2022年6月8日 香りと記憶2 台湾の鉄道駅
台湾の駅では独特の香りが漂う。その香りの源を台湾人に尋ねると「茶葉蛋」、お茶で煮たゆで卵とのことであった。
Webには「台湾風煮卵」と至極明快な説明があったが、おやつ或いはつまみとして食べるらしい。
残念ながら味わうことはなかったが、その香りは記憶に残った。
その昔、日本でも鉄道旅のお供は赤いネットに入った「ゆで卵」だった。
汽車、現在のような電車ではなく蒸気やディーゼル機関車で引っ張る茶色の客車であるが、がホームに着くと駅弁を抱えた駅弁売りが居て、
窓を開けて呼んで買うのである。その駅弁達の脇に件のゆで卵とプラスチック容器のお茶を売っていた。
そんな幼い頃の記憶を呼び覚ました「台湾風煮卵」であった。
Scent and memory 2: Taiwan railway station, June 8th, 2022
Taiwanese train stations have a unique scent. When I asked a Taiwanese about the source of this scent,
she said "Cha ye dan (tea leaf egg)", a boiled egg boiled in tea.
There is a very clear explanation on the web pages as "Taiwanese boiled egg",
but it seems that it is eaten as a snack or an appetizer. Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste it,
but I remember the smell.
A long time ago, even in Japan, a “boiled egg” in a red net was a companion for train travel.
Trains were brown passenger cars pulled by steam or diesel locomotives instead of electric trains like today.
When a train reached to the station, there were many vendors to sell the ekiben (lunch box sold at a train station)
and we called a vendor and bought the ekiben by opening the window.
The boiled eggs and tea in plastic containers were also provided together with the ekiben.
It was "Taiwanese boiled eggs" that awakened such childhood memories.