by Juipin Chen & Sandra Chen A Taiwan cuisine survey conducted by Ming Chuan Magazine is underway these weeks. Through last week, the top 3 best local dishes, as selected by international students, are xiaolongbao, bubble milk tea and fried chicken. Melissa Choy from Guatemala comments that xiaolongbao is really delicious. On the other hand, the least liked foods are the pig’s blood rice pudding, stinky tofu and coffin bread. Since this survey is still being carried out this week, pick up a questionnaire and express your comments on these Taiwanese cuisines to grab a chance to win a 100 NTD 7-11 gift certificate. Based on the initial results, international students’ likes and dislikes of Taiwanese cuisine is very different. For instance, many students selected “Tasted but don’t like it” for the most popular item, bubble milk tea. However, Micacla Swat from South Africa comments, “I love it! It has great taste and is something I always recommend to people new to Taiwan.” People in many countries do not eat animal organs; as a result, pig’s blood rice pudding easily becomes the top “not willing to try” dish on the list. The strong smell of stinky tofu also stops many international students from trying it out. The must-try cuisine of Tamsui, iron eggs, came as top for “never heard of it.” Apparently, this small black food item does not gain lots of attention after all. The complete survey results and the introduction to Taiwanese cuisine will be published in the 88th issue of the “Ming Chuan Magazine;” look for the report when you pick up your copy later this semester.