Do you know what guabao is? If you do, chances are, you are either Taiwanese or knowledgeable on foodie trends. As part of the pork fad of the last decade and also the rise of less-known Asian food in the States (read: Korean tacos, Taiwanese, Chinese provincial specialties over pan-China classics), guabao has become trendy. It's what's described as a "Taiwanese burger"- fatty braised pork belly sandwiched between soft, white bread pocket with cilantro, pickled cabbage, and the all important sweet peanut powder. The perfect melding of crunch and softness, sweet and salty, greasy and dry. I love me a guabao. But I especially like that this esoteric trendy food item here that isn't served in every city (because how many of them have Taiwanese food?) nor every Taiwanese restaurant, is so common in Taiwan that I had this for breakfast at the airport. I love that I come from a food history so rich that what is available here in the States is only a speck of what is available at home. And that I can eat guabaos in peace in Taiwan, without food trucks or eating local.
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