Today was full of star studded highlights for me — we visited one of Tse Xin’s organic farms and adventures in the iconic Jioufen from Spirited Away!
This Buddhist organic farm was so special because it felt like I was being welcomed not just into a sustainable farm but into a sustainable home. The work ethos of the volunteers carrying the farm was so heartwarming. They ranged from younger to older; one of the guides described how kids would visit the farm and tag their parents along, but then the aging parents get attached! They set precedents for the next generations; many elders picked vegetables from the farm and cooked food to share. Especially among older volunteers, they may have lost partners and not have a big family to be with, so they come to the farm to build a greater community.
Before this visit I thought I knew how to appreciate food– not at all! The food here was all grown the way it had been for generations and sustained its organic practices. Being by a national park also meant this farm was surrounded by similarly organically sustained land and embodied a connection with nature. We ate herbs picked straight from the tree and tasted honey straight from the honeycomb. The agriculture came to life and this farm turned it into a lifestyle.
The farm’s volunteers prepared us such a lovely and delicious lunch; in my heart it was competition grade. (Attach picture of the lunch they made)
In the evening we made it up the mountains to Jioufen just in time to catch the sunset over an oceanside view. It was surreal to witness the magic of nature that I had only seen in paintings; we were definitely distracted and forgot what we were there for – the iconic night market! The red lanterns along the strenuous flights and the luring wafts of street food filled the air with excitement. Victoria and I had so much fun visiting the food vendors to try different Taiwanese food – though we decided to keep the stinky tofu on the backseat for another day! Jioufen was a lovely treat to end a lovely day!