Pronunciation ChallengeTraditional Foods to Try in Taiwan

“There is a lot of food culture that goes on in the home and in the community in non-traditional ways. Food is a lot more than restaurants. - Eddie Huang”

What’s up, VoiceTube listeners? Welcome to the Pronunciation Challenge with me, Hugh, as your host for today’s episode. Today, I have an episode that I’m sure a lot of you listeners can relate to! Where are my Taiwanese listeners at?! Yes, today, we’ll be talking about Taiwanese food! If you haven’t heard, Taiwan is famous for its food, especially its night markets! I would suggest to any of you listeners to visit Taiwan if given the chance to do so! When I only visited Taiwan, I thought the night markets were amazing. When I lived in Taiwan, I actually didn’t go to the night markets much. Compared to other food I was eating in Taiwan, I found the night market prices a little overpriced. Taiwan is not just about its night markets though! Taiwan has a rich history of food and there are still many places I haven’t tried out yet! I’ll definitely be back in Taiwan, hopefully, sooner than later! So what did I love eating in Taiwan? It’s actually simpler than you think! Let’s get to the featured sentence first!

Today’s featured sentence:
Hot pot is basically a pot of simmering broth that sits in the center of the table on a portable burner while everyone gathers around it to cook their own food.

I’ll say that again.

Hot pot is basically a pot of simmering broth that sits in the center of the table on a portable burner while everyone gathers around it to cook their own food.

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.


For the first word, we have
basically
4 syllables.
I bet you thought it was three syllables huh? Well, it’s because the last two syllables are combined together. Let’s start with the first syllable. “Ba” has a long A sound. “Si” has a short U sound and “cally” if spelt out like how it should sound, would be “K L E E”. “KLEE”. Basically.

Next up, we have
portable
3 syllables
“Por” sounds like the word “poor” like rich and poor. “Ta” has a short U sound. “Ble” sounds like the animal, bull. Portable.

Lastly, we have a blending combination!
“Around it”
Don’t separate this one and blend the “d” at the end into the word “it” to give you “dit”. Around it.



Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. simmer
Definition
to cook something liquid, or something with liquid in it, at a temperature slightly below boiling
Used in a sentence you could say,
“I let the steak simmer in the fat for a little bit before serving it.”

Next word,
2. portable
Definition
light and small enough to be easily carried or moved
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Don’t forget to pack your portable stove for camping!”

And lastly,
3. gather
Definition:
to collect several things, often from different places or people
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Squirrels like to gather a lot of nuts and hide them in various places.”

Ok, so what did I enjoy eating the most in Taiwan? It was the box lunches, otherwise known as the 便當 to Taiwanese people. I would go to these box lunch restaurants where I could pick from a wide selection of food and maybe buy 4 at a time so I wouldn’t need to go out again to eat. I always ate out in Taiwan so eating these box lunches actually reminded me of home. The food my mom makes is actually kind of similar to Taiwanese box lunches. They were also cheap! Good food doesn’t always have to be expensive! You’d be surprised what good food you can eat if you explore a little. Taiwanese listeners! What is your favorite thing to eat in Taiwan? Let me know in the comments section and I’ll make sure to write them down for my next trip back!
Ok, everyone, time to wrap this up. Make sure to get those recordings in! If you want to find me on Instagram, my username is @hughtran_. Until the next episode, see ya!

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Day 163.