildings—with their mid-century neon signs and lunch specials in the windows—haven’t changed much since Evelyn Hori first visited the neighborhood 30 years ago. A group of fellow Japanese Americans brought the homesick UC Santa Cruz student to \u003ca href=\"http://gombei.com/\">Gombei\u003c/a> restaurant, where the flavors transported her to her mother’s kitchen in Los Angeles. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The style of Gombei restaurant is just so homey, traditional,” recalls Hori. “It’s the side dishes, like ohitashi—spinach with ground sesame seeds, fresh tofu. They’re not fancy, something you would make a batch of at home. When you have their fish, it’s with the bones and all.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hori was so charmed by that first visit to San Jose’s Japantown that she took a job at the senior center after graduation. And she’s raised her own family in the community, too. Since the end of World War II, Jackson Street has been a home away from home for Japanese Americans—first as refuge from racism and, more recently, as a place to attend cultural events, pick up fresh manju or slurp a bowl of udon. Unlike its counterparts in San Francisco and Los Angeles, San Jose’s Japantown is often overlooked. It’s just three blocks of low-slung buildings, and, like San Jose itself, it’s a place even other Bay Area residents don’t know much about.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Author Gil Asakawa, whose history of Japanese food in America, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tabemasho!\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, is slated for publication in 2022, calls it “Japanese American Mayberry.” Like the impossibly wholesome 1950s town from \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Andy Griffith Show\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it’s a safe, friendly neighborhood—with a Japanese twist. Bonsai trees stand in front of tidy bungalows, the main church is Buddhist and the corner grocery stocks miso and natto. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This area between downtown and Mineta International Airport is also prime real estate in a housing-strapped market. For decades, Japantown has been a place to get a taste of the past, but a wave of ongoing development projects could bring new life into this sleepy burg—or wipe out its character altogether. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905128\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905128\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg\" alt=\"From inside a restaurant kitchen, a chef in a black uniform holds out a plate of katsu curry.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-Gombei-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, but he still considers himself one neighborhood’s more “recent” immigrants. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">What could be lost is a piece of Asian American history. The neighborhood has attracted immigrants from Asia for over 100 years, as far back as when it was part of a Chinatown that has long since been demolished. Its Japanese identity was cemented during the post-World War II years. After Americans of Japanese descent were released from remote camps, such as Tule Lake or Topaz, at the end of the war, many of them gravitated toward San Jose, where a population of Chinese and Filipinos had maintained homes and businesses. Soon, the blocks around Jackson and Fifth Streets came to life with grocers, dentists and hair salons, as well as Buddhist and Christian houses of worship. In their native tongue, they called it Nihonmachi. For decades, all of the shops in Japantown have been mom-and-pop businesses, some of them handed down through three or four generations. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hovering over Jackson Street’s historic streetscape is the construction of a housing and retail complex that will bring 500 new apartments to the neighborhood. That means an influx of new residents, likely non-Japanese. Will they dine on donburi and join in the Nikkei Matsuri and Obon festivals? Or will they usher in a demand for Starbucks and Chipotle? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>America’s Most Traditional Japantown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, the comforting flavors at old mainstays like Gombei continue to draw visitors from near and far. “My wife and I go there every time we go to San Francisco. We love driving straight from SFO down to San Jose to have lunch,” Asakawa, the author, explains. “That’s definitely the kind of food I grew up with.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Shiro Kubota opened Gombei 40 years ago, dishing up homestyle meals to salarymen from the nearby Sony and Hitachi campuses. Now 70, he’s still behind the counter almost every day alongside a small crew of mostly Latino cooks. Although his staff fries croquettes and grills mackerel, he insists on arriving at the kitchen at 7am to make the curry and soups himself, keeping the flavor consistent, as he’s done nearly every day since 1981. “I have a recipe in here,” he says, chuckling and pointing to his head, “but it’s not written down.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Although Kubota occasionally allows new specials, his goal is to serve meals that remind him of growing up in Japan. Even though he arrived in America in the 1970s, he’s still considered one of the “recent” immigrants here. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Some of Japantown’s restaurants go back much further. They evolved from the lunch counters that served the first wave of immigrants, farmers who began arriving around 1900 from rural southern Japan. The fare still reflects these down home roots. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Originally, with the Exclusion Act, there were mostly just guys here, so there were pool halls and barber shops,” says Gene Yoneda, who with his wife JoAnn owns Minato, the oldest operating Japanese restaurant in San Jose. Minato opened its doors in 1961 and changed ownership a few times before the Yonedas bought it. They still serve some of the original dishes, such as deep brown curry over rice or simmering pots of sukiyaki, but other entrées—such as homestyle butadofu, a stir-fry of pork and bean curd—have fallen off the menu. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905129\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905129\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of homey Japanese dishes; a plate of Japanese brown curry over rice is in the foreground.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-food-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato’s curry over rice has been a menu staple since the restaurant first opened in 1961. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 1980s, Minato opened San Jose’s first sushi bar, which has now been replaced with additional seating. Today, the menu offers a little bit of this and that, including chicken-and-egg oyakodon or pork chop katsudon, along with several varieties of udon. It’s the kind of family-friendly place where Evelyn Hori brought her children to lunch after preschool or scout meetings. Kids receive tickets to trade in for plastic beads or a Disney notebook. Construction workers might sit next to local politicians. If a presidential candidate were to stump in Japantown, Minato would be the place.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The restaurant also sits directly across the street from the site of the new retail and housing complex under construction, whose exterior is now close to finished. “It was dusty, noisy, with tractors going back and forth,” Yoneda says.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Will hundreds of new residents mean more patrons for restaurants like Minato? Japantown eateries walk a fine line between too much and not enough. Even if newcomers choose bentos over burrito bowls, too many new customers could flood these small dining rooms, leaving restaurateurs unable to serve their regulars, much less greet them by name. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the most part, Yoneda tries to be optimistic. “Parking is the only issue I have,” he says. “We welcome everybody. Anybody that wants to come down here. It’s kind of cool.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905130\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905130\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg\" alt=\"A view of one of the main stretches of Japantown, with a large construction zone to the right.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-minato-exterior-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Minato sits directly across the street from the site of the new housing and retail complex. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In spite of the looming changes, many of the shops in San Jose’s Japantown seem frozen in time. Shuei-Do Manju, a tiny storefront on Jackson Street, sells nearly a thousand pieces of mochi and other traditional sweets every day. Open since 1953, the shop gives off an old-fashioned candy store vibe. Youth sports trophies and a Kristi Yamaguchi cereal box are proudly displayed behind the counter, which features a glass case with round mochi, wafer-like monaka and pastel cubes of chi chi dango arrayed in lacquer trays. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When Tom and Judy Kumamaru bought the shop in 1987, they spent six months learning the art of making manju from the original owners. Unlike packaged rice cakes sold in many Asian supermarket chains, the fillings and the chewy exteriors are all made from scratch each day, without preservatives. Each morning, the couple soaks azuki and lima beans for the fillings, which they wrap into handmade skins of mochiko sweet rice flour. Judy, whose parents were good friends of the founders, tests the fillings to make sure they’re just like she remembers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the decades, Tom has tested out various machines in hopes of perhaps modernizing the mochi-making process, but the equipment couldn’t handle Shuei-Do’s recipe for delicate, chewy dough. He says shops like theirs don’t even exist in Japanese cities. “They’re coming up with different types. Some really fancy, too, so fancy that you don’t want to eat them,” he explains. “When you go into the different countryside areas, the shops are kind of like ours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905126\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905126\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg\" alt=\"An assortment of manju wrapped in paper sleeves.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-shuei-do2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The manju at Shuei-Do are made by hand from scratch each day. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When asked if they plan to branch out into the mochi donuts or muffins that are lighting up Instagram, Tom laughs and points to the peanut butter filled manju as their most adventurous variety. He prefers the kinako flavor, dusted with roasted soybean powder.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Less Nihonmachi, More JTown\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s a deep sense of community in Japantown, and perhaps no one is more deeply invested than James Nagareda. Not only does Nagareda oversee the local history museum, he serves on the board of the Japantown Business Association, and runs the Nikkei Traditions gift store and, until recently, an ice cream shop called Jimbo’s. He’s idealistic yet practical. “You have to look at it from both points of view, right?” Nagareda says about the new shopping plaza. “We’d rather have a small independent or family, which is awesome. But again, economics, it’s got to work.” Today, the only corporate presence is the San Diego-based Niijiya market. For many mom-and-pop shops, survival requires changing with the times. Nagareda sold Jimbo’s to new owners who have rebranded it as JT Express, serving take-out friendly sushi burritos as well as taiyaki and Bubbie’s ice cream mochi. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the businesses that Nagareda hopes to preserve, however, is Santo Market, the small Japanese-Hawaiian grocery store kitty-corner to the new housing complex. A giant ocean mural on the exterior befits a business riding the wave of change. Mark Santo leads his three siblings in running the store, which has been in the family since 1946. When local artist Juan Carlos Araujo approached him about having one of the first murals commissioned in Japantown, Santo convinced his nonagenarian parents to approve the work and persuaded Araujo to take inspiration from Hokusai’s classic art. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“Many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>To keep island transplants from driving up to San Mateo to buy haupia mix and poi at Takahashi Market, the shop started expanding its selection of Hawaiian goods. The family developed a poke recipe, and Mark’s sisters started making strawberry daifuku on Tuesdays and Saturdays, tucking a whole berry and red bean filling into mochi dough. To fill the void left by the closure of San Jose’s beloved Aki’s Bakery, the market started selling guava cake by the slice at the takeout window. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Closed for in-person shopping since the beginning of the pandemic, Santo Market is now more of a takeout joint than a grocery. There’s usually a crowd in the small parking lot; the market averages 60 pounds of tuna a day, in addition to barbecued tri-tip and teriyaki sandwiches. The daifuku often sells out before noon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In early October, the market celebrated its 75\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">th\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> birthday. Mark Santo himself turned 60 this year, and many of Japantown’s legacy restaurateurs are also in their sixties or seventies. Their children and grandchildren build websites, set up credit card systems and even design T-shirts, but not many of them want to take on the hard work of the food industry.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13905127\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13905127\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg\" alt=\"Two men stand in front of a large, ocean-themed mural on the exterior wall of Santo Market.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/10/San-Jose-Japantown-santo-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pandemic forced Mark Santo (right) to modernize and diversify his traditional Japanese market. Here, he poses in front of the market with his brother, Scott Santo. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s Japanese population has been shrinking for decades, because of aging and exodus to the suburbs. Only one percent of the local residents \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=8600000US95112&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">identified as Japanese\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the latest census survey. In many ways, even without the massive new complex, change in San Jose’s Japantown is already well underway. A younger, more diverse crowd is drawn to the neighborhood for art walks and car shows. “Those who are coming to Obon were me and my parents, their friends who’ve been coming for 60 years,” Santo says of the annual Japanese Buddhist festival honoring the spirits of one’s ancestors. “Where these guys are bringing in fresh blood, fresh people, new people.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walk down Jackson Street today, and you can see the changes all around. A Depression-era gas station owned by Roy Murotsune, whose family bought the property after World War II, has been converted by his daughter and grandchildren into Roy’s Station. At this popular cafe, purple-haired Gen-Zers sip Verve coffee alongside Japanese retirees. Joggers with Labradoodles swerve around senior citizens ambling down the sidewalk. “I get annoyed sometimes when I’m trying to buy groceries at Nijiya and there are millennials and tech bros clogging the aisles, tripping out over the ‘crazy’ Japanese snacks and laughing at the labels,” says music journalist and longtime San Jose resident Todd Inoue, who frequents the neighborhood a few times a month.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with the customers, the merchants are also becoming more diverse. Lotus blossom banners are fading, while street-art style murals brighten once blank walls. Empty storefronts fill up with snapbacks and T-shirts, succulents and art supplies, reflecting an urban, multicultural aesthetic. It’s less Nihonmachi and more JTown. In a way, it’s a return to the neighborhood’s pan-Asian roots, with Filipino, Vietnamese and Hawaiian business owners.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In fact, the earliest restaurants in the area were not Japanese, but Chinese. The oldest one was Ken Ying Low, housed in a two-story Victorian era building across from the construction site, which was once the center of \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Jose’s last Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. According to historian Curt Fukuda, the banquet room was the site of many Japanese Americans wedding and funeral banquets in the olden days. After housing Filipino, Cuban and Chinese cuisines, the building became home to a new tenant: a pizza shop whose signature pie, the “JTown Street,” is loosely modeled after Japanese okonomiyaki—hoisin sauce and sweet mayo drizzled over shiitake mushrooms and shredded romaine. Inoue, the music writer, enjoys the tekka don at Ginza restaurant, but he’ll also grab a beer at the pizza shop.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite its moniker, Japantown has always been a big tent: There are Korean and Mexican restaurants, and even stalwart Gombei sometimes offers chicken adobo, a nod to its longtime Filipino neighbors. Being the overlooked country cousin, the community around Jackson Street has quietly watched and learned from redevelopment in San Francisco and LA in the 1960s and ’70s. And San Jose, a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11890341/san-jose-to-apologize-for-the-1887-burning-of-the-citys-chinatown\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">city that recently apologized for the burning of an early Chinatown\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, may have the kind of multicultural ethos where Japantown can grow, yet stay true to its roots.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After decades of exodus, some Japanese Americans are interested in returning to this urban village\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. At age 55, Inoue is considering a move from the suburbs to one of the new apartments when he retires. “Japantown is still a living, breathing community and you see that in the people and the business. You see the Lotus preschool kids doing their rounds, the elders at Yu-Ai Kai [senior center] and Fuji Towers,” says Inoue. “There’s a comfort and familiarity in the daily life, but also glints of progressive change.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12904247\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"39\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-160x16.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-240x23.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39-375x37.jpg 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "KQED’s Ultimate Guide to Taiwanese Restaurants in the Bay",
"headTitle": "KQED’s Ultimate Guide to Taiwanese Restaurants in the Bay | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897983\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897983\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg\" alt=\"An illustrated map of the Bay Area with drawings of various Taiwanese foods at different locations on the map—gua bao near San Francisco, stinky tofu near San Mateo, pork chop bento near Oakland, fan tuan near Fremont, and lu rou fan near Milpitas.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-800x640.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-1020x816.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-1536x1229.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>(Illustration by \u003ca href=\"https://www.felicia-liang.com/\">Felicia Liang\u003c/a>; design by Rebecca Kao)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>Eating Taiwanese in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/eatingtaiwanese\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring Taiwanese food culture in all of its glorious, delicious complexity.\u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ask a Taiwanese American about the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food scene, chances are they’ll complain about how hard it is to find stinky tofu or savory soy milk or a decent bowl of beef noodle soup. And it’s true: This isn’t exactly the San Gabriel Valley. But it’s also true that anyone who knocks the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food community probably hasn’t spent a lot of time in suburban enclaves like Fremont and Cupertino, where there’s big enough of a Taiwanese market that even niche restaurants—specializing in sweet potato congee or Taiwanese breakfast sandwiches—can survive and thrive. They also probably haven’t paid attention to the new wave of pop-ups that are bringing Taiwanese food into the mainstream in Oakland and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here, then, are 26 of the Bay Area’s most delicious Taiwanese dining destinations, from the UC Berkeley campus down to the strip malls of Cupertino. Eating your way through the list will help cure any expat’s culinary homesickness. For newcomers to the cuisine, it also serves as an excellent introduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Note: These entries aren’t ranked; instead, they’re listed in rough geographical order from north to south.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13897264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-160x25.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-768x122.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>1. Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2431 Durant Ave. Suite B, Berkeley\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.shihlinca.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This local chain\u003c/a> specializes in the kinds of quick bites you’d find at Taiwan’s night markets and street stalls, including a surprisingly homey version of orh ah mee sua, aka oyster vermicelli. But the headliner is the “XXL” crispy chicken, a solid rendition of the oversized fried cutlets that are one of the signatures of the actual Shilin night market in Taipei. In addition to this Cal campus-adjacent storefront, which has been a hit with students from day one, and its original Milpitas shop, Shihlin has also expanded to Pleasanton, San Mateo and the Stonestown Galleria mall. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>2. Yilan Foods\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Previously at 4066 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://yilan-foods.square.site/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This popular pop-up restaurant\u003c/a> that started during the pandemic has been a welcome addition to the local Taiwanese food scene. Offering Sunday-only pickup for preorder customers in San Francisco and Oakland, the pop-up quickly amassed a following through social media and word-of-mouth. Yilan’s collagen-rich niu rou mian is truly a standout among the Bay Area’s beef noodle soup options, and its chunky, fatty pork over rice (lu rou fan) is hearty and satisfying. Yilan Foods is on temporary hiatus while its owners search for a permanent brick-and-mortar location; in the meantime, they’re also seeking a new home for the pop-up incarnation. Follow their \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yilanfoods/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram page\u003c/a> for the latest updates. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897876\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1761px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897876\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a takeout box with sticky rice rolls, scallion egg pancake, and other Taiwanese breakfast items from Taiwan Bento.\" width=\"1761\" height=\"1174\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021.jpg 1761w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1761px) 100vw, 1761px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taiwan Bento is now hosting occasional Taiwanese breakfast pop-ups. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>3. Taiwan Bento\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>412 22nd St., Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOpen since 2014, \u003ca href=\"http://www.taiwanbento.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Bento\u003c/a> is one of the mainstays of Oakland’s Taiwanese restaurant community. As its name suggests, the restaurant is best known for its biandang, or Taiwanese lunch boxes—set meals that might come with a fried pork chop or braised minced pork, some pickled vegetables, a half a tea egg and a scoop of rice.The beef noodle soup is a hearty, belly-warming option; the basil-topped popcorn chicken is impeccably fried. Recently, the restaurant has also been dabbling in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese breakfast\u003c/a>—fan tuan (rice rolls) and dan bing (scallion egg pancakes)—during occasional weekend pop-ups. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>4. HoDaLa\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>5801 Geary Blvd., San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThe most \u003ca href=\"https://www.hodalausa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prominent new Taiwanese restaurant\u003c/a> to open in S.F. proper in many years, this Outer Richmond restaurant rocks a vintage aesthetic, with a display of old Taiwanese post office memorabilia and toys front and center. The menu leans toward Taiwan Beer–friendly bar snacks, with plenty of fried foods in the mix. The gua bao (or steamed bun “sandwich”) section alone runs five options deep and includes fusion-y versions stuffed with fried fish or barbecue pulled pork. HoDaLa is also one of the few spots in the city that serves tsua bing, or Taiwanese-style shaved ice, available with a host of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">different QQ toppings\u003c/a>. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>5. Dragon Gate Bar and Grille\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>300 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThis moody, neon-backlit cocktail bar has private karaoke rooms and one of the most extensive Taiwanese food menus in the entire East Bay—a win-win for devotees of these two cornerstones of Taiwanese culture. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongate300.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dragon Gate\u003c/a> has long been one of the only restaurants in Oakland where you can get stinky tofu, but the highlights of the menu are actually the more rustic, homestyle dishes: dried radish omelet, a variety of three-cup dishes (traditionally made with an entire cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine) and one of the East Bay’s better bowls of beef noodle soup. After staying closed for the bulk of the pandemic, the karaoke rooms are now back open for small gatherings as well. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2015px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of long potstickers next to a takeout carton of noodles.\" width=\"2015\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers.jpg 2015w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-800x813.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1020x1037.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-160x163.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-768x781.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1511x1536.jpg 1511w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1920x1951.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2015px) 100vw, 2015px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The potstickers are Good-to-Eat Dumplings’ signature dish. \u003ccite>(Good-to-Eat Dumplings)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>6. Good-to-Eat Dumplings\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>292 4th St., Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nRun by founders Tony Tung and Angie Lin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodtoeatdumplings.com\">this casual restaurant\u003c/a> specializes in Taiwan-style potstickers—elongated pan-fried dumplings with a thin wrapper and crunchy bottom. These are notable for their fillings, which include a popular version that’s filled with chicken and basil. While dumplings are the focus, the flavorful gua baos and wontons are also just like what you’d find in Taiwan. And during the pandemic, the pop-up has expanded its repertoire of locally-sourced Taiwanese dishes even further outside the realm of dumplings, serving things like noodles with minced pork sauce and \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/9/16/21439018/good-to-eat-dumplings-taiwanese-caprese-tomatoes-soy-sauce-pop-up-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwanese\u003c/a> “\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/9/16/21439018/good-to-eat-dumplings-taiwanese-caprese-tomatoes-soy-sauce-pop-up-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caprese\u003c/a>.” Good-to-Eat is located at Original Pattern Brewing in Oakland’s Jack London neighborhood, and has plenty of outdoor seating. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>7. Bentolicious\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>4833 Hopyard Rd. E3, Pleasanton\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nMarvel at the efficiency of this strip mall \u003ca href=\"https://bentolicious.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bento shop’s\u003c/a> assembly line setup, as bandanna-clad workers load up your lunchbox, scooping home-style dishes from a steam table that gets replenished so frequently, the food never has a chance to lose its freshness. Main course options run the gamut from railroad (i.e., fried pork chop) bentos to lion’s head meatballs and saucy Chiayi chicken rice, and the rotating selection of sides, like fried pumpkin and Taiwanese-style mapo tofu, is just as compelling. Come on the early side, as the most popular dishes tend to sell out well before the end of the lunch rush. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898053\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 971px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco.jpg\" alt='A view of the \"Taiwan taco,\" a scallion pancake stuffed with eggs, slaw, and edible flowers.' width=\"971\" height=\"1295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco.jpg 971w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 971px) 100vw, 971px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Chino Grande’s “Taiwan Taco.” \u003ccite>(El Chino Grande)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>8. El Chino Grande / Hén-zhi\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>1195 Evans Ave., San Francisco; various other locations\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nBefore he started these pop-ups with his partner Marcelle Gonzales Yang, Christopher Yang made a name for himself cooking at celebrated Bay Area restaurants like the now-shuttered ’Aina in S.F. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/el_chino_grande/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">El Chino Grande\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.henzhisf.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hén-zhí\u003c/a> are the chef’s tribute to his Taiwanese heritage—and to Taiwanese night markets, specifically. At El Chino Grande, for instance, he mixes Taiwanese flavors with California ingredients to create dishes like his “Taiwan Taco,” a take on a scallion pancake roll, or dan bing, that incorporates kabayaki tare, mayo, crispy nori furikake, cabbage slaw and pickled daikon. Hén-zhí, which takes more of a fine dining approach, has been doing mostly private events during the pandemic, but El Chino Grande makes regular appearances at Hunters Point Brewery on Sundays and at a Lafayette commissary kitchen every other Saturday. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>9. China Bee\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>31 S. B St., San Mateo\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside tag='eating-taiwanese' label='Eating Taiwanese']\u003c/span>Mixed in among Chinese American standards like chow mein and General’s chicken, Taiwanese dishes are the real star and focal point at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/chinabeerestaurant/\">China Bee\u003c/a>—even more so during the pandemic, when the downtown San Mateo restaurant has served an abbreviated (and almost entirely Taiwanese) takeout menu. It’s one of a handful of spots on the Peninsula that serves Taiwanese breakfast on the weekend, and the impeccably fried stinky tofu is one of the best versions around. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>10. Joy Restaurant\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>1489 Beach Park Blvd., Foster City\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nLocated near the Foster City waterfront, \u003ca href=\"http://joystw.com/\">Joy Restaurant\u003c/a> spans a wide range of regional Chinese cuisines, from Sichuan to Shanghainese, in addition to its explicitly Taiwanese dishes. At its core, however, the kitchen is cooking to suit Taiwanese tastes. The oversized Chunghua Road potstickers have a fantastically lacy, crunchy crust; the stinky tofu is genuinely pungent and delicious; and the claypot lion’s head meatball is just spectacular. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>11. Mary’s Bakery\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>34370 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://marys-bakery.square.site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mary’s Bakery\u003c/a> is the kind of small bakery you would wander into while walking around a local neighborhood in Taipei. It specializes in Taiwanese-style cakes such as fresh mango cake, covered in thinly sliced mangoes shaped like flowers, as well as Taiwanese-style baked goods, and it’s a little bit more homey and idiosyncratic than what you’d find at big bakery chains. The concise menu includes popular staples such as green onion buns and several different varieties of pineapple bun (buo luo bao). Call ahead if you’ve got your heart set on a particular cake. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898027\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898027\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of savory soy milk in a bowl, with pieces of fried cruller floating on top.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1778\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-800x556.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-2048x1422.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1920x1333.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Wu is one of the only local restaurants that serves Taiwanese breakfast dishes like savory soy milk five days a week. \u003ccite>(Chef Wu)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>12. Chef Wu\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>36926 Sycamore St., Newark\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://chefwuchineserestaurant.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This Newark mainstay\u003c/a> is one of the Bay Area’s only restaurants (perhaps \u003ci>the\u003c/i> only restaurant) that’s primarily known for serving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese breakfast\u003c/a>—the kind that includes fresh soy milk, shaobing (sesame flatbread), you tiao (fried crullers) and fan tuan (Taiwanese rice rolls). All of the dough-based specialties are made in-house, and, unlike most of the local Taiwanese restaurants dabbling in breakfast, Chef Wu doesn’t relegate those items to weekend service only. The restaurant has been closed for the duration of the pandemic, but it’s planning to reopen in mid-June. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>13. Cafe Mei\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>43761 Boscell Rd. #5125, Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nAccording to owner Kandy Wang, this new Fremont strip mall spot is the first restaurant to bring the recipes of Mei Er Mei, Taiwan’s most popular Western-style breakfast chain, to the U.S. When \u003ca href=\"http://www.cafemeiusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cafe Mei\u003c/a> officially opens, probably in mid-June, the restaurant will serve crustless ham-and-egg breakfast sandwiches, dan bing (egg crepe rolls) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese-style breakfast burgers\u003c/a> featuring a proprietary marinated pork patty, sliced cucumbers, a fried egg and sweet mayonnaise. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898033\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a red yeast pork bento box: slices of red-tinged crispy pork, corn kernels, a braised egg and tofu over white rice. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Du Xiao Yue’s lunchbox game is topnotch: The red yeast pork over rice is a thing of beauty. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>14. Du Xiao Yue\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>4161 Cushing Pkwy., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThough it has nothing to do with the famous \u003ca href=\"https://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/2018/10/taiwaneserevisited-i-still-strongly.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tainan-style noodle chain\u003c/a> in Taiwan that shares its name, the Fremont incarnation of Du Xiao Yue nevertheless serves some of the tastiest Taiwanese food in the area, with a particular emphasis on the kinds of snacky foods you might find at a night market—your pork blood rice cakes and oyster vermicellis. The restaurant’s lunchtime bento game is especially strong: The slightly tangy, immaculately crispy red yeast pork rice is a thing of beauty. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>15. Old Taro\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>46825 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nNewly moved across town to a different Fremont strip mall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/laoyuzai/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Old Taro\u003c/a> has a fairly extensive menu of Taiwanese rice plates and noodle soups, but the restaurant’s main point of attraction is its seven—count them!—different varieties of gloriously overstuffed fan tuan, including one version that features sweet Taiwanese sausage and another that’s spicy and includes an entire braised egg. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>16. Taiwan Cafe\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>568 N. Abel St., Milpitas\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nDuring the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://www.taiwancafemilpitas.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this country-style restaurant\u003c/a> has been delivering frozen Taiwanese and Hakka specialities to 24 states. Wan Luan pork hock with bamboo shoots is the speciality here, but the southern-style bah ûan (Taiwanese meatball) and five-spice rolls taste just like they do on the island. Hot bentos, oyster omelets and other ready-to-eat dishes can be ordered through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/taiwancafemilpitas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Cafe Facebook group\u003c/a> for weekend pickup. The dining room is currently closed. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898034\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898034\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A takeout container of fried stinky tofu, with pickled cabbage and a tub of sauce on the side.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Liu’s stinky tofu is one of the Bay Area’s most potent versions. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>17. Mama Liu\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>550 Barber Ln., Milpitas and other locations\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nDuring pre-pandemic times, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Liu-Taiwanese-Street-Food-424857264260232/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mama Liu\u003c/a> made its money on the lunchtime office park circuit, following a set route that included several Silicon Valley tech campuses. But with in-person working still largely on hold, the food truck, which specializes in Taiwanese street food, has only been selling once a week, at a different location each week (Milpitas, Fremont, Cupertino and so forth), to customers who pre-order via its \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Liu-Taiwanese-Street-Food-424857264260232/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese-language online form\u003c/a>. One the truck’s showstoppers is one of the Bay Area’s best versions of fried stinky tofu—extra juicy and pungent because they fry larger cubes of the tofu first before cutting them into smaller pieces. Another is an incredibly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897498/mama-liu-lu-rou-fan-taiwanese-food-comic\">tender, well balanced lu rou fan\u003c/a> (braised pork belly rice), made with hand-cut pork belly. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>18. Queen House\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>273 Castro Street, Mountain View\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOne of the oldest restaurants on Castro Street in Mountain View, \u003ca href=\"http://www.queenhouserestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Queen House\u003c/a> offers an array of Taiwanese dishes hidden on the back side of its American Chinese menu. The restaurant is best known for its beef noodle soup, which boasts generous cuts of meat. Other items to check out are the squid soup, which will appeal to fans of hot and sour, and the Taiwanese breakfast foods, which include beef rolls and crispy you tiao to dip into fresh soybean milk—all available on weekend mornings only. Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery are available. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>19. Chick & Tea\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>587 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOriginally located in \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/where-to-get-taiwanese-fried-chicken-in-the-east-bay-2-1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oakland\u003c/a>, this \u003ca href=\"https://www.chick-tea.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">standout boba drink and bento shop\u003c/a> now has storefronts in Sunnyvale and Milpitas. The cafe sells a variety of lunch boxes and five-spice-dusted fried appetizers, but the main reason to visit is the house special “GPIE.” That’s what the shop calls its wonderfully crunchy and well seasoned version of ji pai, the oversized fried chicken cutlets that are a staple of Taiwanese night markets. For the full experience, order your GPIE whole, not sliced, and eat it standing up, straight out of the paper bag. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Side dishes to be eaten with Taiwan Porridge Kingdom's sweet potato congee: pork ribs, pig's tongue, a dried radish omelet, fried peanuts and more.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The congee at Taiwan Porridge Kingdom is meant to be a blank canvas for the restaurant’s many delicious side dishes. \u003ccite>(Taiwan Porridge Kingdom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>20. Taiwan Porridge Kingdom\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>20956 Homestead Rd. Ste. A1, Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThere’s a stretch of Fuxing S. Road in Taipei that’s made up almost entirely of 24-hour restaurants that specialize in congee, or rice porridge, served on an all-you-can-eat basis. What you pay for are the dozens of little side dishes that you eat with it, pulling what you like off the cafeteria-style buffet. The South Bay might not have a whole street dedicated to the genre, but it is lucky enough to have at least one truly great restaurant in this style: Cupertino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.taiwanporridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Porridge Kingdom\u003c/a>. The restaurant’s velvety, comfortingly bland sweet potato congee is a soothing blank canvas for a huge array of tasty side dishes—everything from tangy marinated bamboo shoots to tender slices of spicy pig tongue. For takeout orders, the rice porridge isn’t all-you-can-eat, but it does come in big, absurdly inexpensive tubs. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>21. Liang’s Village\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19772 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://liangsvillage.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This restaurant\u003c/a> in Cupertino’s Merlion Center features Chinese-Taiwanese military village cooking. The beef tendon noodle soup, with its many bite-size chunks of beef and rich but not oily broth, is one of the best versions in the South Bay. The pigs’ feet with peanut noodle soup is another classic, made succulent by long braising. Currently offering takeout and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897684/pandemic-taiwanese-food-liangs-village\">Bay Area–wide delivery\u003c/a> (with free pickup available at several designated locations)—but no in-person dining—Liang’s also gives the option of providing uncooked noodles that can be boiled at home. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>22. L’Epi D’Or\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19675 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nAt \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Lepi-Dor-Bakery-291550974196298/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this independent bakery\u003c/a>, cloud-like milk bread is shaped into buns with traditional fillings (red bean, taro, mustard greens) and unexpected fusion pastries like conchas or jalapeño buns. Don’t pass up on the refrigerated case, which is packed with fried egg or potato salad sandwiches, as well as a rainbow of konjac desserts flavored with osmanthus, lychee or matcha. Or if you want shaved ice or boba, the shop still has you covered. During non-pandemic times, the bakery often turned out fresh waffle-like wheel cakes on the weekend. Everything’s baked in small batches, so visit in the morning for best selection. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>23. Tiger Sugar\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19620 Stevens Creek Blvd. Ste. 180, Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThis Cupertino shop is the Bay Area’s first location of \u003ca href=\"https://www.toasttab.com/tigersugarcupertino/v3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tiger Sugar\u003c/a>, a wildly popular boba chain from Taiwan that’s widely credited with kicking off the whole brown sugar boba milk craze on Instagram and TikTok. It’s one of those rare viral food products that lives up to the hype—not \u003ci>just\u003c/i> aesthetically pleasing, with the tiger stripe-shaped streaks of syrup running down the length of the cup, but also satisfyingly creamy and refreshing. On a hot day, you’ll want to make sure to grab a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">brown sugar boba ice cream\u003c/a> pop out of the freezer while you’re there. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>24. Red Hot Wok\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>10074 E. Estates Dr., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.redhotwokcupertino.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Red Hot Wok\u003c/a> is a Taiwanese restaurant-pub that makes for a great hangout spot where friends can share bar bites and popular Taiwanese dishes and enjoy a Taiwan Beer. Standout dishes include the san bei ji (three-cup chicken)—a clay pot of aromatic, caramelized goodness—or the stir-fried clam and basil dish. Don’t miss the shaved ice; their version of the popular Taiwanese summer treat is a fluffy snow ice, which comes in flavors such as green tea or taro, and gets topped with fresh mango. The cozy restaurant has reopened indoor dining; it also offers one table outside for dining al fresco, as well as delivery and takeout. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1432px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898038\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A traditional pork belly gua bao on a plate, on a white countertop.\" width=\"1432\" height=\"955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1432w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A traditional pork belly gua bao at Mama Chen’s Kitchen. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>25. Mama Chen’s Kitchen\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19052 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThe vast menu at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Chens-Kitchen-292054490826\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this South Bay institution\u003c/a>, which is named after a local matriarch, includes nearly 200 items. Many of the best choices are listed under the snacks and “Ma Ma Chen’s Special” categories, including the oyster pancake, bah ûan (a kind of Taiwanese steamed meatball) and gua bao, i.e. braised pork belly folded inside a fluffy steamed bun, all made with family recipes. Order small plates to share, and round out the meal with an order of stir-fried rice noodles. The restaurant currently offers both takeout and dine-in service. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>26. O2 Valley\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19058 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nNext door to Mama Chen’s Kitchen, \u003ca href=\"https://order.o2-valley.com\">O2 Valley\u003c/a> is a small boba and bento shop that offers classic Taiwanese flavors in its excellent, takeout-friendly rice plates, whose main entree options include pork chop (fried, braised, or grilled), fried squid and several vegetarian dishes like three-cup oyster mushrooms or dried tofu. Appetizers include street food favorites such as pig’s blood cake, grilled squid and fried mantou. It’s all great drinking food—though at O2 Valley, what you’ll want to wash everything down with is the shop’s wide variety of boba drinks, including many tea-forward options. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13897264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-160x25.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-768x122.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897983\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897983\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg\" alt=\"An illustrated map of the Bay Area with drawings of various Taiwanese foods at different locations on the map—gua bao near San Francisco, stinky tofu near San Mateo, pork chop bento near Oakland, fan tuan near Fremont, and lu rou fan near Milpitas.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-800x640.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-1020x816.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanMap_FinalInArticlePhoto-1536x1229.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>(Illustration by \u003ca href=\"https://www.felicia-liang.com/\">Felicia Liang\u003c/a>; design by Rebecca Kao)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>Eating Taiwanese in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/eatingtaiwanese\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring Taiwanese food culture in all of its glorious, delicious complexity.\u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ask a Taiwanese American about the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food scene, chances are they’ll complain about how hard it is to find stinky tofu or savory soy milk or a decent bowl of beef noodle soup. And it’s true: This isn’t exactly the San Gabriel Valley. But it’s also true that anyone who knocks the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food community probably hasn’t spent a lot of time in suburban enclaves like Fremont and Cupertino, where there’s big enough of a Taiwanese market that even niche restaurants—specializing in sweet potato congee or Taiwanese breakfast sandwiches—can survive and thrive. They also probably haven’t paid attention to the new wave of pop-ups that are bringing Taiwanese food into the mainstream in Oakland and San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here, then, are 26 of the Bay Area’s most delicious Taiwanese dining destinations, from the UC Berkeley campus down to the strip malls of Cupertino. Eating your way through the list will help cure any expat’s culinary homesickness. For newcomers to the cuisine, it also serves as an excellent introduction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Note: These entries aren’t ranked; instead, they’re listed in rough geographical order from north to south.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13897264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-160x25.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-768x122.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>1. Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>2431 Durant Ave. Suite B, Berkeley\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.shihlinca.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This local chain\u003c/a> specializes in the kinds of quick bites you’d find at Taiwan’s night markets and street stalls, including a surprisingly homey version of orh ah mee sua, aka oyster vermicelli. But the headliner is the “XXL” crispy chicken, a solid rendition of the oversized fried cutlets that are one of the signatures of the actual Shilin night market in Taipei. In addition to this Cal campus-adjacent storefront, which has been a hit with students from day one, and its original Milpitas shop, Shihlin has also expanded to Pleasanton, San Mateo and the Stonestown Galleria mall. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>2. Yilan Foods\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Previously at 4066 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://yilan-foods.square.site/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This popular pop-up restaurant\u003c/a> that started during the pandemic has been a welcome addition to the local Taiwanese food scene. Offering Sunday-only pickup for preorder customers in San Francisco and Oakland, the pop-up quickly amassed a following through social media and word-of-mouth. Yilan’s collagen-rich niu rou mian is truly a standout among the Bay Area’s beef noodle soup options, and its chunky, fatty pork over rice (lu rou fan) is hearty and satisfying. Yilan Foods is on temporary hiatus while its owners search for a permanent brick-and-mortar location; in the meantime, they’re also seeking a new home for the pop-up incarnation. Follow their \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/yilanfoods/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram page\u003c/a> for the latest updates. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897876\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1761px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897876\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a takeout box with sticky rice rolls, scallion egg pancake, and other Taiwanese breakfast items from Taiwan Bento.\" width=\"1761\" height=\"1174\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021.jpg 1761w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/005_KQEDArts_TaiwanBento_05082021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1761px) 100vw, 1761px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taiwan Bento is now hosting occasional Taiwanese breakfast pop-ups. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>3. Taiwan Bento\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>412 22nd St., Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOpen since 2014, \u003ca href=\"http://www.taiwanbento.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Bento\u003c/a> is one of the mainstays of Oakland’s Taiwanese restaurant community. As its name suggests, the restaurant is best known for its biandang, or Taiwanese lunch boxes—set meals that might come with a fried pork chop or braised minced pork, some pickled vegetables, a half a tea egg and a scoop of rice.The beef noodle soup is a hearty, belly-warming option; the basil-topped popcorn chicken is impeccably fried. Recently, the restaurant has also been dabbling in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese breakfast\u003c/a>—fan tuan (rice rolls) and dan bing (scallion egg pancakes)—during occasional weekend pop-ups. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>4. HoDaLa\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>5801 Geary Blvd., San Francisco\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThe most \u003ca href=\"https://www.hodalausa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">prominent new Taiwanese restaurant\u003c/a> to open in S.F. proper in many years, this Outer Richmond restaurant rocks a vintage aesthetic, with a display of old Taiwanese post office memorabilia and toys front and center. The menu leans toward Taiwan Beer–friendly bar snacks, with plenty of fried foods in the mix. The gua bao (or steamed bun “sandwich”) section alone runs five options deep and includes fusion-y versions stuffed with fried fish or barbecue pulled pork. HoDaLa is also one of the few spots in the city that serves tsua bing, or Taiwanese-style shaved ice, available with a host of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">different QQ toppings\u003c/a>. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>5. Dragon Gate Bar and Grille\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>300 Broadway, Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThis moody, neon-backlit cocktail bar has private karaoke rooms and one of the most extensive Taiwanese food menus in the entire East Bay—a win-win for devotees of these two cornerstones of Taiwanese culture. \u003ca href=\"https://www.dragongate300.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dragon Gate\u003c/a> has long been one of the only restaurants in Oakland where you can get stinky tofu, but the highlights of the menu are actually the more rustic, homestyle dishes: dried radish omelet, a variety of three-cup dishes (traditionally made with an entire cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine) and one of the East Bay’s better bowls of beef noodle soup. After staying closed for the bulk of the pandemic, the karaoke rooms are now back open for small gatherings as well. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898040\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2015px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898040\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of long potstickers next to a takeout carton of noodles.\" width=\"2015\" height=\"2048\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers.jpg 2015w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-800x813.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1020x1037.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-160x163.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-768x781.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1511x1536.jpg 1511w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/GoodToEat_potstickers-1920x1951.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2015px) 100vw, 2015px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The potstickers are Good-to-Eat Dumplings’ signature dish. \u003ccite>(Good-to-Eat Dumplings)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>6. Good-to-Eat Dumplings\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>292 4th St., Oakland\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nRun by founders Tony Tung and Angie Lin, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodtoeatdumplings.com\">this casual restaurant\u003c/a> specializes in Taiwan-style potstickers—elongated pan-fried dumplings with a thin wrapper and crunchy bottom. These are notable for their fillings, which include a popular version that’s filled with chicken and basil. While dumplings are the focus, the flavorful gua baos and wontons are also just like what you’d find in Taiwan. And during the pandemic, the pop-up has expanded its repertoire of locally-sourced Taiwanese dishes even further outside the realm of dumplings, serving things like noodles with minced pork sauce and \u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/9/16/21439018/good-to-eat-dumplings-taiwanese-caprese-tomatoes-soy-sauce-pop-up-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwanese\u003c/a> “\u003ca href=\"https://sf.eater.com/2020/9/16/21439018/good-to-eat-dumplings-taiwanese-caprese-tomatoes-soy-sauce-pop-up-oakland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caprese\u003c/a>.” Good-to-Eat is located at Original Pattern Brewing in Oakland’s Jack London neighborhood, and has plenty of outdoor seating. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>7. Bentolicious\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>4833 Hopyard Rd. E3, Pleasanton\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nMarvel at the efficiency of this strip mall \u003ca href=\"https://bentolicious.us/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bento shop’s\u003c/a> assembly line setup, as bandanna-clad workers load up your lunchbox, scooping home-style dishes from a steam table that gets replenished so frequently, the food never has a chance to lose its freshness. Main course options run the gamut from railroad (i.e., fried pork chop) bentos to lion’s head meatballs and saucy Chiayi chicken rice, and the rotating selection of sides, like fried pumpkin and Taiwanese-style mapo tofu, is just as compelling. Come on the early side, as the most popular dishes tend to sell out well before the end of the lunch rush. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898053\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 971px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco.jpg\" alt='A view of the \"Taiwan taco,\" a scallion pancake stuffed with eggs, slaw, and edible flowers.' width=\"971\" height=\"1295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco.jpg 971w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/ElChinoGrande_TaiwanTaco-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 971px) 100vw, 971px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Chino Grande’s “Taiwan Taco.” \u003ccite>(El Chino Grande)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>8. El Chino Grande / Hén-zhi\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>1195 Evans Ave., San Francisco; various other locations\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nBefore he started these pop-ups with his partner Marcelle Gonzales Yang, Christopher Yang made a name for himself cooking at celebrated Bay Area restaurants like the now-shuttered ’Aina in S.F. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/el_chino_grande/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">El Chino Grande\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.henzhisf.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hén-zhí\u003c/a> are the chef’s tribute to his Taiwanese heritage—and to Taiwanese night markets, specifically. At El Chino Grande, for instance, he mixes Taiwanese flavors with California ingredients to create dishes like his “Taiwan Taco,” a take on a scallion pancake roll, or dan bing, that incorporates kabayaki tare, mayo, crispy nori furikake, cabbage slaw and pickled daikon. Hén-zhí, which takes more of a fine dining approach, has been doing mostly private events during the pandemic, but El Chino Grande makes regular appearances at Hunters Point Brewery on Sundays and at a Lafayette commissary kitchen every other Saturday. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>9. China Bee\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>31 S. B St., San Mateo\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>Mixed in among Chinese American standards like chow mein and General’s chicken, Taiwanese dishes are the real star and focal point at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/chinabeerestaurant/\">China Bee\u003c/a>—even more so during the pandemic, when the downtown San Mateo restaurant has served an abbreviated (and almost entirely Taiwanese) takeout menu. It’s one of a handful of spots on the Peninsula that serves Taiwanese breakfast on the weekend, and the impeccably fried stinky tofu is one of the best versions around. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>10. Joy Restaurant\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>1489 Beach Park Blvd., Foster City\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nLocated near the Foster City waterfront, \u003ca href=\"http://joystw.com/\">Joy Restaurant\u003c/a> spans a wide range of regional Chinese cuisines, from Sichuan to Shanghainese, in addition to its explicitly Taiwanese dishes. At its core, however, the kitchen is cooking to suit Taiwanese tastes. The oversized Chunghua Road potstickers have a fantastically lacy, crunchy crust; the stinky tofu is genuinely pungent and delicious; and the claypot lion’s head meatball is just spectacular. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>11. Mary’s Bakery\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>34370 Fremont Blvd., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://marys-bakery.square.site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mary’s Bakery\u003c/a> is the kind of small bakery you would wander into while walking around a local neighborhood in Taipei. It specializes in Taiwanese-style cakes such as fresh mango cake, covered in thinly sliced mangoes shaped like flowers, as well as Taiwanese-style baked goods, and it’s a little bit more homey and idiosyncratic than what you’d find at big bakery chains. The concise menu includes popular staples such as green onion buns and several different varieties of pineapple bun (buo luo bao). Call ahead if you’ve got your heart set on a particular cake. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898027\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898027\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of savory soy milk in a bowl, with pieces of fried cruller floating on top.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1778\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-800x556.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1020x708.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-160x111.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-768x533.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-2048x1422.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/chefwu_soymilk-1920x1333.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chef Wu is one of the only local restaurants that serves Taiwanese breakfast dishes like savory soy milk five days a week. \u003ccite>(Chef Wu)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>12. Chef Wu\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>36926 Sycamore St., Newark\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://chefwuchineserestaurant.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This Newark mainstay\u003c/a> is one of the Bay Area’s only restaurants (perhaps \u003ci>the\u003c/i> only restaurant) that’s primarily known for serving \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese breakfast\u003c/a>—the kind that includes fresh soy milk, shaobing (sesame flatbread), you tiao (fried crullers) and fan tuan (Taiwanese rice rolls). All of the dough-based specialties are made in-house, and, unlike most of the local Taiwanese restaurants dabbling in breakfast, Chef Wu doesn’t relegate those items to weekend service only. The restaurant has been closed for the duration of the pandemic, but it’s planning to reopen in mid-June. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>13. Cafe Mei\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>43761 Boscell Rd. #5125, Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nAccording to owner Kandy Wang, this new Fremont strip mall spot is the first restaurant to bring the recipes of Mei Er Mei, Taiwan’s most popular Western-style breakfast chain, to the U.S. When \u003ca href=\"http://www.cafemeiusa.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cafe Mei\u003c/a> officially opens, probably in mid-June, the restaurant will serve crustless ham-and-egg breakfast sandwiches, dan bing (egg crepe rolls) and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897868/taiwanese-breakfast-bay-area\">Taiwanese-style breakfast burgers\u003c/a> featuring a proprietary marinated pork patty, sliced cucumbers, a fried egg and sweet mayonnaise. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898033\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898033\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Overhead view of a red yeast pork bento box: slices of red-tinged crispy pork, corn kernels, a braised egg and tofu over white rice. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/DuXiaoYue_redporkrice-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Du Xiao Yue’s lunchbox game is topnotch: The red yeast pork over rice is a thing of beauty. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>14. Du Xiao Yue\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>4161 Cushing Pkwy., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThough it has nothing to do with the famous \u003ca href=\"https://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/2018/10/taiwaneserevisited-i-still-strongly.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tainan-style noodle chain\u003c/a> in Taiwan that shares its name, the Fremont incarnation of Du Xiao Yue nevertheless serves some of the tastiest Taiwanese food in the area, with a particular emphasis on the kinds of snacky foods you might find at a night market—your pork blood rice cakes and oyster vermicellis. The restaurant’s lunchtime bento game is especially strong: The slightly tangy, immaculately crispy red yeast pork rice is a thing of beauty. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>15. Old Taro\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>46825 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nNewly moved across town to a different Fremont strip mall, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/laoyuzai/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Old Taro\u003c/a> has a fairly extensive menu of Taiwanese rice plates and noodle soups, but the restaurant’s main point of attraction is its seven—count them!—different varieties of gloriously overstuffed fan tuan, including one version that features sweet Taiwanese sausage and another that’s spicy and includes an entire braised egg. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>16. Taiwan Cafe\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>568 N. Abel St., Milpitas\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nDuring the pandemic, \u003ca href=\"https://www.taiwancafemilpitas.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this country-style restaurant\u003c/a> has been delivering frozen Taiwanese and Hakka specialities to 24 states. Wan Luan pork hock with bamboo shoots is the speciality here, but the southern-style bah ûan (Taiwanese meatball) and five-spice rolls taste just like they do on the island. Hot bentos, oyster omelets and other ready-to-eat dishes can be ordered through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/taiwancafemilpitas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Cafe Facebook group\u003c/a> for weekend pickup. The dining room is currently closed. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898034\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898034\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A takeout container of fried stinky tofu, with pickled cabbage and a tub of sauce on the side.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/MamaLiu_stinkytofu-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Liu’s stinky tofu is one of the Bay Area’s most potent versions. \u003ccite>(Luke Tsai/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>17. Mama Liu\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>550 Barber Ln., Milpitas and other locations\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nDuring pre-pandemic times, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Liu-Taiwanese-Street-Food-424857264260232/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mama Liu\u003c/a> made its money on the lunchtime office park circuit, following a set route that included several Silicon Valley tech campuses. But with in-person working still largely on hold, the food truck, which specializes in Taiwanese street food, has only been selling once a week, at a different location each week (Milpitas, Fremont, Cupertino and so forth), to customers who pre-order via its \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Liu-Taiwanese-Street-Food-424857264260232/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chinese-language online form\u003c/a>. One the truck’s showstoppers is one of the Bay Area’s best versions of fried stinky tofu—extra juicy and pungent because they fry larger cubes of the tofu first before cutting them into smaller pieces. Another is an incredibly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897498/mama-liu-lu-rou-fan-taiwanese-food-comic\">tender, well balanced lu rou fan\u003c/a> (braised pork belly rice), made with hand-cut pork belly. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>18. Queen House\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>273 Castro Street, Mountain View\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOne of the oldest restaurants on Castro Street in Mountain View, \u003ca href=\"http://www.queenhouserestaurant.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Queen House\u003c/a> offers an array of Taiwanese dishes hidden on the back side of its American Chinese menu. The restaurant is best known for its beef noodle soup, which boasts generous cuts of meat. Other items to check out are the squid soup, which will appeal to fans of hot and sour, and the Taiwanese breakfast foods, which include beef rolls and crispy you tiao to dip into fresh soybean milk—all available on weekend mornings only. Outdoor dining, takeout and delivery are available. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>19. Chick & Tea\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>587 E. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nOriginally located in \u003ca href=\"https://eastbayexpress.com/where-to-get-taiwanese-fried-chicken-in-the-east-bay-2-1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oakland\u003c/a>, this \u003ca href=\"https://www.chick-tea.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">standout boba drink and bento shop\u003c/a> now has storefronts in Sunnyvale and Milpitas. The cafe sells a variety of lunch boxes and five-spice-dusted fried appetizers, but the main reason to visit is the house special “GPIE.” That’s what the shop calls its wonderfully crunchy and well seasoned version of ji pai, the oversized fried chicken cutlets that are a staple of Taiwanese night markets. For the full experience, order your GPIE whole, not sliced, and eat it standing up, straight out of the paper bag. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898037\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898037\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Side dishes to be eaten with Taiwan Porridge Kingdom's sweet potato congee: pork ribs, pig's tongue, a dried radish omelet, fried peanuts and more.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/TaiwanPorridge_sides-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The congee at Taiwan Porridge Kingdom is meant to be a blank canvas for the restaurant’s many delicious side dishes. \u003ccite>(Taiwan Porridge Kingdom)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>20. Taiwan Porridge Kingdom\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>20956 Homestead Rd. Ste. A1, Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThere’s a stretch of Fuxing S. Road in Taipei that’s made up almost entirely of 24-hour restaurants that specialize in congee, or rice porridge, served on an all-you-can-eat basis. What you pay for are the dozens of little side dishes that you eat with it, pulling what you like off the cafeteria-style buffet. The South Bay might not have a whole street dedicated to the genre, but it is lucky enough to have at least one truly great restaurant in this style: Cupertino’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.taiwanporridge.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Taiwan Porridge Kingdom\u003c/a>. The restaurant’s velvety, comfortingly bland sweet potato congee is a soothing blank canvas for a huge array of tasty side dishes—everything from tangy marinated bamboo shoots to tender slices of spicy pig tongue. For takeout orders, the rice porridge isn’t all-you-can-eat, but it does come in big, absurdly inexpensive tubs. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>21. Liang’s Village\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19772 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://liangsvillage.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This restaurant\u003c/a> in Cupertino’s Merlion Center features Chinese-Taiwanese military village cooking. The beef tendon noodle soup, with its many bite-size chunks of beef and rich but not oily broth, is one of the best versions in the South Bay. The pigs’ feet with peanut noodle soup is another classic, made succulent by long braising. Currently offering takeout and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897684/pandemic-taiwanese-food-liangs-village\">Bay Area–wide delivery\u003c/a> (with free pickup available at several designated locations)—but no in-person dining—Liang’s also gives the option of providing uncooked noodles that can be boiled at home. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>22. L’Epi D’Or\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19675 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nAt \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Lepi-Dor-Bakery-291550974196298/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this independent bakery\u003c/a>, cloud-like milk bread is shaped into buns with traditional fillings (red bean, taro, mustard greens) and unexpected fusion pastries like conchas or jalapeño buns. Don’t pass up on the refrigerated case, which is packed with fried egg or potato salad sandwiches, as well as a rainbow of konjac desserts flavored with osmanthus, lychee or matcha. Or if you want shaved ice or boba, the shop still has you covered. During non-pandemic times, the bakery often turned out fresh waffle-like wheel cakes on the weekend. Everything’s baked in small batches, so visit in the morning for best selection. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>23. Tiger Sugar\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19620 Stevens Creek Blvd. Ste. 180, Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThis Cupertino shop is the Bay Area’s first location of \u003ca href=\"https://www.toasttab.com/tigersugarcupertino/v3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tiger Sugar\u003c/a>, a wildly popular boba chain from Taiwan that’s widely credited with kicking off the whole brown sugar boba milk craze on Instagram and TikTok. It’s one of those rare viral food products that lives up to the hype—not \u003ci>just\u003c/i> aesthetically pleasing, with the tiger stripe-shaped streaks of syrup running down the length of the cup, but also satisfyingly creamy and refreshing. On a hot day, you’ll want to make sure to grab a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13897410/taiwanese-food-texture-q-boba-love-boat\">brown sugar boba ice cream\u003c/a> pop out of the freezer while you’re there. —L.T.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>24. Red Hot Wok\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>10074 E. Estates Dr., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.redhotwokcupertino.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Red Hot Wok\u003c/a> is a Taiwanese restaurant-pub that makes for a great hangout spot where friends can share bar bites and popular Taiwanese dishes and enjoy a Taiwan Beer. Standout dishes include the san bei ji (three-cup chicken)—a clay pot of aromatic, caramelized goodness—or the stir-fried clam and basil dish. Don’t miss the shaved ice; their version of the popular Taiwanese summer treat is a fluffy snow ice, which comes in flavors such as green tea or taro, and gets topped with fresh mango. The cozy restaurant has reopened indoor dining; it also offers one table outside for dining al fresco, as well as delivery and takeout. —M.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13898038\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1432px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13898038\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A traditional pork belly gua bao on a plate, on a white countertop.\" width=\"1432\" height=\"955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1432w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/016_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A traditional pork belly gua bao at Mama Chen’s Kitchen. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch4>25. Mama Chen’s Kitchen\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19052 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nThe vast menu at \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Chens-Kitchen-292054490826\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this South Bay institution\u003c/a>, which is named after a local matriarch, includes nearly 200 items. Many of the best choices are listed under the snacks and “Ma Ma Chen’s Special” categories, including the oyster pancake, bah ûan (a kind of Taiwanese steamed meatball) and gua bao, i.e. braised pork belly folded inside a fluffy steamed bun, all made with family recipes. Order small plates to share, and round out the meal with an order of stir-fried rice noodles. The restaurant currently offers both takeout and dine-in service. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch4>26. O2 Valley\u003c/h4>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>19058 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino\u003c/i>\u003cbr>\nNext door to Mama Chen’s Kitchen, \u003ca href=\"https://order.o2-valley.com\">O2 Valley\u003c/a> is a small boba and bento shop that offers classic Taiwanese flavors in its excellent, takeout-friendly rice plates, whose main entree options include pork chop (fried, braised, or grilled), fried squid and several vegetarian dishes like three-cup oyster mushrooms or dried tofu. Appetizers include street food favorites such as pig’s blood cake, grilled squid and fried mantou. It’s all great drinking food—though at O2 Valley, what you’ll want to wash everything down with is the shop’s wide variety of boba drinks, including many tea-forward options. —G.H.L.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Why Silicon Valley is Still the Heart of the Bay Area’s Taiwanese Restaurant Scene",
"headTitle": "Why Silicon Valley is Still the Heart of the Bay Area’s Taiwanese Restaurant Scene | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897834\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897834\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg\" alt=\"A pair of gua bao, or Taiwanese pork belly buns, on a white plate, against a stylized blue backdrop.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto-800x532.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto-1020x678.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/SVTaiwanese_FinalInArticlePhoto-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u003cem>(Photo by Beth LaBerge; design by Rebecca Kao)\u003c/em>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">KQED’s \u003c/i>\u003c/em>Eating Taiwanese in the Bay\u003cem>\u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\"> is a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/eatingtaiwanese\">series of stories\u003c/a> exploring Taiwanese food culture in all of its glorious, delicious complexity.\u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[dropcap]D[/dropcap]riving down Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, it’s easier to find a boba drink than a Frappuccino. Hungry teenagers roam shopping centers looking for hot dogs wrapped in milk bread. And “bento,” more often than not, means a multi-compartmented Taiwanese feast of pork chop, rice, vegetables and braised egg. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s not by chance that Silicon Valley became ground zero for the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food scene. Santa Clara County’s Taiwanese population is second in the U.S. only to Los Angeles County. Mom-and-pop Taiwanese eateries proliferated along with the rise of personal computers and the internet. Before long, Taiwanese Americans throughout Northern California knew that if they wanted a decent oyster omelet or beef noodle soup, chances were they’d have to trek out to a strip mall in Milpitas or Cupertino.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But just as new start-ups have forced the legacy tech companies to evolve, many of Silicon Valley’s most beloved Taiwanese restaurants now face a turning point as their founders age and the pandemic continues to hamstring their business. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Chens-Kitchen-292054490826/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mama Chen’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a sunny Cupertino restaurant known for its Taiwanese small bites, including gua bao and stinky tofu—foods best enjoyed fresh out of the steamer or wok and shared with friends. Like Apple’s new offices across the street, however, the dining room’s glossy tables mostly sat empty during a recent lunch hour. “You can imagine how many people work there, I think more than 20,000 people,” owner Bobby Chan says of his depleted customer base. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897843\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1805px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897843\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of fried stinky tofu with a side of pickled cabbage on a white countertop.\" width=\"1805\" height=\"1203\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1805w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1805px) 100vw, 1805px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fried stinky tofu: a classic Taiwanese street food dish. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chan started the restaurant in 2012 with his mother-in-law, affectionately known in the Taiwanese American community as “Mama Chen.” These days, it’s one of the many Taiwanese spots across the Valley that are struggling to reinvent themselves during the pandemic. But there’s good news too. A second generation of Taiwanese American restaurant owners have taken the reins from their parents, using social media to sell traditional foods in ways no one could have imagined when they first opened their doors. Their restaurants’ continued success speaks to an underlying truth that hasn’t changed in 20 or 30 years: If you want to understand the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food community, you have to spend time in Silicon Valley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Taiwan’s Brain Drain and the Rise of High Tech\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I first moved to San Jose as a kid in the early 1980s. My family was part of a wave of Taiwanese Americans lured by growing companies such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Apple. Like many immigrants from Taiwan in the 1960s and ’70s, my parents came to the United States to pursue advanced degrees in science and engineering, part of the “brain drain” of the island’s most highly educated citizens who were newly eligible to go to America under the Immigration Act of 1965. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You had a larger number of immigrants that could come from China, from Taiwan,” explains Franklin Ng, professor of anthropology at Fresno State and author of \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Taiwanese Americans\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “A very, very fortuitously historic fact was that the United States was beginning to move into what you might call the computer age. And micro-conductors were very important at this time. And it just happened that UC Berkeley, Stanford, Stanford Industrial Park, Santa Clara, this area was important as a sort of petri dish for innovation.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But engineers weren’t necessarily good cooks. While there were restaurants serving American Chinese and Cantonese food, there weren’t many that could dish up the sweet and savory flavors, the oysters and squid, or the chewy rice and tapioca confections typical of my family’s Fujianese (or Hoklo) ancestors, who settled in Taiwan beginning in the 1600s. Nor was it easy to find the wheat-based noodles and pancakes popularized by the post-1949 transplants who arrived from China after the Chinese Civil War—the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ketagalanmedia.com/2018/12/08/history-taiwanese-identity/?fbclid=IwAR0DS4diOwKtO0AC855hk5V0x4BwonqRnmrdNIUAH5e58QfAnWd1PLo92yw\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">self-described waishengren\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (literally, “people born outside the province” or “foreign-born people” in Mandarin).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My parents drove us all over the Valley searching for the madeleines of their youth: stretchy oyster omelets drizzled with sweet red chili-miso sauce, squid soup zingy with black vinegar or the warm goodness of fresh-pressed soy milk. Eventually, we found these foods and more, ordering xiaolongbao off the menu at a lunch-special joint and slurping pork chop noodles in the back of an ice cream parlor.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897840\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1702px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897840\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A Taiwanese oyster omelette on a square plate, on a white countertop.\" width=\"1702\" height=\"1135\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1702w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Chen’s elegant version of an oyster omelet, a popular Taiwanese street food. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily, changes in U.S. immigration policies also allowed for family reunification, which proved to be a further boon for the burgeoning Taiwanese restaurant scene. Chin-Shin Yang, known by her married last name “Mama Chen,” was one of the many Taiwanese immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1980s. At first, she started selling \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-09/savory-treat-dragon-boat-festival-and-aunties-who-make-them\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bah tsàng\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, homemade leaf-wrapped rice dumplings stuffed with pork and other goodies, directly to the Taiwanese American community. By 1997 she developed enough of a following that she and her son-in-law opened their first restaurant in Milpitas, named Southland (“Tainan” in Chinese) after her hometown in Southern Taiwan. A year later, they opened another outpost in the Cupertino Village shopping center, anchored by a Ranch 99 supermarket. Those restaurants have since closed or been sold, but Mama Chen became well known in the community, often donating meals for church events or the annual Taiwanese American Cultural Festival. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897839\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1762px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897839\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"Taiwanese bah tsang (or leaf-wrapped rice dumpling) in a white bowl on a white countertop.\" width=\"1762\" height=\"1175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1762w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1762px) 100vw, 1762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Chen started off just selling bah tsang within the local Taiwanese community. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2012, Chen and her son-in-law opened Mama Chen’s Kitchen at its current location on Stevens Creek Boulevard. Sitting down to a meal there reminds me of the area’s earliest Taiwanese restaurants—tidy family businesses that served small plates to be shared. After Chen herself passed away several years ago, Chan, her son-in-law, has continued to run the restaurant. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of Silicon Valley’s oldest Taiwanese restaurants opened in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In addition to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.southlandcafe.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Southland Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Cupertino, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.queenhouserestaurant.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Queen House\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> opened on Castro Street in Mountain View and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.taiwancafe.me/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taiwan Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> set up shop in Milpitas. In 2000, I came back to my hometown after being away for most of the 1990s for college and work, and the changes were unmistakable. Computer chip manufacturers were moving overseas, and internet start-ups employed a steady stream of new immigrants from places like Taiwan. Boba shops had sprung up, selling deep-fried fish balls and five spice–scented popcorn chicken to go along with sweet milk teas, all to a Mandopop soundtrack.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the Valley today, you can eat Taiwanese food from dawn until dusk, beginning with a bowl of sweet potato congee at Taiwan Porridge Kingdom and moving on to Southland’s savory rice pudding steamed in a bowl. You can snack on pillowy baked buns stuffed with taro or pork floss at one of the local bakeries and then finish the day with an icy lager and three-cup squid at a beer house like Red Hot Wok. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[aside tag='eating-taiwanese' label='Eating Taiwanese']Many of the Taiwanese restaurants which have risen to national prominence in recent years (Baohaus and Win Son in New York, Pine & Crane in Los Angeles) feature mostly “waisheng” menus. These dishes—like rich beef noodle soup and brothy xiaolongbao—often reflect the cattle and wheat of northern China. But Taiwan’s food is as complex and multilayered as its identity. Silicon Valley’s Taiwanese restaurants go beyond the most widely known corners of the cuisine, often emphasizing the foodways of the Hoklo, who make up an estimated 70% of the island’s population. The impact of 50 years of Japanese colonization is also writ large in the current proliferation of bentos, super-sized versions of the pork chop and rice \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2019/01/the-biandang-from-japanese-days-to-the-present/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lunch boxes sold on Taiwan’s railways\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Another popular dish, Chiayi chicken rice, reflects the legacy of U.S. military presence in Taiwan, spurring locals to create a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chiayi.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=530\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">meal using surplus poultry\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It’s still hard, however, to find the flavors of the island’s numerous indigenous tribes, though a charming restaurant called Cambowan in San Mateo used to serve black rice steamed in bamboo before it closed its doors for good during the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the most beloved niche restaurants is less than three miles from Cisco headquarters. Stepping through the doors of Taiwan Cafe, with its brick walls and vintage neon signs, is like entering a village in the island’s rural south. “We like that country flavor, xiāng xià de wèi dào,” says owner Sue Chang, whose mother Lin Lan Chih opened the cafe in 2006. Some menu items are very specific to the family’s Hakka heritage. This Chinese minority group has been in Taiwan for hundreds of years; their culinary traditions, such as preserved daikon and bamboo shoots, often reflect scarcity and agricultural work. Taiwan Cafe’s specialty is Wan Luan pork, a mahogany braised hock served on a bed of tangy bamboo shoots, named after Chih’s hometown in tropical Pingtung County. Although Chang came to America at age ten, she speaks fondly and at length about traditional Hakka foods, including thick handmade ban tiao rice noodles and pork intestines stir-fried with ginger and vinegar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Can Tech Save Taiwanese Restaurants? Third Generation and Beyond\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of these legacy Taiwanese restaurants were already in the midst of handing over the reins to the next generation when the pandemic sped up that process. The need to develop new revenue streams, such as deliveries or selling groceries, requires tech skills that the aging founders might not have. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a recent Saturday morning, a steady stream of customers arrived at Taiwan Cafe to pick up to-go orders which can be ordered once a week. These dishes include ready-to-eat bentos of sliced Wan Luan pork fanned over a bed of white rice topped with bamboo shoots in minced pork sauce, Hakka Delight featuring pressed tofu and pork strips stir-fried with celery and leeks, and Hoklo classics such as oyster omelet. Since March 2020, the nostalgic dining room has been closed, and it’s now filled with three industrial freezers holding vacuum-packed pork hocks, translucent pork-stuffed bah ûan and five-spice rolls waiting to be deep-fried. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, the restaurant is mostly focused on selling frozen specialties, which can be picked up locally or shipped to destinations as far-flung as Minnesota and New Jersey. Three generations are now in the business: Chang’s 23-year old daughter Stephanie Tseng handles the online orders and the Facebook page while her mother and brother run Cafe Taiwan in Pleasanton.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even more dramatic are the changes that have taken place at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://liangsvillage.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liang’s Village\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Cupertino, best known for its beef noodle soup. The family business was first started in 1981 in the San Gabriel Valley as Mama’s Kitchen, a cafeteria featuring braised meats and tofu. The Cupertino outpost was opened by the original Mama Liang’s grandson Austin in 2010, after graduating from U.C. Berkeley. Today, Austin and his siblings Jessica and Erica run the company. In 2018, they raised $26,500 on Kickstarter to start a line of frozen foods inspired by the dishes their father sent with them to college. “Our dad had a restaurant, so we always took sauces home and froze it at school,” says Erica Liang. “Then you boil some noodles and pop it in, and it was just like the best home cooked meal.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897841\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897841\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of takeout dishes from Liang's Village in white takeout cartons.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of takeout dishes from Liang’s Village. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of the pandemic, they sold only two items: beef noodle soup and red oil wontons. Now, the newly minted \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mamaliangs.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mama Liang’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> brand has a sleek, English-language website selling 19 products. Customers can get frozen meals like minced pork sauce, stewed pig’s feet and caramelized scallion noodles shipped nationwide. They’ve even dabbled in cooking videos: Earlier in May, Jessica did a demonstration of their beef noodle kit for this year’s online version of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tafestival.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taiwanese American Cultural Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which is normally held in San Francisco’s Union Square. Meanwhile, the dining room remains closed, and Mama Liang’s grandchildren don’t know exactly what the future holds. “It’s a little bit hard to kind of decide on which way we’re going,” says Jessica Liang, who is waiting to see if conditions are ripe to allow restaurants to fully open this summer. “It’s really hard to justify opening a restaurant if it’s not 100% capacity.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, just a few blocks down Stevens Creek Boulevard, Bobby Chan is holding out hope of filling Mama Chen’s dining room soon. “People love to dine in instead of to-go,” he says. And he has a point. Takeout bentos and meal kits, like Zoom and FaceTime, have helped many people get through this year. But there’s something inherently un-Taiwanese about eating alone in front of a screen. Taiwanese people love to eat together. The sensory experience of trying restaurants with friends, or strolling through a crowded night market together, is as much part of the culture as the food itself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And while it’s hard to know when these restaurants will return to some sense of normalcy, or how much more this next generation of small business owners will shake up the status quo, one thing’s for certain: Taiwanese restaurants in Silicon Valley are here to stay. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13897264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-160x25.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-768x122.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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Hungry teenagers roam shopping centers looking for hot dogs wrapped in milk bread. And “bento,” more often than not, means a multi-compartmented Taiwanese feast of pork chop, rice, vegetables and braised egg. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s not by chance that Silicon Valley became ground zero for the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food scene. Santa Clara County’s Taiwanese population is second in the U.S. only to Los Angeles County. Mom-and-pop Taiwanese eateries proliferated along with the rise of personal computers and the internet. Before long, Taiwanese Americans throughout Northern California knew that if they wanted a decent oyster omelet or beef noodle soup, chances were they’d have to trek out to a strip mall in Milpitas or Cupertino.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But just as new start-ups have forced the legacy tech companies to evolve, many of Silicon Valley’s most beloved Taiwanese restaurants now face a turning point as their founders age and the pandemic continues to hamstring their business. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/Mama-Chens-Kitchen-292054490826/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mama Chen’s Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a sunny Cupertino restaurant known for its Taiwanese small bites, including gua bao and stinky tofu—foods best enjoyed fresh out of the steamer or wok and shared with friends. Like Apple’s new offices across the street, however, the dining room’s glossy tables mostly sat empty during a recent lunch hour. “You can imagine how many people work there, I think more than 20,000 people,” owner Bobby Chan says of his depleted customer base. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897843\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1805px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897843\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A plate of fried stinky tofu with a side of pickled cabbage on a white countertop.\" width=\"1805\" height=\"1203\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1805w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/025_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1805px) 100vw, 1805px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fried stinky tofu: a classic Taiwanese street food dish. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chan started the restaurant in 2012 with his mother-in-law, affectionately known in the Taiwanese American community as “Mama Chen.” These days, it’s one of the many Taiwanese spots across the Valley that are struggling to reinvent themselves during the pandemic. But there’s good news too. A second generation of Taiwanese American restaurant owners have taken the reins from their parents, using social media to sell traditional foods in ways no one could have imagined when they first opened their doors. Their restaurants’ continued success speaks to an underlying truth that hasn’t changed in 20 or 30 years: If you want to understand the Bay Area’s Taiwanese food community, you have to spend time in Silicon Valley.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Taiwan’s Brain Drain and the Rise of High Tech\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I first moved to San Jose as a kid in the early 1980s. My family was part of a wave of Taiwanese Americans lured by growing companies such as IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Apple. Like many immigrants from Taiwan in the 1960s and ’70s, my parents came to the United States to pursue advanced degrees in science and engineering, part of the “brain drain” of the island’s most highly educated citizens who were newly eligible to go to America under the Immigration Act of 1965. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You had a larger number of immigrants that could come from China, from Taiwan,” explains Franklin Ng, professor of anthropology at Fresno State and author of \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Taiwanese Americans\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “A very, very fortuitously historic fact was that the United States was beginning to move into what you might call the computer age. And micro-conductors were very important at this time. And it just happened that UC Berkeley, Stanford, Stanford Industrial Park, Santa Clara, this area was important as a sort of petri dish for innovation.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But engineers weren’t necessarily good cooks. While there were restaurants serving American Chinese and Cantonese food, there weren’t many that could dish up the sweet and savory flavors, the oysters and squid, or the chewy rice and tapioca confections typical of my family’s Fujianese (or Hoklo) ancestors, who settled in Taiwan beginning in the 1600s. Nor was it easy to find the wheat-based noodles and pancakes popularized by the post-1949 transplants who arrived from China after the Chinese Civil War—the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ketagalanmedia.com/2018/12/08/history-taiwanese-identity/?fbclid=IwAR0DS4diOwKtO0AC855hk5V0x4BwonqRnmrdNIUAH5e58QfAnWd1PLo92yw\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">self-described waishengren\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (literally, “people born outside the province” or “foreign-born people” in Mandarin).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My parents drove us all over the Valley searching for the madeleines of their youth: stretchy oyster omelets drizzled with sweet red chili-miso sauce, squid soup zingy with black vinegar or the warm goodness of fresh-pressed soy milk. Eventually, we found these foods and more, ordering xiaolongbao off the menu at a lunch-special joint and slurping pork chop noodles in the back of an ice cream parlor.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897840\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1702px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897840\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"A Taiwanese oyster omelette on a square plate, on a white countertop.\" width=\"1702\" height=\"1135\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1702w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/001_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Chen’s elegant version of an oyster omelet, a popular Taiwanese street food. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Luckily, changes in U.S. immigration policies also allowed for family reunification, which proved to be a further boon for the burgeoning Taiwanese restaurant scene. Chin-Shin Yang, known by her married last name “Mama Chen,” was one of the many Taiwanese immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1980s. At first, she started selling \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-09/savory-treat-dragon-boat-festival-and-aunties-who-make-them\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">bah tsàng\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, homemade leaf-wrapped rice dumplings stuffed with pork and other goodies, directly to the Taiwanese American community. By 1997 she developed enough of a following that she and her son-in-law opened their first restaurant in Milpitas, named Southland (“Tainan” in Chinese) after her hometown in Southern Taiwan. A year later, they opened another outpost in the Cupertino Village shopping center, anchored by a Ranch 99 supermarket. Those restaurants have since closed or been sold, but Mama Chen became well known in the community, often donating meals for church events or the annual Taiwanese American Cultural Festival. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897839\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1762px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897839\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg\" alt=\"Taiwanese bah tsang (or leaf-wrapped rice dumpling) in a white bowl on a white countertop.\" width=\"1762\" height=\"1175\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021.jpg 1762w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/006_Cupertino_MamaChensKitchen_05172021-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1762px) 100vw, 1762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mama Chen started off just selling bah tsang within the local Taiwanese community. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2012, Chen and her son-in-law opened Mama Chen’s Kitchen at its current location on Stevens Creek Boulevard. Sitting down to a meal there reminds me of the area’s earliest Taiwanese restaurants—tidy family businesses that served small plates to be shared. After Chen herself passed away several years ago, Chan, her son-in-law, has continued to run the restaurant. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of Silicon Valley’s oldest Taiwanese restaurants opened in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In addition to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.southlandcafe.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Southland Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Cupertino, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.queenhouserestaurant.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Queen House\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> opened on Castro Street in Mountain View and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.taiwancafe.me/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taiwan Cafe\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> set up shop in Milpitas. In 2000, I came back to my hometown after being away for most of the 1990s for college and work, and the changes were unmistakable. Computer chip manufacturers were moving overseas, and internet start-ups employed a steady stream of new immigrants from places like Taiwan. Boba shops had sprung up, selling deep-fried fish balls and five spice–scented popcorn chicken to go along with sweet milk teas, all to a Mandopop soundtrack.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the Valley today, you can eat Taiwanese food from dawn until dusk, beginning with a bowl of sweet potato congee at Taiwan Porridge Kingdom and moving on to Southland’s savory rice pudding steamed in a bowl. You can snack on pillowy baked buns stuffed with taro or pork floss at one of the local bakeries and then finish the day with an icy lager and three-cup squid at a beer house like Red Hot Wok. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Many of the Taiwanese restaurants which have risen to national prominence in recent years (Baohaus and Win Son in New York, Pine & Crane in Los Angeles) feature mostly “waisheng” menus. These dishes—like rich beef noodle soup and brothy xiaolongbao—often reflect the cattle and wheat of northern China. But Taiwan’s food is as complex and multilayered as its identity. Silicon Valley’s Taiwanese restaurants go beyond the most widely known corners of the cuisine, often emphasizing the foodways of the Hoklo, who make up an estimated 70% of the island’s population. The impact of 50 years of Japanese colonization is also writ large in the current proliferation of bentos, super-sized versions of the pork chop and rice \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2019/01/the-biandang-from-japanese-days-to-the-present/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">lunch boxes sold on Taiwan’s railways\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Another popular dish, Chiayi chicken rice, reflects the legacy of U.S. military presence in Taiwan, spurring locals to create a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chiayi.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=530\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">meal using surplus poultry\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. It’s still hard, however, to find the flavors of the island’s numerous indigenous tribes, though a charming restaurant called Cambowan in San Mateo used to serve black rice steamed in bamboo before it closed its doors for good during the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the most beloved niche restaurants is less than three miles from Cisco headquarters. Stepping through the doors of Taiwan Cafe, with its brick walls and vintage neon signs, is like entering a village in the island’s rural south. “We like that country flavor, xiāng xià de wèi dào,” says owner Sue Chang, whose mother Lin Lan Chih opened the cafe in 2006. Some menu items are very specific to the family’s Hakka heritage. This Chinese minority group has been in Taiwan for hundreds of years; their culinary traditions, such as preserved daikon and bamboo shoots, often reflect scarcity and agricultural work. Taiwan Cafe’s specialty is Wan Luan pork, a mahogany braised hock served on a bed of tangy bamboo shoots, named after Chih’s hometown in tropical Pingtung County. Although Chang came to America at age ten, she speaks fondly and at length about traditional Hakka foods, including thick handmade ban tiao rice noodles and pork intestines stir-fried with ginger and vinegar. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Can Tech Save Taiwanese Restaurants? Third Generation and Beyond\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many of these legacy Taiwanese restaurants were already in the midst of handing over the reins to the next generation when the pandemic sped up that process. The need to develop new revenue streams, such as deliveries or selling groceries, requires tech skills that the aging founders might not have. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a recent Saturday morning, a steady stream of customers arrived at Taiwan Cafe to pick up to-go orders which can be ordered once a week. These dishes include ready-to-eat bentos of sliced Wan Luan pork fanned over a bed of white rice topped with bamboo shoots in minced pork sauce, Hakka Delight featuring pressed tofu and pork strips stir-fried with celery and leeks, and Hoklo classics such as oyster omelet. Since March 2020, the nostalgic dining room has been closed, and it’s now filled with three industrial freezers holding vacuum-packed pork hocks, translucent pork-stuffed bah ûan and five-spice rolls waiting to be deep-fried. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">These days, the restaurant is mostly focused on selling frozen specialties, which can be picked up locally or shipped to destinations as far-flung as Minnesota and New Jersey. Three generations are now in the business: Chang’s 23-year old daughter Stephanie Tseng handles the online orders and the Facebook page while her mother and brother run Cafe Taiwan in Pleasanton.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Even more dramatic are the changes that have taken place at \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://liangsvillage.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Liang’s Village\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Cupertino, best known for its beef noodle soup. The family business was first started in 1981 in the San Gabriel Valley as Mama’s Kitchen, a cafeteria featuring braised meats and tofu. The Cupertino outpost was opened by the original Mama Liang’s grandson Austin in 2010, after graduating from U.C. Berkeley. Today, Austin and his siblings Jessica and Erica run the company. In 2018, they raised $26,500 on Kickstarter to start a line of frozen foods inspired by the dishes their father sent with them to college. “Our dad had a restaurant, so we always took sauces home and froze it at school,” says Erica Liang. “Then you boil some noodles and pop it in, and it was just like the best home cooked meal.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13897841\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13897841\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A spread of takeout dishes from Liang's Village in white takeout cartons.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/LiangsTakeout_GHL-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A spread of takeout dishes from Liang’s Village. \u003ccite>(Grace Hwang Lynch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the beginning of the pandemic, they sold only two items: beef noodle soup and red oil wontons. Now, the newly minted \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mamaliangs.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mama Liang’s\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> brand has a sleek, English-language website selling 19 products. Customers can get frozen meals like minced pork sauce, stewed pig’s feet and caramelized scallion noodles shipped nationwide. They’ve even dabbled in cooking videos: Earlier in May, Jessica did a demonstration of their beef noodle kit for this year’s online version of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tafestival.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Taiwanese American Cultural Festival\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which is normally held in San Francisco’s Union Square. Meanwhile, the dining room remains closed, and Mama Liang’s grandchildren don’t know exactly what the future holds. “It’s a little bit hard to kind of decide on which way we’re going,” says Jessica Liang, who is waiting to see if conditions are ripe to allow restaurants to fully open this summer. “It’s really hard to justify opening a restaurant if it’s not 100% capacity.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, just a few blocks down Stevens Creek Boulevard, Bobby Chan is holding out hope of filling Mama Chen’s dining room soon. “People love to dine in instead of to-go,” he says. And he has a point. Takeout bentos and meal kits, like Zoom and FaceTime, have helped many people get through this year. But there’s something inherently un-Taiwanese about eating alone in front of a screen. Taiwanese people love to eat together. The sensory experience of trying restaurants with friends, or strolling through a crowded night market together, is as much part of the culture as the food itself.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And while it’s hard to know when these restaurants will return to some sense of normalcy, or how much more this next generation of small business owners will shake up the status quo, one thing’s for certain: Taiwanese restaurants in Silicon Valley are here to stay. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13897264\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-160x25.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/Taiwan.logobreak.greyish-768x122.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grace Hwang Lynch is a San Francisco Bay Area journalist and essayist, with an eye for Asian American culture and food. Her work can be found at PRI, NPR, Tin House and Catapult. She’s at work on a memoir about Taiwanese food and family. Follow her on Twitter \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GraceHwangLynch\">@GraceHwangLynch\u003c/a>.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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}
},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
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"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"here-and-now": {
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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