For the next stop of his culinary journey through Taiwan, East Asia columnist Liam Elliott Brady takes us to the infamous rechao, where one finds the Taiwanese at their liveliest and, more often than not, their drunkest. From gongpao jiding (Kung Pao Chicken) to zhuxiegao (Pig’s Blood Cake), the rechao puts the idea of the buffet to shame through its abundance of local and foreign dishes.

East Asia columnist Liam Elliott Brady explores Taiwan’s rich vegetarian heritage and its historical links with Buddhism.