Taipei - Gua Bao at Lan Jia Traditional Taiwanese Snack

Braised pork belly with pickled mustard greens and cilantro nestled in a soft, steamed bun and dusted with sweet peanut powder. What's not to like?



We stopped in at Lan Jia Traditional Taiwanese Snack for their famous Gua Bao ("Taiwanese Hamburger"). You can get them with fatty meat, lean meat, or (as we did) a combo of the two.



The flavors were more subtle than I was expecting, but these were a pleasure to eat.



To be honest, you could fill these buns with wet cardboard and I would still eat it. Probably the nicest steamed bun texture I've ever had.

Blue Ridges, Boiled Peanuts and Belly

We didn't spend all of our time in Asheville eating a drinking - we did get out and experience some of the lovely surrounding scenery. One day we took a nice drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Ok, back to food. On the way, we stopped in at the WNC Farmer's Market. Just outside of Asheville, it is open 7 days a week.

Here we tried boiled peanuts for the first time. Once you get past the initial shock of soft peanuts, they were actually pretty good.



There was a lot of nice pork product for sale, including big hunks of cured pork belly:



And cured hams:



We bought some really nice ham hock and a big slice of country ham. In retrospect, though, I wish we'd gotten a whole ham to take home with us.

Riding the Purple Bus - LaZoom Tours in Asheville

Not to be missed if you are visiting Asheville is a ride on board the purple bus operated by LaZoom Tours.

One part historic city tour and two parts zany "children's theater for grownups", the bus runs on biodiesel and the energy of the three-person crew.



In addition to the bus driver there is "Babs", your tour guide:



The third member of the trio plays a host of characters you meet along the way, including this bear (I'm not even going to try to explain):



and a floating djinni:



Not to mention a squirt-gun fight with a crazed bicycle rider on the streets of downtown Asheville (we were too busy participating to get a picture).

And, of course, there is a grand finale:



Great fun, made even better by the fact that you can bring tasty adult beverages on board. Not to mention a brief stop partway through at the Thirsty Monk for a quick Belgian beer fix.

Beer Blessed in Asheville, North Carolina

We spent several very enjoyable days in Asheville, North Carolina, and were surprised at the wide variety of very good beers available in the area.

Our first visit was to Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria. While the pizza was pretty mediocre, the taps were excellent with a wide variety of local options. Among the beers we tried were the Solstice Belgian Tripel and Vortex Triple IPA from Pisgah Brewing Company:



The Solstice was particularly good. We're really starting to enjoy the Tripel style, and this was a nice version - prominent, but not too heavy belgian yeast flavor.

Another great spot is Jack of the Wood, a comfy pub with live music several nights a week. They serve their own Green Man Ales which, while not our favorites of the local offerings, were pretty good.

We caught two shows here - a fantastic performance by a band called The Belleville Outfit (definitely check them out if you get a chance) and this bluegrass band whose name I can't remember:

On an evening bus tour with LaZoom Tours, we had a 15-minute break at the Thirsty Monk - a great little Belgian beer bar tucked away around the back of this building and down some steps.



We had just enough time to partake in a Houblon Chouffe and a Pisgah Solstice before we had to get back on the bus.



Fridays during the summer, Asheville has an outdoor concert series called Downtown After Five. A number of the local breweries were represented:



Served in compostable cups, of course.



In addition to the great options on tap around town, there was a fantastic little bottle shop a few blocks away from our hotel. Brusin' Ales had a great selection and let you buy individual bottles from six packs.



They had a number of beers I had been wanting to try but hadn't been able to get my hands on. We picked up a Double Simcoe and a Hops Infusion from Weyerbacher, and a Two Hearted Ale from Bell's:



The Double Simcoe was very good - it tasted a lot like the San Diego Pale Ale we have been making. The Hops Infusion was ok, but didn't have nearly as much flavor.

I have been wanting to try Bell's Two Hearted Ale for quite some time. I was worried that it would be on the maltier side (like the offerings from Dogfish Head) and I wouldn't like it. Turns out that it is fantastic. Nice, light color. Complex taste, with hints of apricot. Wish we could get it in San Diego...

Barley's Taproom
42 Biltmore Ave.
Asheville, North Carolina
(828) 255-0504‎

Jack of the Wood
95 Patton Ave.
Asheville, North Carolina
(828) 252-5445‎

Thirsty Monk
92 Patton Ave.
Asheville, North Carolina
(828) 254-5470‎

Bruisin' Ales
66 Broadway St. Suite 1
Asheville, North Carolina
(828) 252-8999‎