After our hefty breakfast in Taichung, we really didn't feel like lunch before or during our train to Chiayi. Our main reason for heading to Chiayi was to visit Alishan. I was somewhat confused as to why I wasn't able to get train tickets to Alishan ahead of time and even more confused as to why I wasn't able to get THSR (high speed rail) and even any train tickets when we left Chiayi. I ended up coming across something referring to Qingming Festival, which I mentioned to the Missus. Turns out that during the 15th day after the spring equinox families visit the tombs of their ancestors and proceed to clean the site and make offerings. In Taiwan, the whole week is taken off. Everyone is traveling, so transport is in high demand. What we ended up doing once arriving at Chiayi Station, was to head directly to the 7-11 where Alishan bus tickets were sold. We bought two tickets for the following morning.
We were staying at the Orange Hotel, which was kind of dated and noisy, but was centrally located and overlooked the Central Square. Of course, right after checking in the Missus needed to get Her tea fix.
Tea and boba drinks were priced ridiculously low; like 30 TWD ($1/US) at many places.
And just within a block of where we were staying were no less than six shops! The young lady at this shop was especially friendly and while chatting with the Missus even made a recommendation we'd go to later on during our stay.
We got used to having 2-3 of these a day. The Missus got really spoiled by this….to the point where She considered tea priced at 35 TWD ($1.10/US) to be too expensive! Ten cents more?!?!?
Once our thirst was quenched we decided to head out for a late lunch – early dinner. There was a specialty of Chiayi that I really wanted to try. So we headed on out. I had a list of places, but the first one was closed, probably due to the holiday. As we walked on over to another shop I had on my list we passed this temple.
All the temples we came across in Taiwan were fascinating, ornate, and beautiful. And all are important to the local community. This one is Chiayi Cheng Huang Temple, which was built in 1715. It is dedicated to the "City God", Cheng Huang. For more history, information, and wonderful stories about this temple, please check out this web page.
It seemed like every corner in every city or village was packed with places like this in Taiwan. History, culture, and lore abounds……
Sometimes I wish I knew the places we'd stumble across so I could do more research ahead of time, but you really can't dictate the future. I didn't know that our first choice of a restaurant would be closed and we'd head on to our second choice. Which featured quite a line!
There's a specific dish that I'd read about, for which Chiayi is famous; turkey rice, yes turkey rice. According to several sources, online and in print, and of course the ever popular Street Food series, turkey was brought in by the military following World War II (Shades of SPAM® in Hawaii). Due to post war hardships, turkeys being larger and cheaper to raise than chickens became popular in Central Taiwan. I'm sure there are several origin stories.
Anyway, there was a pretty long line when we arrived, but as we quickly learned in Taiwan, lines are a good thing and usually move pretty quickly. Within fifteen minutes we were stationed at the door of the restaurant; Ah Hong Shi.
And before you knew it we were seated. Tables had dividers so a four top could be converted into a two top.
You are given a slip of paper and mark off what you want to order and hand it to the Server. The Missus's Chinese reading and writing skills sure came in handy during this trip. We placed our order and items started arriving in no time.
Of course the Missus got the Pidan with Tofu.
For some reason, I found that the century egg in Taiwan had a much stronger, almost cheesy flavor, and the ammonia like finish was more pronounced. That tofu was very "beany".
We enjoyed the Bittermelon.
This was very puckery and bitter. We enjoyed it.
The Bamboo Shoots were earthy with a mild nutty-sweetness.
Loved the crunchiness as well.
And then the dish I was waiting for, the Turkey Rice. The Missus, is not a fan of Turkey in the States as it is often bland, dry, really lacking in flavor, so She was not particularly excited about trying Chiayi Turkey Rice. This totally changed Her mind.
Topped with lovely fried shallots and pickled daikon (aka Takuan), the turkey was so tender, full of earthy, well…..turkeyness. Think about having moist and tender turkey with the flavor dialed up to 100 on a scale of one to ten. The perfectly cooked rice was saturated with the sauce of the turkey. Man, this was so good!
At the time of ordering, the Missus was still not sure about getting Turkey Rice and decided to cover our bets by ordering the Lu Rou Fan, the braised pork on rice.
Loved the varying texture of the pork; fatty belly, pieces of offal and such. The braising liquid was soy based, leaning on the saltier side of the spectrum. This was good, though we'd have better later on this trip.
For me; this was all about the Turkey Rice! And, ahem, "Rice-ly so".
Folks don't dally at places like this. You eat, take your bill, pay at the counter, and get the heck out of Dodge.
After all, look at who're waiting their turn!
Ah Hong Shi Turkey Rice
No. 108 Guanghua Rd.
East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan
Chiayi Turkey Rice!
Neat and clean interior seating. There is also outside seating and a small menu, which is nice. Many items can be ordered vegetarian. Our waiter said that most everything here is made from scratch.
We both wanted the cucumber salad ($6) on this rather warm day. It was *excellent*- cool, refreshing, with just enough salt and sesame oil to compliment the smashed cucumbers.
The Ma Po Tofu with pork and rice ($12.50) (you can also order vegetarian for $2 less) was a shareable portion. The sauce had the brightness of Sichuan peppercorns and the silky tofu was plentiful while the bits of pork complimented the flavors and added texture. A very balanced dish. 
Under "Signature" dishes on the menu were Chilli Wontons (12) ($10.50). We had to try these. Not much chili on top, but there is a great house made chili crisp on the table which enhanced the porky goodness of these large, two-bite wontons in a stretchy, thin wrap. The broth at the bottom of the bowl was wonderful with a rich porkiness and subtle chili heat.
The pig tongue was as expected, fairly chewy and very porky. Quite typical.
We quickly noticed that on this visit, the dumpling wrappers were very soft, lacking in the slight "pull" that we enjoy in jiaozi wrappers. The filling of the shrimp, pork, and leek was very moist and actually had a good amount of "soup" in them…very nicely flavored, though a bit short in the shrimp department.
But man, that filling was so gamy, moist, juice just poured out of it when I took a bite.
We did notice that the dish has changed since our last visit. The shrimp shells and the shrimp seems to have some coating; like the tofu skin, the portion size is smaller. The shrimp is not quite as delicate as it used to be. But the flavor is still there and the shells and tail are a pleasure to eat.
Soon enough the large plate of bun, herbs, and veggies. And of course the Missus enjoys the Banh Trang Me dipping it into the mam nem. As for the Mam Nem, we noticed that it's not quite as potent as it used to be.
Can't get much more generic than seeing something like this. 
Sure, you could walk up and grab a menu…but walking up and reading the walls can be more fun. 
Walk to the corner, order and pay. Have a seat.
Condiments are brought out and you can hear the sounds of chopping and stir fry happening in the kitchen.
Soon, a large bowl of Wor Won Ton Soup ($11.99) was brought out. Chicken, shrimp and pork filled won tons (dumpling sized) along with a plethora of fresh vegetables made this a great meal in itself.
Every vegetable was fresh and crisp. The shrimp were plump, chicken pieces were moist and quite large and the dumplings/won ton were flavor filled. 
Since this was a first visit, I had to order the Egg Foo Young ($12.99). The chef here had yet another unique way of preparation. 
The patties were batter dipped and fried to a crisp brown color, not filled with bean sprouts but instead, cabbage. Topped with the chicken (you could also order pork or shrimp EFY), ubiquitous peas and carrots and a good (not too salty) gravy, all flavors and textures remained bright throughout the meal.
The menu is the same and the price of each item has increased by $1, to $8.50.
Coffee (accompanied by sweetened condensed milk) remains at 70¢,
as does the hot tea.
This is #3, Fried Noodles with Bean Sprouts and Soy Sauce; always satisfying having a crunch for breakfast. #1 and #2 are also noodle dishes.
#31, all the way at the bottom of the menu, Fried Rice w/ Lunch Meat, is the only rice offered at breakfast and has a wonderful, smokey 'wok hei' flavor along with the "Spam", egg and peas and carrots. Sometimes we will order it just to we can take home for lunch. 
#10, Shrimp Dumpling Noodle Soup, is quite satisfying. The dumplings are quite large, with pork and shrimp and the bok choy and egg noodles are satisfying to round out the meal.
#8, Fish Filet Porridge, is almost always ordered just because it's a comfort-breakfast food. 
You can order a Chinese Donut ($2), which is made fresh (used to have to run across the hallway to buy one at the 99Ranch steam trays ) and it is freshly fried. 
Tearing the crisp, airy donut into the porridge brings up the comfort food factor. 
#23, Roast Duck Lo Mein, is a great savory item. The herby and savory 'soup' is just perfect for dipping both the duck and the noodles. 
#24, BBQ Pork Lo Mein, is also a good choice on some days. It all depends on what you are craving. 
The hot food display window is filled in the morning. The steam tray choices next to it are 'To-Go' or you can eat at one of the two tables in front of the display.
My goodness, this was a lot of noodles. I moved the noodles to a large plate, which turned out to be a good idea. Because when I poured the sauce over it there was all this "stuff" on the bottom.
Of course, in typical fashion, when there's just too much to see, like when 
The fat on this was quite velvety, but the meat kind of dry. The flavor was a lot milder, lacking in the sweet-soy, ginger, and slightly pungent tones I'd used to in this dish. It also had a bit too much of a greasy mouthfeel for us as well.
They sure didn't short us on the chilies did they? And more preserved vegetable which just lifted the dish in my opinion. Great smokiness to the dish, perfect amount of soy and sodium flavors.
Not sure who was cooking on this day, but I'm hoping the person will always be there on my visits! And the dishes really brought some heat this time around….maybe it was a new delivery of chilies? The one a sat next to while waiting for my takeout?