Podking Restaurant

Podking Restaurant is famous in Taichung. The first store is opened in 忠孝night market in 1991, and the shop keeper, Mr. Chen, worked very hard and he soon discovered a new flavor that guests liked a lot. Therefore, it became well-known and it opened many branches in a short time
Its soup is made of many Chinese herbal medicines and it is warm and suitable especially in winter. Besides, its spice is unique, spicy but not greasy so that lots of people will taste it because of its special soup and sauce.
Though it is famous for spicy soup, there is another soup you can choose if you don’t like spice. The degree of spice is divided into three levels; usually I can eat the third level. The first level is the most spice, and I haven’t challenged it yet. There are various kinds of ingredients you can choose and they are fresh and delicious. Many people are willing to wait in line in order to taste it.
Hot pots are everywhere but it is not easy to become well-known. Podking Restaurant is successful to catch people’s eyes and stomachs.

ChungHsing Lake

There are lots of famous shopping districts in Taichung and people’s first impression toward Taichung City is its various foods and products. However, there are also some nature sceneries such as Taichung Metropolitan Park, 大坑 mountain, and so on. And here is a green place in downtown so that many people will do exercise or have a picnic here; it is ChungHsing University.
Located in southern Taichung, it is like a green diamond, because there are many buildings around it and it’s the only place people can do outdoor activities in southern part of Taichung. The measure of area is fifty- three hectares and you can see trees all over the campus. There is a forest called the Dark Forest; every morning people will do exercise and I think they can absorb much phytoncide while exercising. Whenever I pass by, they are full of energy; I think they must treasure that they have a place to exercise.
In addition, ChungHsing is famous for the lake. It is special- designed; the shape of main lake is like China and tow small lakes stand for Taiwan and 海南 Island. Not only students but also people from the neighborhood will have a picnic or enjoy the sunshine and little children will have excursions here. Since the campus is large, it is suitable for people to take a walk.
Also, lots of people will take photos because the beautiful scenery; it is a great place for city people to relax.

Yizhong Street

Yizhong Street is one of the important shopping centers in Taichung. It is named after Taichung First Senior High. Because of near school, products there are cheap and I often can have a good bargain. Besides Taichung First Senior High, there are also other schools like 中技and 台體; therefore, students will stop by with their friends so that it will become bustling in the afternoon. There are almost all kinds of stores, thus, I can hang around there whole day. Also, traffic is convenient and it is not far from our school so that it is the first shopping center that I visited in Taichung.

There are many tiny lanes but once you visit, you will be surprised and find many treasures. Since there are a lot of delicious foods and special products, I would like to introduce something. Yizhong fried chicken is famous in Taiwan and it is originated from Yizhong Street. Not only students but also adults like it very much. In addition, usually you have to wait in line for 5-10 minutes. Hence, next time if you want to try, you can go there early in order not to wait for a long time.

Chungyo Department Store

The famous department store in Taichung is Chungyo Department Store. The building is large and it combines section A, B, and C; it is one of the large scale department stores in the world. Located in downtown Taichung, it is convenient for people to go there; many office ladies and students would like to stop by after work and school.

The most interesting and specialist are restrooms. They are theme restrooms and each floor has its unique subject. For example, there are subjects like fairy tales, secret gardens, baroque, rococo, pop, and so on. Many people will visit Chungyo just because they want to take a look at its restrooms.

Lavender Forest

Have you ever imagine about purple forests? I have never thought of it until I visited Lavender Forest. It planted lavenders all over the district and it seemed that the world became purple. From November to May, lavenders bloomed at that time especially in January and February. Though winter is cold, with lavenders accompany, I will feel warm.

In addition, they also sell products that are made from lavenders such like cookies, drinks, and soaps. Entering the restaurant, you can smell its fragrance and even taste it. I like lavender milk tea. Milk tea and lavender matched and it tasted great.

Moreover, there is a DIY classroom, and you can try to make a unique soap on your own. People there will teach how to make step by step, just follow the guidance and use your creativity; you can make a unique lavender soap!

Feng Chia Night Market

Night markets are unique in Taiwan, so when we go on a trip, we will visit the night market. The famous market in Taichung is Feng Chia night market. Near Feng Chia University, the business park is large and there are many food stands and stores. Because the main customers are students, products there are cheap and you can have a good bargain.

I like to buy clothes and shoes there, especially when seasons alter. Usually there will be sales and I can buy products I want at lower prices.

Furthermore, foods are yummy so that every time I visit Feng Chia night market, not only would I eat dinner but also buy some desserts as midnight snacks.

It is not far away from ChungHsing University. You can take bus 33 or 35, or ride motorcycle in about 20 minutes you can arrive there.

Traveler kitchen- Germany

As a glutton, I would like to taste all kinds of delicious foods. This time I am going to introduce a German restaurant. Though its price is a little expensive than others, its service and dishes are indeed excellent. Located in a small street, it is not easy to find that place; however, every time I went to the restaurant, there were lots of people and sometimes we had to wait in line. It took time to find and wait, but after you entered the restaurant, you would know that it is worthwhile.

I ordered the chicken noodle with Germany mustard sauce. The sauce was unusual and it was imported from Germany, so it was one of the bestsellers in the restaurant. Before the main dish, there were breads and soups; breads were soft and soups were good. Cooks cooked the dishes carefully and servers were attentive to customers. It made me feel comfortable and relax. Therefore, it is a good place for friends and family.

Sun cakes

When it comes to the souvenir of Taichung, the first thing everyone will think is definitely the sun cake. It is said that it existed from Ching Dynasty, and there were several legends about its name.

Legend one, in ancient China, one day sun disappeared and people thought it was the monster that ate it; therefore, they made many sun- shaped cakes, miraculously, sun rose the next day. People thought it was really a magic and they decided to name the cake sun cake.

Legend two, cake makers shaped cakes round and the color was yellow. After baking, it looked like sun, and its name was handed down.

No matter who name it, sun cakes become the well- known products in Taichung and visitors will buy them as gifts. Moreover, as the time goes by, cake makers invented a lot of new flavors, but my favorite is original flavor. Next time you can try them, and you will be surprised by those new flavors.

Traveler kitchen- Greece

There are many delicious restaurants in Taichung and when it comes to Greek flavor, almost everyone will have the same answer: The Traveler Kitchen. It is opened since 2005. With enthusiasm and patience, the three investors realize their reverie. After their trip to Greece, they decided to have their own restaurant.

When I stepped in the restaurant, I was surprised by its decoration. It seemed that I was in Greece, foods, drinks, and desserts were traditional Greek flavor. What’s more, servers wore costumes as their uniforms and they represented different characters; some were warriors, some were country people, and some were gods and goddesses.

The server in goddess costume sent us the dishes, and she was very hospitable and well- mannered. She acted that we were friends, not customers. In addition to her friendliness, the dishes were good. The traditional Greek flavor was hard to find in Taiwan, but in Traveler Kitchen you can taste it. I ordered the Greek seafood risotto; its shape was like rice but actually it was noodle. With special spices and abundant ingredients, it tasted delicious. There were many dishes I want to taste; therefore, I will visit here again.

The Lung of Taichung

Since I am the college student in Taichung, I decide to look for all the interesting and beautiful resort and try to go each place at least once during my college life. Therefore, I read many journey magazines and surfed on the net; I found a lot of resorts that attract me a lot. At last, I chose summit resort(新社莊園) as my first stop.
I remembered the day was mid-April and the weather that day was warm and sunny; I was excited so that I get up early and was eager to go on the trip as soon as possible. Riding on a motorcycle, my friend, Claudia, and I started the trip. The scenery along the road was beautiful; at that time, the weather became hotter ant hotter and we sweated all over but still wanted to go to the destination. After half and an hours riding, we finally arrive at the summit resort.
新社 is called the lung of Taichung, and the summit resort is located in there. With the mild climate and various butterflies and birds there is regarded as the best resort for people live in Taichung to visit.


I will post some photos next time so you can understand how beautiful there is!