The 2018 iSee Taiwan Foundation’s Sanbei-Calling for Stories of Your Culinary Experience Competition aimed at uncovering Taiwan’s unique Sanbei cuisine. The competition has revealed a diversity of ingredients that opened the eyes of the public and overturned the stereotype of Sanbei cooking in Taiwan. The competition attracted over 700 entries with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards on offer, and 5 Honorable Mentions.

The event, which originated from the 2012 Food for Fun series of activities, is in its 4th year. Since its inception, virtual and physical integration has triggered a flood of reservations for Taiwanese style banquets in the middle of Taiwan by tourists from Singapore and Malaysia. In 2016, a map showcasing the most delicious DonAmigo tube rice in Taiwan emerged; and in 2017, stories on Taiwanese Guabao were collected. To date, almost 3,000 food stories and more than 500 recommended restaurants have been collected, with over 1 million clicks across Asia’s social networking sites.

With the Sanbei-Calling for Stories of Your Culinary Experience Competition being more successful than ever, teenagers to seniors in their 70s have rushed to submit their entries. Not secretive about their recipes, the essays submitted focused on family relationships and friendships. Most entries used chicken as the main ingredient, but surprisingly there were also many Sanbei dishes using mushrooms, eggplant or tofu. There were also the occasional Sanbei squid or fish dishes, and even a rare recipe using pig tongue. Apparently, whatever the ingredients, each Sanbei dish is unique.

The iSee Taiwan Foundation also invited heavyweight jurors from a wide range of fields to select the best representatives for Taiwan’s unique Sanbei. The judging panel included Tuo Chung-Hwa, consultant for the iSee Taiwan Foundation and convener for this event; Wang Hao-Yi, host for the Taiwan Public Television’s Slow Travel Adventures and winner of the 2017 Golden Bell Awards; Shen Ko-Shang, Director of the Taipei Film Festival; Hu Chin-Lun, Chief Editor of Linking Publishing Company; Huang Jin-Lun, Singapore’s well-known singer and host; Segami Tsuyoshi, host for the Lai Shang-Kang in Taiwan; and Hsieh Fa-dah, former Taiwan representative in Singapore and Switzerland to form a panel that spans disciplines and the whole of Asia.

The Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners in the Video Group were exceptionally successful. The Gold Award winning “Sanbei of My Memory” used professional methods and techniques to rigorously compose and combine the important journeys throughout life, and humorously described the features of Sanbei at each stage of life, thus winning the favor of the judges. In the Essay Group, the Gold Award winning “Fourth Granduncle’s Sanbei Life” used the representative sauces in Sanbei cooking, namely sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine, to illustrate their Fourth Granduncle’s open and determined philosophy of life, and his bumpy life experience. In fact, the Sanbei squid in the essay was an unforgettable revelation.

Sanbei Senses was an innovative 3 days and 2 night cultural experience. The cultural tour included elements of gastronomy tourism for foreign food critics and writers, with visits to the century old Wuan Chuang Soy Sauce Distillery, Nice Garden Good Pig Farm, and Rice House Fu Rice that is known for its Taiwan Top Rice. The iSee Taiwan Foundation hoped that having savored Sanbei cooking, the foreign visitors could transform their wonderful and memorable experience into words and acquaint the local people in their countries with Taiwan.

iSee Taiwan Foundation’s list of winners for the Sanbei-Calling for Stories of Your Culinary Experience Competition

Video Group

No.

Award

Title of Entry

1

Gold Award

Sanbei of My Memory

2

Silver Award

Sanbei and 5 Flavors

3

Bronze Award

A Taste of Taiwan Sanbei Drama, Let the World See Taiwan

4

Honorable Mention

Most Taiwanese Flavor

5

Honorable Mention

Nostalgia of the Tongue

6

Honorable Mention

Sanbei Braised Pork and Rice

7

Honorable Mention

Visiting

8

Honorable Mention

Let the World See Taiwan’s Cooking-Sanbei Chicken

Essay Group

No.

Prize

Title of Entry

1

Gold Award

Fourth Granduncle’s Sanbei Life

2

Silver Award

Wonderful Taste of Gratitude and Nostalgia

3

Bronze Award

Add Sanbei to Happiness

4

Honorable Mention

A Memorable Flavor of the Heart

5

Honorable Mention

 The cube of Sanbei

6

Honorable Mention

World Reputation–Sanbei Chicken of the Wandering Chef

7

Honorable Mention

Battle of the Generations-Sanbei White Shrimp/Cuttle Fish/King Oyster Mushroom

8

Honorable Mention

Taiwanese Flavor Without Borders–My Search for Sanbei Green Sauce

9

Honorable Mention

Confessions of a Homesick Traveler

10

Honorable Mention

Looking back sixty years Ago

11

Honorable Mention

Three Warmth

12

Honorable Mention

Sanbei: Memories of Joys and Sorrows

13

Honorable Mention

Not Quite Taiwanese Flavor

14

Honorable Mention

The Black Pudding Father Eats